What’s that You Say?

by Alex Kent

The receptionist kindly repeated her question.

“Yes, I would like a cookie, but no ointment, thank you.”

She smiles and asks again. “Have you booked an appointment?”

All joking aside, hearing loss is an embarrassment that many of us live with. An educator once said, “When one person in the family has a hearing loss, the entire family has a hearing problem.” Diminished hearing leads to stress and unhappiness for everyone, and there are many types of hearing loss, ranging from mild to severe. I and was surprised to learn that some people even experience sudden hearing loss in one ear.

It is a commonly held belief that ‘old-age’ is the cause of deafness, but it turns out that 50-65% of people with hearing loss are under the age of 65 and still working. Poor hearing at work causes miscommunications and can eventually lead to lower income. Unaddressed hearing loss can erode relationships, and in severe cases, untreated hearing loss can mimic Dementia or Alzheimer’s, leading to feelings of isolation and social withdrawal, yet studies show that most people with a hearing problem delay doing anything about it for an average of seven years!

Sunni McBride, resident of Valmonte for twenty-five years and owner of the South Bay Hearing and Balance Center, explained to me why waiting can make the problem worse. When the hearing center of the brain is ‘starved’ of stimulation, it atrophies. If this specialized area of the brain has been denied sound for too long, it may have atrophied beyond its ability to be retrained. On the other end of the scale, new sounds can be ‘too much’ for an individual that has gotten used to their compromised hearing.

“In deciding which hearing device to recommend, it’s my job to consider hearing loss as well as social needs, manual dexterity, lifestyle and the patient’s pocket book,” Dr. McBride explains. For example, arthritis could make it difficult or even impossible to change the small battery in a hearing device.

I originally met Sunni McBride when I accompanied a patient to be tested to the South Bay Hearing & Balance Center. I was concerned that my friend might be nervous, but the elegant waiting room and the friendly staff made it quite pleasant. We did not feel rushed or coddled. Everyone was very professional and everything was well explained. They even put a hearing aid on the patient so she would be sure to hear all the options.

The clinic can provide custom ear molds as well as hearing aids from the top manufacturers in the world, including ReSound, Oticon, Phonak, Siemens, Widex, Starkey, and Lyric. Lyric was my friend’s choice… with a long term payment plan. In a category by itself, the Lyric, though slightly more expensive, runs on special batteries that last for months instead of weeks. The hearing device can be worn in water, during sleep and while on the phone. It’s the only extended wear hearing device available today. Since it is installed into the ear canal close to the eardrum, it is virtually undetectable and produces a very clear sound. This experience has made both of us appreciate the science and art of fitting hearing devices that allow people with hearing loss to reconnect with the outside world. Modern hearing aids can even connect with electronic things like TVs, phones, computers and Bluetooth technology. These days, someone with a hearing aid is almost ‘bionic’!

I asked Dr. McBride what interested her in audiology. She said her father was a physician who actually took a lot of time to educate his patients. She started working for him when she was thirteen years old; first with files, then as receptionist and finally assisting in the ‘back office’ during minor procedures. She wanted to go to med school and follow in his footsteps. She got her BA & MS from Brigham Young University. As fate would have it, though, instead of medical school, she fell in love and raised five kids in the Valmonte area of Palos Verdes. She stayed connected to the community by being a volunteer ‘par excellence’, participating in all the PV school affairs, scouts, sports and getting all the children graduated from college (every one of them went to BYU).

With her kids in college and beyond, Sunni returned to her first love – medicine. She earned her Doctorate of Audiology from the University of Florida, and practiced with a large audiology center in Torrance for ten years. Three and a half years ago, she opened the South Bay Hearing & Balance Center on Sepulveda. She and her team have won awards and have received recognition from the community and world renowned manufacturers of hearing devices. Consequently the business has rapidly increased more than threefold.

But hearing aids may not be for everybody. If the cause of one’s hearing loss is discovered to be calcification of the bones in the inner ear, a tumor or infection, a qualified audiologist, like Dr. McBride and her staff, can refer the patient to an appropriate physician for the medical attention needed.

Even though becoming hard of hearing may not be life threatening, it is important to seek medical advice if there is a problem. Hearing loss is often treatable, improving the quality of life for everyone.

The South Bay Hearing & Balance Center is located at 3734 Sepulveda Blvd, near the corner of Hawthorne Blvd. Their phone number is 310.375.6161.

They probably won’t even mind if you just dropped by for a cookie.

