Net

I said I wouldn't do this until I retire, but stuck at home I need my distractions.  So yes, my long journey to becoming a golfing douchebag has started:

Noise Sensitivity

I'm sensitive to noise when I'm in the office - from the sounds of people thumping their keyboards, to overhearing loud conversations (particularly if they're in Chinese) to people having their phone volumes too high or god forbid using the speaker, and so on.  So naturally, when I'm working from home then I start to become overly sensitive to the noises around me here.  This might be the sound of one of my neighbor's sons (who must in his 20's?) - who clearly plays of lot of those multiplayer video games because I often hear him shouting into his headset or whatever.  Then I've got my landlord and his sons, who are always tinkering around with their cars so you frequently hear the sound of engines revving and so on.  Both of these I can live with.  However, this week has been bad because we have a new sound - and it's my least favorite sound - construction noise.  It looks like they're going full steam ahead on refurbishing the rundown house next door.  And it's hell.  I'm not the only person I know having to deal with construction noise at the moment, so you have my full sympathy.  It looks like they're working on the roof at the moment - and to a certain degree I could get used to the sound of banging and sawing.  But those aren't the most annoying sounds.  No, those are the sounds of an air compressor or generator that they seem to leave on a lot more than they actually need to - and when I can't hear that, then the sound of some godawful Mexican music.  At a party-level type volume.  It is infuriatingly annoying, and I'm not sure what to do about it.  I can minimize the noise inside my house by not having the windows open that face that way - not ideal when we're going through a heatwave at the moment.  I can adjust my schedule so that I'm not home as much when they're working - e.g. going for morning or lunchtime walks.  If it gets bad, can I even consider going into the office to work?  I've got absolutely no idea how long this noise is going to last for.  And then of course, can I go over there and say something to them?  What do I say - do you mind awfully if you keep the noise down when you're slaving away on the roof for less than minimum wage?  If the construction guys even speak English.  I don't think it's too much just to ask them to only use the air compressor/generator when they need to (and move it somewhere so that the sound doesn't reach me so easily) and to turn the music down.  But even getting to their house is a problem - when I drive past their driveway, it always seems to be flooded, and my landlord says that they have some severe plumbing problems there (I think he made a low-ball offer on the house and lot, but didn't get it).  So let's see if it continues through into next week.  I simply think it's impossible to find the peace and quiet that I want wherever I live.           

Song of the Week #16

I feel like the quality of my blog posts has really dropped off recently - sorry about that.  At least I can go back to the well here.  This is an interesting selection - a very student-friendly song that came out when I was a student, yet I have absolutely no recollection of it at the time.  Perhaps it is just too American (though I wouldn't be surprised if the sarcasm was lost on most Americans) - I do not think it cracked the UK charts at all.

Filling

Last dentist trip of the year today, hopefully, and last filling.  My mouth is so sore.  I need to get myself my own can of nitrous oxide - very relaxing.  At least until they inject the numbing agent, pry open your jaw with a mouth guard, then prod and drill with their instruments of torture.  Whilst you are totally helpless.  I heard some horrific drilling sounds coming from another room, I feel sorry for whoever that was.  I think you have to be a sadist to become a dentist. 

Triple Header

I didn't know what to do with myself today as I'm so used to having football games on the telly as I'm working from home.  But now the season has finished, I have to come up with an alternative plan.  How about not having the telly on at all?  No, don't be stupid.  I don't know if this will be a regular thing, but today I had a trio of great films on in the background - Shawshank Redemption, Stand by Me and Speed.  Not really my choice, but I happened to notice they were on while I was channel-hopping.  The problem was that these films are so good that you just end up watching them, and don't get any work done.  Doesn't matter how many times I've seen them - especially Shawshank Redemption, which always seems to be on - it's simply impossible to not just stop what you're doing and watch them, especially when you know a great scene is about to come up.  Therefore, I need to come up with some background films - films that you don't need to concentrate on, but provide a welcome distraction from your computer monitor when needed.  A great example - Airplane.  I need to identify more films like this.     

Small Pleasures

I experienced momentary pleasure today when I had a banana that was just the perfect ripeness - not too hard and not too soft.  The only reason it entered my consciousness is because it happens so rarely.  I don't know why this is - probably because I leave my bananas out and don't refrigerate them at all.  But people who refrigerate bananas right after they buy them when they're unripe, well they are just wrong.   

Saturday

Tired, irritable, listless - it feels like a workday rather than the weekend.  Every day feels like every other day - I'm struggling with the passage of time at the moment.  I need a weekend away.