Blog Posting 9

 Hi, everyone! Hope you all had a great Halloween and spent some time with family and friends. My new occupation of ASL is going pretty well. I have stopped feeling guilty about not meeting the expectations I had set for myself at the beginning of the semester, and I am grateful for how much I have learned so far. I honestly did not work too much on my new occupation this week, mainly due to the upcoming anatomy exam that has taken up all of my time. I didn't learn any new signs, but I did read another chapter in my book that talks about the history of the Deaf culture in America. This book has really been my favorite part of my new occupation, and I have really enjoyed reading about everything that this community has endured in the past and where they are today. 

I thought that this song was so fun to listen to! It was a nice change from the previous articles. In the song "Flowers on the Wall" by Statler Brothers, the lyrics say "Counting flowers on the wall, that don't bother me at all". This song really had me thinking back to the one individual in the study from Martin, Gayno, & Stew (2006) that stated that they were never bored. In the study, it is stated that this woman was "content to simply sit by her window, watching children making their way from school" (Martin, Gayno, & Stew, 2006, p. 203). These types of people are always so interesting to me, because when I feel like I do not have a lot going on, I am extremely bored. I find small activities to fill the time, but I know that these activities are only to pass the day by and fight extreme boredom. In the song, the individual seems to feel no sense of boredom by simply letting the days pass him by. He is content in the silence of the days, and is actually happy with his days with nothing going on. I thought that the song was funny when it stated that his friends are concerned about him, because I know that when my friends have nothing going on I am concerned about them as well. The study by Martin, Gayno, & Stew (2006) states that those individual who experience boredom report a feeling of being trapped and restless, sometimes depressed. This song by the Statler Brothers is the complete opposite of this finding, because this man who seemingly has nothing going on is content and happy to spend his time counting flowers on the wall.