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Dr. Sunni McBride,South Bay Hearing and Balance Center,ReSound,Oticon,Ponak,Siemens,Widex,startkey,Lyric,audiology,Niki Chanel,Valmonte Living Magazine

A Biting Concern

by Niki Chanel

The business of straightening teeth is pretty serious stuff – without a good bite, we can’t eat properly; if our teeth are crooked, we could starve for friends. Facial appearance may be more important now than in any previous time in history, and teeth are our front and center introduction to the world.

Enter the orthodontist. Leaders in facial reconstruction (because that’s what teeth straightening really is), they are our easiest path to a permanently improved appearance to the world and a better self image, but it’s a slow process, so you want to find an orthodontist with heart… someone you feel comfortable with, for the duration of your care.

John Trotter has been in the business for seventeen years, and as you enter his office at 1706 South Elena Avenue in the Riviera Village, it is obvious that he loves what he is doing. The unconventional, open design lets in the light and allows for huge murals that transport one to an island in the South Seas, Hawaii or even down the block. Fish wearing braces hobnob with vintage aircraft flying through an untroubled sky, taking your mind off of the reason you are here. There are computers for the kids and even a movie room for those that have read their fill of magazines. He even has a display case for his extensive Hot Wheels collection!

John grew up in Downey then went to USC for his undergrad, dental school and orthodontics residency, finishing up with a Masters of Science in Cranio-Facial Biology. True to his alma mater, John has been teaching every third Tuesday in the Orthodontic Department for the last ten years, and yes, he is a Trojan fan. After college, he high-tailed it to Redondo Beach, and moved into an apartment at Beachbrook Village on Catalina Avenue and Ruby Street.

On vacation in Mammoth, friends introduced him to a Redondo Beach orthodontist, Ed Givins, DDS. John was invited into the business as a partner in 1994 and after eight years, Ed retired. Dr. Trotter has kept the business going for seventeen years at the same location. “He was a great partner!” says John, who now sees the grand-kids of Ed’s patients, as well as the kids of clients Dr. Trotter started with in 1994. “Ed passed on a great legacy.” Unfortunately, Dr. Givins passed away in February of 2009.

John met his wife, Irene, at USC in ‘91 where she was a student in the Dental Hygiene Program. They married in ‘93, and eventually moved to Via Colusa near the golf course in the Valmonte area of Palos Verdes. They have two sons, Ben and Zack. Ben, the younger, is eight and Zack is fifteen. They have an Italian exchange student living with them for the school year, Francesco, who is seventeen.

The office was redecorated in 2004. John asked the decorator to go for a Tommy Bahama look, and it is a success! Clean, airy, open, and fun while still maintaining a professional ambiance; all the latest technology is tastefully tucked away. Two thirds of his patients are kids, so the incentive programs keep kids interested in their own oral hygiene – if you brush, you collect “Trotter Tokens” to win gift cards for AMC movies, Baskin and Robbins ice cream, Starbucks or even Tillies clothing coupons, and many more.

All in all, John feels blessed; “God’s hand put me in this location… it was chosen for me.”

If you are looking for a local life-improver that speaks ‘surf’, then John Trotter, DDS is your orthodontist.

Check out the website at www.trotterorthodontics.com , call 310.373.0093, or stop by the office at 1706 South Elena Avenue, in the Riviera Village of Redondo Beach for a quick sea-side moment.

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: John Trotter,Orthodontist,Cranio-Facial Biology,Hot Wheels,Dr. Givins,Tillies,Niki Chanel,Valmont Living Magazine

Cleaning Up My Act

by Alex Kent

Real Estate and spring cleaning… what do they have in common? Answer: Space.

There is only so much space on the planet, in your country, your town, your home...

I was through college and working in Toronto, Canada before I owned enough possessions to consider my first spring cleaning. Being sufficiently successful to move into ever larger living spaces as my pay increased, it was years before I noticed that things were taking over my home. I guess those around me thought that if I was so grown-up, come February/March, I must surely already know what to get rid of and what to keep.

But, no! I was under the naïve impression that spring cleaning was about cleaning – dusting, sweeping and scrubbing under the stuff that was to be returned to its rightful spot, once the suds were rinsed and dried. While the cleaning part is important, the items I didn’t use were secretly causing me stress, not unlike buyer remorse. I did some research and found it has a name: clutter.

Clutter is a disordered, confused state of being. If it were noise, it would be clatter, and living with a constant clatter would make many of us easily irritated, frustrated and unable to function comfortably - it takes effort to ignore irritating sounds. Visual clatter – clutter – can have the same effect on our psyche. I have a friend who disdainfully calls it ‘minutia’ – the small, hateful bits of inconsequential stuff that surrounds us at every turn.

