Today Really Sucked

Today was one of my hardest days at the store. I've worked twelve days straight between the store and the restaurant and I've been sleeping really poorly. I was exhausted when I got to work today, only to remember that the cafe is closed for two weeks while it's being remodeled. That means no morning tea. That means no being able to wash my hands after being handed a sticky credit card or slightly damp money (which is just so creepy. Ew.). And last of all, that means that for the next two weeks I will be subjected to SO MUCH NOISE as they pull up tile and drill shit and slam boards around that I may just have a nervous breakdown.

I've never been good with noise. I can't drive with loud music, I can't concentrate on what someone is saying if any other noise stimuli is entering my ears, and I really can't stand when my upstairs neighbor plays anything with bass. Noise really, really, really bothers me.

This is something I've been thinking about for a long time: noise pollution. No one seems to be able to be idly silent anymore. We must always have our ipods, or be on our cell phones. It's much easier for people to be disconnected from those around them--walking by a homeless man asking for change becomes so much easier when you have your ipod blasting and can't hear his pleas for help. Staying on your cell while approaching a counter at the convenience store means you have one less human interaction that day. And chattering away in a quiet environment means you're adding to the noise pollution that so many are trying to block out.

I admit that I talk on the phone all the time while I'm walking to the store--it's my way of multi-tasking. But I also like walking down Newbury on a sunny day, sans phone or ipod, absorbing the chatter--the squealing of college girls meeting on the street, the window shoppers commenting on a display, and the diners at the outdoor cafes. And yes, there is still the low mumble of the man selling the "Spare Change" paper, the jamming sound of a jackhammer, and the blare of a car horn.

And even though I'm walking alone, I really feel more connected to other people than I have all day.