The Soundtrack to our Lives

October 23, 2007 | In Random | No Comments

My office space shares a wall with the printing press at the Independent. Throughout the day the awards on the wall will rattle as the experienced machines wind up and push papers from the beginning of the line to the end, adding to the unique soundtrack to my work week.

A snapshot from my old desk

Throughout the day this is just one of a number of sounds I hear, from the hum of my car’s engine to an individual talking about what is going on in their world. All of this builds up to make the backdrop for my life.

We live in a time where sounds are more persistent than ever before. Refrigerates hum, fans blow, clock radios play horrible radio music and cellphones ring. It makes you wonder how this plays on our moods and emotions.

I was listening to This American Life, “Maping” episode. One of the story tellers met with the editor of a newspaper in Georgia, who found music in the world he lived in. From the hum of his computer to the heater that kicked in from time to time.

The editor was so interested in the subject that he took the time to “map out” the sounds and where they played as chords. As I drove from Granite Falls to Dawson it was interesting thinking about what sounds play out in my life – because there are a lot. I almost always have some sort of stimulation or droning going on in the background.

If the television isn’t on, I have music playing. I sleep with a fan to avoid the reality of the tinnitus in my right ear. The printing press and computers hum throughout my work day (not to mention the radio playing in the back of the plant which I often try to cover up by using my iPod). There is a lot of sounds that 100 years ago likely wouldn’t even be imaginable.

How does this effect our mood? Does this make a day better or worse? Is it healthy to have this constant stimulation?

Stop and listen to the world around you right now. Is your television on? The radio? How about the fridge? It’s amazing what our soundtracks really sound like.

If only I had a theme song that was a little more interesting than a printing press.