We all experience it, in varying degrees, throughout our lives, from our toy-box to what we Will our descendants. We live, after all, in a material world and act on our feelings of desire to acquire. Don’t get me wrong – I love most of the items I choose to display. Things are good; but too much of anything can be overwhelming, and it can sneak up on you. I know I am not alone in this dilemma, because friends bring over items from their homes to see if I want them… they can’t bear to throw or give them away, and a visit to see me is a visit to their stored treasure – stored in my house. Here, however, there are no worries; I do the same to them : )

So, what is a homeowner to do? Throw away a tool because it’s worn, or keep it because it’s an antique? Hold onto a child’s Lego’s for the grandchildren? (Lord knows, they were pricey!) Keep the shoes that remind you of fabulous memories but are too small to get into anymore? [Unknown artist]

Now is the time to learn how to use eBay (http://pages.ebay.com/education ), or have a garage sale. Sell that antique tool and those shoes; sell the books you will never read; sell the rug that never went with the sofa; sell the stuff that was expensive, but you have no more use for… replace your things with something of equal value – money.

Another trick I have learned is to take photographs of the things that ‘keepsake’ memories. Pictures can do just as good a job of ‘holding onto the visual’, and they take up less space; turning the photos into digital images and posting them in cyber space will free you up even more! Another friend even takes pictures of her shoes before she gets rid of them. This one was hard for me, as I still try on heels from my glory days, thinking “maybe this time they’ll fit”. Take a snapshot - Genius!

A word of warning about the Lego’s: first ask your kids if they want to keep them. If they do, storage is their responsibility. Attachments to things are attachments to emotions; don’t ruin a relationship just to clean out a closet.

Spring is a time for newness; and eliminating the old is a rewarding way to achieve personal freedom. Besides, once I have created more space with all my cleaning and selling, I can start collecting cool stuff again!

__________________

Photo credits: Spring Cleaning Supplies – Nowsourcing; Hand wrench – the-funny-place.blogspot.com; Fin-heels – Global Warming Collection

LiveJournal Tags: Niki Chanel,spring cleaning,memories,creative solutions

Resolutions, Resolutions, Resolutions!

by Alex Kent

How are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions?

Every year, millions of people vow to accomplish something to improve themselves… something new that has been on their mind for a while – maybe years. We all know the favourites: lose weight, stop smoking, exercise more, get better grades, make more money… and every year, millions fail to keep their promise to themselves… right about this time of year – February.

I know; I’ve been one of them.

But this year, I think I have a better chance of achieving a New Year’s goal; instead of changing my entire lifestyle, which is what it would take to lose weight, I have been eating less of one food additive – sugar. I don’t intend to abandon it entirely, just cut back. I’m going to wean myself off of the offending substance slowly, and eventually I may be able to reset my palette.

My other plan is to set forward a singular goal – something more project oriented, like writing a letter to Congress or planting a tree. That way, I will have an entire year to figure out what its going to be, and twelve months to accomplish this thing. I will likely succeed because it’s more of an occasion rather than a new habit. The big pay-off will be having more confidence in myself because I was able to keep my New Year’s resolution where others failed.

The thing that interests me about these annual challenges is that they don’t really involve anyone else. Friends and family already put up with our bad habits, nobody actually pays attention to how many calories I eat – they hardly pay attention to what they’re eating! Eating is really between you and yourself, er, me and myself. It really is a ‘me’ thing, if you think about it.

Or I could do something fun, like figure out how to get my GPS to speak in a voice I actually enjoy; ride in a hot air balloon; go to the MOMA and paint a copy of a famous painting; participate with the Catalina scuba clean-up or go on a midnight hike through the wilderness near PV Dr East. You’ve probably done all these things already, but they are all still on my list.

Following one’s passion is another good way to keep your word with yourself. Since the things no one wants to do are the very things chosen to be the new resolution, the goal is doomed before it starts. Who is going to do something they don’t want to do, just for a lark?

So, wish me luck in my quest to improve myself in new and unusual ways, and if you need it, good luck to you, too! Oh, and I hope you’re still having a happy new year!

 

 

 

43 Things Tags: New Years resolutions,MoMA,Niki Chanel,Valmonte Living Magazine

ZAP Swim Team

by Niki Chanel

DeAnne Preyer has lived in Palos Verdes long enough to have attending all the school grades, and has been swimming the entire time!

