sounds of silence
a sound like someone not trying to make a sound is one of many themes from the john irving book i just finished and it has all sorts
of creepy implications...
it makes me think of the squeal of silence that used to drive me crazy when i would stay home sick from school and lying feverish on the couch of the living room, too uncomfortable to sleep and the vast silence of midday in an empty house closed in around me...
it also makes me think of other haunting sounds that make my skin crawl one is the noise of a television...not the sound of what is on the tv, but the sound the tv makes, another unyielding squeal kind of a sound... or the sound of my stereo between cds or the unusually loud hum of this very computer can practically induce a migrane...
well, now i must retire and crawl under the covers but not before turning on the air filter which provides precious white noise to keep all of the sounds of silence at bay...
3 Comments:
Wow, it's true, you are very sensitive to quiet noises that come out in the wake of silence. I recall some disgusted reactions from you if the car radio was turned down very low, but not off (which people sometimes do when they're talking or trying to concentrate on driving). Also, you've always needed a fan or something while you sleep. And you like to play music while you work or read, whereas I prefer "silence".
I guess the "noise" of silence shows that there is no such things as silence. For me, I sometimes hear ringing in my ears or the sound of my body (like my heartbeat) when its really quiet. So I guess silence is where all the tiny, constant, hidden noises come out to play.
I remember Alycia saying (I think it was when she was in college & had roommates) that the most irritating thing to hear when you're trying to sleep or study is the sound of someone "trying to be quiet". Like when they come home at an absurd hour and try to get a snack and get ready for bed -- but very slowly and quietly. It just draws out all of the little noises they inevitably make. Anyway, it ever since made me very self-conscious about trying to be quiet. ;)
And why is that computer so loud? It's the loudest, heaviest computer I've ever used. Maybe it needs its own internal "white noise" in order to think...
Yeah when I'm at home midday and everything is still, OR when I can tell people are listening in on my every move ... ew. Hairs on back of the neck -- up!
I thought of you this morning when I had to get up before Greg and tried hard to be quiet. Since it was in my mind, I paid attention to every little noise I made. Luckily, he was snoring away so I didn't keep him awake. And of course, Emmi tried talking to me real loud while he was sleeping. She growls in different tones as if she's trying to tell me something every morning. :)
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