December 26, 2020. I woke up deaf. And stayed that way for 6 weeks. I hit the ear canal trifecta: Eczema → Fissures → simultaneous fungal and bacterial infection in both ear canals. My ears were all form and no function. But when the hearing world went silent, I could still access interpreted news, information, conversation. Because I'd spent 25 years interpreting and teaching ASL. I felt pretty lucky, considering. Learning ASL doesn't always need to be charitable. Here's why I'd tell *you* to learn it: 🌑 "We own the night." Silence is a tactical advantage. In a crowd, across a football field, near your perpetually listening smartphone/TV — have full conversations without making a sound. 🧠 It rewires your brain. Visual-spatial language processing builds cognitive flexibility. You'll think much differently. 🏥 Medical vulnerability is real and sudden. I didn't see mine coming. Most people won't. I've been a nationally certified ASL interpreter for 25 years. I built Express ASL so people could learn it right — structured, sequential, become truly fluent. 62 weeks. Self-paced. Learn ASL because the right skill at the right moment changes everything. You can start today for free - Week 1. 🔗 ASLTerpAndTeach.com Nostr-only discounts available. 💥Pay in Fiat = $50 discount (Use discount code: DIRTYFIAT50). ⚡ Bitcoin accepted. Pay in Bitcoin = $100 discount (DM me) #ASL #SignLanguage #Grownostr #Otherstuff #GM #Deaf #learn

The answer is: FIFTY-EIGHT K GANG FOREVER 🤴Congrats to our returning champion, ! ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

☀️First day of summer!🌊🏄‍♀️ A quick round of ⚡️Stack Sats with ASL⚡️: You know the rules! [Bounty: 150 sats] #ASL #SignLanguage #Game #OtherStuff #grownostr #GM

Language carries meaning. It also manufactures it. Tomorrow I'm hosting Word Weapons — a workshop that will play with your mind. If I expose you to a certain word — as an interpreter — I can manufacture your responses, lead you to give false information, and help architect false memories that shift your behavior forever. Because words are weapons. A single word or sign swap can make someone remember an event that never happened. Confident. Detailed. And completely fabricated. ASL interpreters make hundreds of word choices every hour for both Deaf and hearing clients. Shifting perceptions, shaping behavior. This is what happens when we wield Word Weapons without even knowing it. 🎟️ Ticket sales close TONIGHT at 7 PM PST $20 — No CEUs / ITP Students $40 — Certified Interpreters (0.15 SCRID CEUs) Wed June 24 | 1 PM PST | Live on Zoom | Presented in ASL ASLTerpAndTeach.com/p/workshop Know an ASL interpreter or ITP student? Send this their way. #ASL #SignLanguage #Workshop #Interpreter #Language #Weapons

🤴 YES! You've been zapped for your proof of work, Rupert!