Grab the Lapels

Uncle Ralph’s Carrots: Report #8 🥕

What’s with the carrots?

things that happened

🥕x 1,000 I was chosen as the recipient of a scholarship! I sent in an application stating what I have done in the Deaf community, how I will work to make myself worthy of them as an interpreter, and how I will continue to work alongside the Deaf community! Congrats to me!

🥕 Since my knowledge of music ends at about 2005, I decided to make a concerted effort to learn contemporary songs by finding a new radio station in St. Louis. As the radio was scanning, I heard a Soundgarden song, so of course I had to stop. Then came Live. Then Third Eye Blind. And I realized learning modern music wasn’t meant to be.

🥕 The Deaf event was hosted at an arcade bar, which played all . . . 90’s music. I think the universe is telling me something.

🥕 I watched The Closet, a Korean movie on Friday night, keeping up my Spooky Movie Night ritual regardless of where I am.

🥕 Using Zoom, I interviewed an interpreter in Kansas. Sometimes I hear the interpreting community isn’t always friendly, but I’m often proved wrong, suggesting there is either a paradigm shift or I’m only exposed to the really kind folks.

photos

Me, Dorian, and Ashlyn at a Deaf event in St. Louis, MO
Uncle Ralph and Biscuit
Biscuit, her brother on the left, and Uncle Ralph
Biscuit claimed she was Uncle Ralph’s favorite

memes i found

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Published by Grab the Lapels

I'm a graduate of the MFA fiction writing program at the University of Notre Dame, which inspired me to follow along with trends in teaching, publishing, and reviewing. I also have an MA and BS from Central Michigan University. I used to teach composition, creative writing, and literature in higher education, then did a brief stint at a civic theater, followed by two years at a references desk at a public library. I'm now working toward my ASL Interpreter license.

21 comments

  1. Oh that is so wonderful Melanie … you work so hard, you deserve it. What does it give you. Is this like an internship scholarship.

    Re people being unkind, why do people love to call out some other group as unkind? Of course there are unkind people but it’s rare in my experience for whole groups to be so. So I’m glad and not surprised that you found it not so either that group of interpreters.

    Very funny memes but have to name the frog one … love it.

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    • The scholarship is funded by the Psi Iota Xi/Theta Delta chapter. I’m not sure who specifically chose my application letter, the faculty at my university or the sorority itself. The money is disbursed into my student account on campus. Because I don’t have an outstanding balance, I will receive a check (“refund”) through the school.

      That frog really is funny. I love animals sitting on glass tables and photos from beneath.

      I think some groups want to warn you about the atmosphere or vibe around certain groups so that you are appropriately cautious, but sometimes the warning makes things sticky unnecessarily.

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  4. Congrats on your scholarship!!

    Nice to see Uncle Ralph!

    Music! It’s a passion of mine and i have some unsolicited tips. If there’s a college radio station in St. Louis, you’re bound to hear new music there. Also, check out NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts. Also, check out the app called Music League. It’s a game where people join a league and then submit songs to fit a theme in different rounds. I just joined a league and in the first round I was exposed to tons of songs I didn’t know. Also, if you want suggestions, you can tell me who you like and I will try to give you some ideas. That’s all! Happy exploring (if you decide you want to. There’s also nothing wrong with listening to older songs that you know!)

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  5. Woo hoo! I’m doing a little dance and cheer of congratulations! Scholarship well deserved!

    Love the photos of Uncle Ralph! does he know you do Uncle Ralph’s Carrots? Also, is he wearing red glasses? I love red glasses and wish I had the skin tone to wear them so when I see other people wearing them I have little swoons of envy.

    OMG that frog! And also penguinese! We generally always have closed caption turned on because James wears hearing aids due to hearing loss from loud concerts in his teens and 20s and also his MS. The choices made with captioning are fascinating and we frequently notice discrepancies between what was said and what the caption says.

    It seems like you have settled in to your MO internship and are doing well. Yay!

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    • Thank you!!

      I think his glasses look red, too! I’m not sure if that’s the actual color or just the photo. I used to have some pretty redish ones myself that I rather loved. I’ve gotten lighter ones since starting interpreting just to have a “cleaner canvas,” if you will.

      We always have CC on, too. I’m surprised when it says a noise is happening, but even Nick says he doesn’t hear it. That tells me there is an issue with sound design, not the audience. It’s frustrating. Some movies, like American Splendor, will have captions for people in the background that you really would not hear just watching the film, but you see bonkers things in the CC>

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    • Oh, about Uncle Ralph. This is what my mom replied when I asked her if he knew about the Carrot posts: “He does know. Just yesterday I mentioned to him that he is on the World Wide Web. 😂 I reminded how I told him how Kamala didn’t win. That we were both shocked. Then after we left Aldi that he said weren’t those beautiful carrots? I told him he gave the World Wide Web some joy. He thought it was cute & funny that you posted that.”

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  7. Yes! Love this all. Congratulations on your scholarship, you deserve this!!! You’ve set a goal, and are doing everything you can to achieve it, so it’s about time you were recognized for it 😉

    Also I like modern day music, but I will always love music from the 90s and early 2000s more. Not sure if this band was big down in the states, but Aaron and I are going to an Our Lady Peace concert in a few weeks!!!

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