Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Lipreading and Dirty Dishes

My mom raised me to have really good manners. So if there's ever a time when I'm not helping clean up in the kitchen after a big family meal or something, please don't blame her. It could be that I'm not feeling well (this happens a lot) or it could be that there's someone that I don't get much time with that I really want to talk to or that there is a big conversation that everyone is participating in and if I'm working in the kitchen, I can't lipread.

Now if it's my kitchen and it's just two people, it's so small and quiet that I can wash dishes or dry and put away or whatever and carry on a conversation just fine. But if it's my mother or grandmother's larger kitchens and dinning areas, it's just way too crazy. I can't carry on a conversation - I can't even listen to what other people are saying. So either I'm lonely/left out or distracted.

Sometimes it can't be helped. If I'm entertaining, it's my job to run the kitchen and I like doing that and, as I said, only two people can really work in there and it's small enough that you can talk even if you're moving and I can usually hear you.

Now if you set me to work peeling potatoes, I can do that and carry on a conversation. Wait, forget I said that... guess who is getting on mashed potato duty at Thanksgiving now...

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