.. is as lovable as I obviously am.
I think I mentioned that I heard a program on RN on the way home from a gig at The Lomond recently by a young-ish, deaf-ish BBC chap who’d ventured into the world of hearing aids and was trying to demystify the process for the large-ish section of the population who, like me, should be addressing their deafness by equipping themselves with the latest in hearing technology but, for various reasons, are resisting it.
One of the reasons for this is, of course, that hearing aids, unlike ‘seeing’ aids, or ‘glasses’, just aren’t trendy. They’re always identified with the older or aged elements of society who are derided because they struggle to make them work effectively, are forever flattening their batteries or are simply losing the hearing aids themselves – which, given that they’re not cheap, can be a source of considerable anguish and even privation.
It has to be said that the side effects of ageing can also have a considerable influence on the efficacy of hearing aids. Your brain most certainly won’t be as nimble or adaptable as it once was and then there’s the quality of what you’re hearing compared to what you heard as a younger person and, possibly more importantly, what you’ve become used to hearing as your ears have deteriorated.
I was reassured about the subject recently when I guested with Chain at some gigs in Melbourne. The enormously talented and ever-helpful Phil Manning, for just the reasons I’ve described, has got himself some hearing aids and described to me in some detail how they work for him. I took considerable solace from this as we obviously share the love and practice of music, sometimes overly-loud music, which has undoubtedly contributed to our hearing’s deterioration, but has also equipped us with the kind of knowledge that must help considerably when dealing with the technicians who test us and supply the actual hardware. When I think of the pitfalls that await the person who has never had to describe the quality or pitch of sounds they’re listening to or simply don’t have English as a first language I don’t wonder that a huge number of people who are equipped with hearing aids, sometimes at a vast cost to themselves or their relatives, end up scarcely using them and driving those same relatives crazy.
Anyway, I guess that’s my first New Year’s resolution – to do something positive about my hearing. You have Maria’s permission to pester me about it.

We-thought-it-was-dead-and-gone dept.
In this epistle it’s not just my maturity I’m concerned about though. I’m also concerned about the maturity of this contradiction of a country, which proudly lays claim to being the youngest or the oldest country on earth, depending which way the wind is blowing. The recent siege in Sydney – you know the one I’m talking about – sparked a lot of criticism of the local media’s presumptuous and sensational presentation of the events, during the siege and after.
The constant replaying of the overseas reportage of the siege suggests to me we’re looking for some sort of endorsement or validation that we’re an important part of the world, despite being at its arse-end as some visitors may have uncharitably suggested. The abysmal events of the following day in Pakistan would scream to any sensible person that we don’t need this kind of notoriety. And again, you know what I’m talking about when I suggest it’s one of the more pitiable manifestations of the classic Aussie cultural cringe.