MUSIC please!

My life is sort of noisy. It's not quiet in my home due to jets flying over at certain times, trains on the tracks less than a mile away, televisions, snoring dogs/spouses, cars driving by, occasional sirens, dishwashers... well, I'm sure you have a similar list.

Work is a noisy place, too. We have 39 kids on Wednesdays, and between 34 and 37 all the other days. It's not that they're out of control or misbehaving, they're just having a good time and talking about it. Loudly.

When I drive to work, or come home from work, I don't usually listen to anything. Radio stations drive me bugshit because of the constant advertising, and I don't have a CD player. I do have a cassette deck, and it works, but I don't own many cassettes anymore. Does anyone?

So I crave silence, or at least wish to pick my own sound effects.

I've been exercising at Curves, where they play a constant barrage of, hmm. I really balk at calling it music, because even the songs I liked in their original versions are horrible when they're remade. Whatever you want to call it, it ain't pretty. I find it particularly obnoxious during 'theme' weeks. In the days leading up to July 4, for example, they play a medley of patriotic songs all set to the same beat. The topper for that one is a man chanting the Pledge of Allegiance to a wicked fast beat. I didn't scream and pull out a handful of my own hair, but it was a near thing.

Some time ago, I bought a very small, cheap MP3 player to use when exercising there. I can still hear the voice of the lady telling me to change stations, but my own tunes (all by original artists and hand-picked to suit my mood of the day) mostly drown out the other noise. As an added bonus, people don't really talk to me much while I exercise. Having those ear buds is similar to erecting a wall, although that was not my intention. It's not that I don't like other people, you understand, but I am there to really work. I don't want to chat, I find it a distraction and an interruption.

So last week, it occurred to me that I might like listening to music on the way to work. I brought my little MP3. (I know that listening to earbuds while driving requires a lowered volume. I don't want to wreck or do anything stupid.. in case you were wondering.) As I got out of the car at work, the music died. Dead battery.

This happened three times in the same week. Exercise with my little music buddy, then a drive to work, then the death of music immediately upon arrival.

It finally occurred to me that perhaps it was the battery. Evidently, it's only good for about an hour and a half.

So, tomorrow I am going to go buy myself a present. No, not an iPod. I can't see spending that much money for a toy for me. But I am going to get a better player and load some more of my favorites into it.

I want my own noise.