Cosmic Charlie

LIFE

Posted by Tolchinsky , Monday, May 17, 2010 2:31 AM

I just had one of the greatest experiences of my entire life. I was sitting in the tavern and I noticed there was a table playing cards that were speaking in sign language. I've always been fascinating by ASL and deaf culture so I just kind of lurked and stared at them for a while. My friend Corey came in and I pointed out the table and we talked about how we wished that we knew enough sign language to talk to them since we've been learning a little bit. Corey signed "we're learning" and one of the guys noticed and we got in a conversation in broken sign language about how we're learning and we introduced ourselves. Turns out only one of the people at the table was deaf (Zac) and the rest were hearing, but his friend (Brett) was fluent in sign language so he interpreted for us. After another round of cards Brett asked us if we wanted to hear a sign language story and we all emphatically said yes, so Zac told us a story about Jerry Rice catching a baby out of a window during a fire in a building in San Francisco (not true but veeerrry funny) and it was so fun to watch his motions and facial expressions as Brett interpreted. He was very cute so I signed "you are cute" and he said "thank you" and then later on he signed "you are pretty" which I think might be the coolest compliment I've ever received just because of the delivery. After a while we all went over to a campfire by the custom camping tents and he told two more stories which were equally awesome and hilarious. Brett started playing a drum and Zac put his hand on it so he could feel it and then started dancing his hand around wildly. Ahhh it was so incredible. Brett told me he has two roommates, one is Zac, who is deaf but grew up in a hearing family, and the other guy is hearing but grew up in a deaf family. He said that roommate learned to talk from saturday morning cartoons so his mannerisms are a little strange and he's very enthusiastic. I thought that was such a cool... cultural nugget? I don't know, just a really interesting concept. I am so bummed they're leaving in the morning but they said they'd come back soon and I hope they do!

Earlier today I went along with Eric and Ryan for some rock climbing so I could serenade them as they monkeyed about on the rocks. I crawled to the top of the rock and wrote a song on my ukulele and every time one of them got to the top I would high five them and they'd climb back down and start all over again. It was quite the songwriting spot- high above the ground in the middle of the forest with trees all around me. Some were dead; cracked in half and filled with holes, leaning against other trees 40 feet above the ground. Others were young and small, some were burnt, many were enormous. I've really been enjoying my new relationship with nature. Living here and learning more about the flora and fauna has changed my perspective a bit, or at least deepened my understanding. I love the feeling of the silky soft obsidian flaky ash from the logs in the fireplace, the scritch-swoosh scritch-swoosh of my fingers on the curled neon moss, the twinkling, ancient patterns of the night sky, the sweet smell of sierra dirt, the play of light on the hetch hetchy reservoir that resembles television static, flowers that smell like grape jelly, trees that are older than my oldest great-aunt, all of it. It's all beautiful.