When DeAnne’s parents were on their honeymoon in Hawaii, they saw babies swimming and had the ‘aha’ to have their children learn early, as well. They lived on the Esplanade in their early married years, and the water safety factor this might afford them a safer childhood for their kids. DeAnne started at the Riviera swim school (long gone) as an infant and was (competitive) swimming like a fish at seven and teaching at twelve. Every house they have had since has had a pool in the backyard.

When they moved to Portuguese Bend they invited a swim teacher to the house to teach DeAnne’s little sister. The teacher saw DeAnne’s talent and suggested she become involved with the San Pedro YMCA’s swim team, and that, says DeAnne, is how it all started.

Swimming was her life. She was on the girls swim team in high school and in 1986 became the first female swimmer awarded the athlete of the year (!), and went on to the University of Minnesota on a swimming scholarship. I asked her about the cold. Her immediate reply was “It was awesome! I loved it!” Her major reflected her desire to share her insights to children and she came back to California with a master’s in Elementary Education. Her dream was to be a pre-school teacher that included swimming.

To that end, she became involved with a rehab program for troubled kids. Being a shy youngster and thereby understanding them better than most, she tried to help build these kids’ confidence through swimming, rather than be part of the state processing system. She wanted to help them reach their best, in and out of the water.

This way of thinking and teaching evolved into ZAP – the Zenith Aquatic Program; “Taking Swimming to a Higher Level”, being ZAP’s motto. ZAP started out with six students and now has over 150 members on the team. The Zapper’s, as they like to call themselves, recently celebrated their tenth year of graduations.

We got to talking about the need for a community pool on the Hill;, and she confessed, “I want to bring something to the table that enriches our community – not just a plus for PV, but beyond.” She is not alone; key swim coaches in the United States that have been running the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA)see a great need for the next generation to take the reigns in order to preserve what has been built over the last several decades. ‘We can’t do this forever!’ is their outcry. To facilitate this reaching out effort, they are including interested swim club to their collegiate model. Seeking coaches, DeAnne has recently, become an ASCA fellow for the class of 2010.

Everything DeAnne does impressed me and I told her I thought she was a powerhouse. “Working on it.” she humbly replies.

Their main pool is at Miraleste Intermediate on the east side and at the ‘zenith’ of the hill. Miraleste Pool is at 29323 Palos Verdes Drive East, though at the time of this printing is undergoing repairs. Other pools like at Peninsula High and Torrance, but it would be better to contact DeAnne directly if you are interested in her program at 424.901.3703 or email her at zapcoach@yahoo.com .

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Zap Swim Team,Miraleste,DeAnne Preyer,Zenith Aquatic Program,Niki Chanel,Valmonte Living Magazine

Peninsula People Person

by Niki Chanel

Everyone in Palos Verdes receives the “Peninsula People” magazine for free, every month but not everyone knows the dynamo behind it; that would be Mary Jane Schoenheider.

Mary Jane grew up in Cheviot Hills in West Los Angeles. Nestled between MGM Studios and 20^th Century Fox in the Beverly Hills / Westwood area, she saw her share of movie people. As a teen she went to junior high and high school at Marlborough School for girls in LA. “It was hard, but fabulous!” She moved on to Pine Manor, a small all-girl’s college in Massachusetts. It was strong in liberal arts, and she found that her interest lay in Art History, which she later majored in after transferring to UCLA. Mary Jane illuminates: “In those days women only expected to become nurses, secretaries, or teachers.” In her sophomore year she was asked to be the editor of the yearbook and thought, “this might be fun”. Interested in making the yearbook a bit different, she was told her ideas would make it cost more money, but was given the freedom to sell advertising to raise the necessary funds. She found she loved the excitement of the sale. “They said yes!”

She married and came to Palos Verdes in 1966, later moving to the Valmonte area. I asked her how she felt about PV. “I think we live in paradise. Where else can you find a more beautiful place to live? We have everything: horses, the ocean… and peacocks.”

Initially, Mary Jane worked part-time for the PV News while her children (Frank and Elizabeth – both now grown with their own families), were in elementary and intermediate schools. After three years in advertising sales Mary Jane became the sales manager for the next ten years. “It was the only game in town.”

