Silent Screaming!!

Well, I finally managed to schedule an appointment for the otolaryngologist (whew-say that one three times fast) on Monday. (I'm just trying to sound smart. An otolaryngologist is an ear, nose, and throat doctor. That's my word of the day!) I've got to tell you, that was not a comfy experience. I'll spare you the gruesome details and just give you the diagnosis: I have vocal nodes. ARGH!!! Those are the nemesis of every singer alive. If you don't know what a vocal node is, here's a picture (these are not my vocal folds, by the way):


Gross. Haha. A vocal node is a callus that occurs on the vocal folds from "vocal abuse." Vocal nodes are really not good, and if they get bad enough some people need surgery (like Julie Andrews, for instance). Luckily, mine are really small, so I'll only have to go on complete vocal rest for three weeks....

WHA...?? THREE WEEKS?!

That's right, ladies and gents. I'm going to have to try my best to be silent for the next three weeks. I have no idea how I'm going to do this, especially since almost everything I do involves talking or singing. You never realize how much you talk during the day until you can't. Oh well. At least this will teach me how to hold my tongue. :-) And I'll let you know how my "Mute Like Me" experience is coming along.

Observations for Days 1 and 2 of the "Mute Like Me" project:
-When you can't talk, people treat you like you're either a) stupid, b) helpless, or c) not there. It's incredibly frustrating.
-It's so hard to get people's attention without using your voice! I've had to resort to carrying a squeaky dog toy with me, and rapidly squeaking it whenever I need to "talk" to somebody. (It's true! The toy is an ugly little hedgehog whom I have lovingly named Phil.)

That's it for now. I hope these next few weeks go by fast....

Moral of the Story: Be kind to the mutes. And if you happen to get sick, for the love of Pete let your voice rest!! Don't try to push through the sickness!!!