A Day Without Morons

Back on the UltraMar Monday to pursue hearing aids, we took the front inside seats with a different view. Carlos was on the other side, ready to deliver me to the Pabellion - I'm not going to debate the spelling - and I was ready for a new experience. It was that.

The stupid secretary wasn't there. Instead, there was Eliz, deftly handling phones and a waiting room full of patients. She was a delight through my visit and took time to understand me and spoke so that I would not misunderstand her. She works for Dr. Conrado Antonio Menendez Peraza, an ear, nose and throat specialist, not an audiologist as I first thought.

And he retested my hearing much like the doctor AND audiologists at the Cleveland Clinic did two years ago. He didn't have to do a test to see if the bone "hears" different than the ear drum. The Cleveland Clinic determined my hearing loss was the same at both points.

I misplaced the Cleveland Clinic results, but drew him the bell curve as I remembered it and wrote that it was a 25 percent hearing loss. He said I was pretty darn close, but that my loss was closer to 30 percent now.

He called the hearing aid guy, I guess he's the audiologist, an Adrian, and gave me directions to get there. He also called Carlos in because it isn't the easiest place to find. Eliz quickly wrote up the taxpayer receipt for the 800 peso visit. On leaving, I mentioned how efficient Eliz was, so different from the other secretary when he wasn't in. Yessss.....he said.

Adrian, the hearing center guy, speaks English but was clearly relieved that I speak Spanish. He just ran out of material making earpieces for kids going back to school, but we set up an appointment for Monday. I am to call Wednesday to make sure the molding putty is in.

After that, some light shopping. Fifty dollars worth of groceries at Soriana - peaches in my basket - and a ceiling fan at Home Depot. Yes, another appliance has failed. The great room's fan had a ball bearing replaced last year, but the grinding noise was back with a bad vibration. The island just eats things up!

So, as luck would have it, there was a Hunter Douglas sale at Home Depot. I got the "Georgia" model for $1400MP. It replaces a very similar fan/light that was a 3000 peso item 5 years ago. It was a great day in Cancun. A day without morons.