Since the weather was so pleasant today, I hurried into the shower and got dressed quickly so I could go visit my friends in the assisted care facility where they live. It was so good to get out, and to drive my car with the windows down instead of using the air conditioner. A few more days like this, and I may decide to stay in Sacramento.
Now if there was some way to get rid of boom boxes in cars, life would be wonderful.
The apartment complex I live in is comprised of eight 4-plexes. (Two up, two down. I live down.) The building I'm in is the third building off the street, a busy, noisy street. There's a traffic light at the corner, and my ears are frequently assaulted with high decibel boom-boom while cars are waiting for the traffic light to change. I've even been wakened at night with same boom-boom.
There's a noise abatement law in Sacramento, but I haven't noticed much enforcement.
I don't really care what kind of music other people like. I'm not judgmental about that. But why do I have to listen to it, too? I've been in my car and have been able to hear the noise from a car three cars back. That seems excessive to me. And when one of them is in the lane next to me, I have to hold my hands over my ears, and sit there "Please light, change. Change. CHANGE, dammit!!"
I have a 50% hearing loss in both ears, but it isn't from excessive noise. I was given some medicine many years ago that caused hearing loss in some people. I was one of the people. I would not have dared turn up the radio so the whole neighborhood would be able to hear. I would have been strongly lectured and probably sent to my room to think over my misdeeds. As a matter of fact, I don't think cars had radios when I learned to drive. And we had one radio in the house--in the living room. Turn up the volume to BLAST? It never occurred to me.
Now, these young people who play their stereos so loud are going to end up deaf, and probably already have partial hearing loss. How can they be in their cars surrounded by all that noise? How can they be in their rooms with their stereos turned up so loud the walls vibrate? Oy, gives me a headache just to write about it. Ear plugs help, but I can still feel the vibration in my body.
Well, that's my kvetch for tonight.
Type atcha tomorrow night, and maybe a little more generous-spirited to what passes for humanity.
Shalom