Noise

When I was a kid my brother and I had rooms that were right next to each other. While the walls between the two of us weren't exactly paper thin, they did allow his playing of "The Dead Kennedies" and "The Milkmen" to get through.

I hated that type of music, especially since I was a newly minted teenager in love with some heartthrob or another. Probably Scott Baio considering the era. So I liked love songs, particularly from "Air Supply." Anyone who knows me is probably more than shocked about this fact, but hey, we all make mistakes, and if adolescence isn't the time to make them, when is?

Anyway, eventually I'd get sick of the room rattles of punk, and crank up my stereo. Since I was older and preferred quality of electronics over appearance, "Air Supply" won out every time. At which point my Mom (and occasionally my Dad) would say (and I'm sure you know the line): "TURN THAT DOWN!" Which we would both obediently do...for about five minutes. Then the cycle would start anew.

Now that I'm a mother and my children are into "toys that make noise," I can sympathize. What happens to our hearing when we get older? I thought we were supposed to get deafer, but now I can hear every little pin drop, every whispered "plan" coming out of my kids' room, and just about all of it gets on my nerves.

Frankly, I like quiet, but what I get most of the time is ear-throbbing noise.

Well, except for when I'm doing the dishes, then I'll crank up the stereo (no longer Air Supply, but classic 70s rock), but hey, that's my music, so it's different.