Rantings Diversified

American Sign Language
I use to be kinda’ but not really but almost sort of kinda’ alright at it.
Oh, the heck with re-learning french or German or Farsi or Malay. I’m re-teaching myself ASL. I’m starting with the basics. I have been teaching myself the alphabet done by finger signing. I’m getting pretty good at yelling at the TV news without saying a word. Ha! My right arm seems to be constantly pointed at Katie Coric….saying not very nice things. Maybe swear words and insults aren’t the best way to practice. I’m just sayin’, ya’ know.
I use to know a girl when I was in Uni back in…the plesticine era…whose native language was ASL. She taught me some. She was too too cool in that she use to forget to talk. She would sign as she spoke but some times we might have indulged in some illegal cigarettes (completely by mistake, of course) and she would forget to actually speak out loud but continue with her signing. Yea, I was a fast learner. Had to be. She was alright. Shoot, I still remember her all these millennium later.
Hey, so I’m re-teaching myself the ASL finger alphabet and when I get good at it I’m gonna’ move on to teach myself the signs of ASL. Soon I need to find some deaf folk so I can actually use this new found language.
Where is Tara, Erika, Frank or Helene when I need them?

Many moons ago I came across a deaf person at a supermarket who was quite frustrated with the hearing folk she was encountering and I was WAY happy to help. A month ago I wouldn’t have been able to help as I did all those years ago. Well that has changed!
Being a lifelong student of language I get very frustrated not being able to communicate with folks. Last July I met a couple of baseball players from the Netherlands. While I was having a beer or two (twelve) with them I fell into using German (Deutsch). Though they appreciated it they pointed out to me that Dutch and German really are two different languages. It’s OK. Beer is Beer in all three languages. That evening the whole beer thing was as important as the Phillies.
So as I get better and better at finger spelling I shall need to learn the signs of ASL.
This I shall do!
You’ll see.