As communication technology evolved, cable television became a new industry, and Mary Jane went to work for Dimension Cable, now called Cox Cable. She covered local cable sales for the peninsula and half of San Pedro. It was a completely different experience selling CNN, ESPN, MTV, USA and TNT, but the basic process was the same; a cable ‘spot’ was sold, the ad campaign was sent to filmmakers, and the ad aired a month later. Mary Jane was now attending meetings with big corporations as far away as San Diego. She became the first woman to join the Rotary Club of Palos Verdes Peninsula, after the Supreme Court ruled that women could be members because of their growing presence in business.

Even so, television technology was not yet digital - one of her jobs was to change the video tape of ads every Sunday for the NFL game. This meant getting the right tape into the right tape player, then rushing home to see if it was playing properly on her TV. Six years of dedication, and success of the cable business, made it possible to eventually hand that job over to the ‘techies’.

By now, Mary Jane knew many people in the communications industry and one in particular knew her – Kevin Cody of the Easy Reader weekly newspaper. He had always liked that she encouraged her advertisers, who wanted to reach the beach cities, to contact the Easy Reader. He wanted her on his team as sales manager, and said so. Mary Jane had always preferred the independent entrepreneurial approach, and realized that the corporate life wasn’t really for her. “I was ready for a change.”

Immediately, they set to work on an experimental publication, extending the Easy Reader format into Palos Verdes. It was called the Peninsula Easy Reader. Even though Mary Jane was having success as the ad director, she noticed that most of the copies went right into the trash – it wasn’t working. What she thought PV needed was a monthly lifestyle publication. “Let’s focus on the people of the Hill.”

The magazine was redesigned; a new name – “Peninsula People”, a glossy cover in colour, black and white interior, free lance writers for the profiles, and they added a calendar of events. But nothing really got the magazine going until Mary Jane took her camera to some of the PV events and printed the photos. It took off! Mary Jane is now totally in change of the Peninsula People publication, from content to cover design, and will occasionally write an article for it.

When her husband died, Mary Jane came to the conclusion that she could either sit at home and mourn, or get on with her life. These days she has little free time. Very involved with the local world of art and music, she belongs to “The Circle” at the PV Art Center, and holds season tickets for the LA Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra and the Peninsula Symphony. She has been a member of the Peninsula Committee for the LA Philharmonic for over 40 years. Mary Jane has also been very active with the annual Palos Verdes Concours d'Elegance - she was co-chair of the event for five years and still serves on their board of directors. In 2004 she was selected by the Palos Verdes Chamber of Commerce as their Citizen of the Year. She plays poker and bridge each month, goes to regular Rotary meetings, and travels - recently returning from trips to Germany and Washington D.C. for pleasure… and there’s more.

But something is bothering her; “I have a real worry that the younger people of Palos Verdes are not stepping up into the community positions and taking on the necessary responsibilities.” She explains that if the next generation does not take up the causes and care of the community, there is not going to be a community for their children. “If parents see the importance of being involved with the schools, they must also understand that they need to look further into the future and get involved with the greater community. We need infusion, now.”

A great pillar in our midst, Mary Jane Schoenheider is not just a community person; she is also very much a people person.

If you have a question or an idea and would like to get in touch with either Easy Reader or Peninsula People, both can be found on the internet at easyreadernews.com .

PHOTO CREDIT ~ David Fairchild

 

 

 

43 Things Tags: Peninsula People,Mary Jane Schoenheider,Schoenheider,Easy Reader,Niki Chanel,Valmonte Living Magazine

Happy New Year, 2011!

I may not know you personally, but I want you to have a good year.

Why?

If everybody is having a good time, it’s easier for the rest of us to get by - to have a good life. A good first day is a good start, but most of us that celebrate ushering in the new year in with alcohol might want to wait until the second day… at any rate, the best part is having others look you in the eye and wish you well. Really. What could be better? That’s the best. Who wouldn’t want to be accepted by everyone in their world?

Many of us spend our lives trying to get someone… anyone, to pay attention to us. Each of us has something to offer, but not all of us get the results we want.

But maybe I am projecting and it’s just me. I love people; love to talk to them, learn about them, participate with them, do things for them. Maybe you’d call me a ‘party person’ but I think of myself as a ‘people person’, and I think the people that I am with now would agree; We have eaten, sung, danced and talked to each other for hours. We’re down to cards and drinks and custom requests for favourite music. Sometime the conversations move into the esoteric of aliens and ancient taboos or rush into the political arenas of the day. I love it all, and I find myself wishing this for everybody. I get a bit choked up… a bit tearful. Suddenly I realize it feels too much like a broken heart. What is this love for mankind that makes me feel painful joy?

Well, I’m not going to labour too long over the question - not on the first day of the rest of our lives.

Happy 2011!