Ambient Noise, or Something Like That

Hey guess what everyone? I was just inspired. Seeing as my roommate has left for the weekend and we've gotten power bill overages every month we've lived here, I figured I'd turn off our air conditioning completely and spend as much of the weekend I can with the windows open and the air more.... natural.

It's a Thursday night and my day has pretty much consisted of non-stop schoolwork (my English professor would surely be proud). Anyways, I've taken notice of things that are pretty well muted when the place is sealed off like Noah's ark (I imagine it was a bit leaky).

Throughout the day, through my second story window, I've been able to hear and see all sorts of things that are taking place in my apartment complex. It's been hearing though, for the most part. I listen to the familiar sound of four cylinders being amplified through a canister with the circumference of a grape fruit, while an old Hootie and the Blowfish song stimulates my nostalgia.

The peace is shattered minutes later with the familiar throaty throbbing of a V8; anyone who's been around cars any significant amount of time knows this is the Mustang's song.

Echoing through the lot is the tinny whine of a two-stroke; it's undoubtedly a moped. Screech. The metallic equivalent of nails on a chalkboard screams through the window. It's time for some new brake pads.

Surprisingly, this medley of noises is not something that distracts me from my school work. In fact, I think it inspires me to continue working. Not to say I'm someone who isn't easily distracted by noise. My roommate has kept me up countless nights with Theresa Caputo's distinctive accent ringing in my ear from our downstairs television. But that noise is different. Hearing music or voices, for me, is worlds more distracting than listening to the flow of the motorized landscape that lay outside my second story window.

I guess it's different for everyone. Many a person i've encountered throughout my life need that Long Island Medium or soft rock station to help them fall asleep at night, or even to concentrate on the work they're doing. Me, I like the sounds of engines. Go figure.