Chicago and the Piezoelectric Effect

November 30, 2011

Heading to Chicago with my supportive wife, Judy.  Beautiful drive over the Skyway Bridge to Tampa International on a clear Wednesday morning.  United was on time and O’Hare, well its O’Hare.

Chicago in November, such memories, cold, grey, drizzly!  Got together with friends before appointments and surgery the rest of the week.  Many of our friends have moved from Schaumburg/Hoffman Estates to Huntley where Del Webb has built a mega Sun City.

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We upsized to a new home in Florida and downsized our home in Illinois in 2005. The Illinois home (summer only!) is in Huntley, a farm town most famous for the annual Turkey Testicle Festival on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving—14 hours, 7 bands (http://www.parksidepubhuntley.com/ttf/).  Missed it this year but our friends at dinner updated us.

I enjoy talking about the Envoy Esteem and did so at dinner. I described the fact that no microphone or speaker is used and that the device in entirely implanted behind the ear.  I explained about the sound processor and that a sensor and driver are “glued” onto the tiny incus and stapes bones and vibrations are transmitted to emulate the function of the lost hair cells in the ear to produce natural, not amplified, sound using the natural ear. When I said that that the vibrations are created by a piezoelectric effect, one of our friends, a forty year chemistry teacher suddenly became attentive.  He explained that piezoelectric is like the old crystal radios and the effect is used in loudspeakers, guitar amplification and many sound related functions.

Dr, Marzo’s information said no liquids or food after midnight the day before surgery which is Friday.  Since this was Wednesday, I asked for separate checks so the others would not have to co-pay for my extravagant tastes and my traditionally celebratory drink(s), Glen Livet.

My daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren live on the “family” side of Huntley so it will be good to spend time with them during this Illinois visit and I look forward to that.