Open Your Ears - HOME, SWEET HOME

Outer Space - FIVE

“Welcome to my OUTER SPACE Blog where I share ideas and personal experiences even some art and writing samples.

The space I want to write about is my own bedroom. I have never sat and just listened to the sounds in my own room. So, this should be interesting.

First of all, there is the sound of my air-conditioner which is still running because the heat is unbearable in my space, I keep it on 68-70 degrees and that just keeps me from burning up. This building has old radiators which I can’t turn off and then there’s my MENOPAUSE which I also can’t turn off.

I also have an echo dot so there is the sound of Alexa which reminds me 6 times a day to follow my schedule to get up wash, brush my teeth, exercise, eat, study, watch HGTV & MSNBC, have dinner and go to bed and it tells my Google hub to turn lights out at the appropriate time. Oh, and it plays music when it wakes me each morning at 8am the music lasts for a good hour.

Then there’s my sensor related microwave which really doesn’t make much sound at all except once it’s done cooking then it beeps. It is the quietest microwave I have ever had. Which I am grateful For.

Aah I just heard the fridge motor kick in -- it too is very quiet so quite that if I wasn’t listening for it, I wouldn’t have noticed.

Any way I was about to say In New York City no matter what time of day or night it is. You will hear a siren from either a fire engine or an ambulance or a police car. I guess there are sirens in every city but for some reason I imagine they are more prevalent in New York City. Just by pure volume there are 8 million people in this city so there is bound to be an ill person, a crime or a fire several times a day all over the city. It’s an unpleasant thought that I guess normally I just block out because I am usually not this aware of them as I am right now doing this exercise.

Every once in a while, my phone beeps because I have notifications set to being on it as well as on my pc.

And usually I might have some show HGTV / MSNBC or music PANDORA Thumbprint Radio playing in the background while I work. Thumbprint Radio is a station that is my favorite it plays instrumental – piano concertos mostly, soul, country & jazz even gospel cause I guess I like all kinds of music – I get my fill without ever having to change the dial. Actually, my space is fully automated, so I usually don’t have to touch a dial to do much of anything. I have a smart home.

All these things lend themselves to me being creative. Doing Pastels or my digital work. Most of these sounds wash over me without my taking much notice. Except for ALEXA which from time to time is a bit annoying.

I have a VR system which I use occasionally as well – which is fully immersive –in that case everything else cuts out except the sound of the app VR title or game. I don’t play a lot of games though. I use the VR mostly for development.

Aah I forgot one other element that emits sound in my space that would be my air fryer which sound similar to my air conditioner I guess the operative word there is air. It uses air to cook my meals in addition to the whoosh of air that I hear –there’s the beep at the beginning and end of the cycle.

I guess considering I am living in Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City my space is pretty quiet. My apartment is NOT in the front of the building, so I never hear cars but sometimes during the spring and summer months I hear birds chirping which always cheers me up in the morning -- as does the sun -- peeking thru my window. Which overlooks a courtyard. Oh how I love my room.