Week 9

3/23/13 (Sat.) 11:15 PM -- 11:30 PM (Hemingway's Cafe) --

My friend and I decided to go have some drinks over at Hemingway's, needless to say it got really loud really quickly. The mixture of drunken shouting with loud music as well as people just shouting normal conversation would have made me claustrophobic just audibly, but then there was also the mixture of there physically less space due to the amount of bodies. Thank god I'm not claustrophobic. The occasional sound of a glass getting knocked over could be heard, it was a series of fast 'ping' sounds that, fortunately, did not result in a shatter sound which would inevitably cause some group of people to shout. A few times throughout the evening, a few very much drunk women would attempt to talk to me. The sound of slurred words mixed with the incredibly loud music and other bar patrons really made it difficult to understand words. It made me feel like there was a language barrier but it was only induced with drink, it's an interesting feeling. Once in a while a song would come on and everyone would start singing, this honestly made me feel pretty happy, it gave some sense of everyone there was having a good time and ultimately they were there for the same reason. So I suppose it gave me a sense of community, a drunken one, but a community nonetheless.

Week 8

3/17/13 (Sun.) 12:30 AM -- 12:45 AM (In my room) --

I sat down in my room, I heard people celebrating with shouting and firecrackers. It almost made me feel a little bit like there was some sort of riot about to take place. Another thing heard was what I believe to be several cherry bombs being ignited throughout these few minutes, I thought to myself, "This isn't the fourth of July guys." as I was expecting someone to get injured in their drunken stupor. It made me feel a little unsafe, knowing there are intoxicated people running around with what essentially are explosives. Another sound was what I believe was either a motorcycle, or a car that had no muffler on. It was very loud nevertheless and I felt like there couldn't possibly be anything worse. Just then, some people literally started screaming, not the kind of scream like bloody murder, a scream that was obviously someone trying to be funny but either way, it kind of made me feel annoyed. I realized then as well that I don't particularly enjoy St. Paddy's day for those very reasons.

Week 7

3/10/13 (Sunday) 2:00 PM -- 2:15 PM (Downtown Pittsburgh) --

Today I decided to sit outside of Academic Hall to listen during the awesome weather we were having!
    I pulled up a metal chair, it made a higher pitched sound as the metal feet scraped against the brick on the ground, it was the sort of sound that gave me goose bumps, a similar sound was also made after I sat down and pulled myself into the table but it was in much shorter bursts, but still the same amount of goosebumps from the sound. I could hear the sound of people walking by, the sound of plastic wheels rolling across the sidewalk from the suitcases of college students returning from Spring Break gave me the feeling that relaxation time was just about up. The sound of cars driving by would occasionally block out the sound from the suitcases and one car of course was stopped by the traffic light and they were playing music with far too much bass which hurt my ears and really just cut out all other sound. After they finally passed, I heard the sound of doors opening and closing in the buildings around me, the sound of footsteps on the sidewalk as well, sometimes even the sound of some birds because it really was a very nice day out.

Week 6

2/24/13 (Sunday) 12:00 PM -- 12:15 PM (Seven Springs, ski lift/top of mountain) --

  Today I went over to Seven Springs ski resort.
The sound of my skis sliding smoothly over the snow as I approached the lift was always a pleasant sound, it didn't have the rough sound of the blades scraping across the snow such as when stopping. The next sound was of the seat swinging over, hitting the back of my knees and allowed me to sit pretty quietly, the wind began to pick up as the seat picked up speed; it made it harder to hear anything else as we approached the top. Near the top the wind was incredibly powerful, all I could hear was talking next to me, other skier/snowboarders as their boards scraped down the mountain. Occasionally I could hear a violent sound, indicating that someone most likely wiped out. As we got off the lift I then began to not only hear the wind, but I could also hear the sound of the millions of snowflakes as they hit my body. Standing at the top looking down, the muffled sounds of more boards approaching behind me could be heard, getting louder and louder as they passed me only to become quieter and quieter again. Also there was the sound of people prepping their boards, this told me they were by the sound of clicking from the strapping mechanisms followed by hopping sounds in the snow as they got momentum. Right after this I could only hear the sound of snow moving quickly under my feet and the sound of wind as I went down the hill.

Week 5

2/14/13 (Thursday) 4:05 PM -- 4:15 PM (Basement) --

  Today I decided to go into the basement. The moment I opened the door and began to walk down the squeaky steps I could hear the sound of a few living things sprinting out the basement doors to the backyard. It was a really weird feeling to go down into what is a normally quiet basement to hear that something is basically living there.

  I could hear the sound of the washing machine going, the water splashing about inside that is also partially muffled from the clothing inside. It made me feel even colder thinking about the water because it was already so cold in the basement. On occasion the sound of wind blowing by the window could be heard, almost as if there were a draft. It made me once more feel like there was wind blowing into the basement but I felt no actual draft. It's interesting how just recognizing a sound and associating something with it such as cold weather can actually make me feel colder.

  Once in  a while a car would drive by, though the sound of it was coming from above and going through the ground muffled the sound of the tires going across the road. It's a much different experience being in the basement and hearing cars than it is being in my room. I feel safer with the more muffled sounds. I can also hear the gas-powered flames in the furnace burning while the air kicks on. I almost immediately begin to feel warmer even with the vents in the basement shut.

Week 4

2/6/13 (Wednesday) 12:15 AM - 12:30 AM (First Bar) --

          After I finally got in, I took a moment to take in the sounds. The music was very loud, way too much bass to the point where it completely distorted the music. Sound of people talking and even shouting to get their voices over the volume of the music, which also made it kind of funny when the music would suddenly end and someone shouting could be very much more coherent. It's interesting how things sound so much different alone and then all of a sudden could be mixed together into just a mass of noise where it becomes very difficult to pick out very specific sounds.

Week 3

            2/1/13 (Fri.) 5:00 PM – 5:15 PM (At the playhouse, hanging lights)

     The sound of footsteps across the Rockwell floor could be heard from near the back of the audience seating, it sounded like they came from behind me, weird. . .

Next came the sound of voices from the electricians who came to help out, also sounding like they were coming from behind me, the acoustics in that place are really strange. I also could hear the clacking sound from lights being moved into place before hanging them up. When a pipe would be lowered I could hear the pipe when it hit the stage, almost a gentle ‘boom’ type sound.

2/3/13 (Wed.) 3:00 PM – 3:15 PM (Outside, putting groceries inside, sitting in the living room)

Walking from my car, I can hear the sound of the plastic bags as they are constantly being moved by my arms as well as the wind from walking; it reminds me of the sound of rain. The door makes a squeaking sound as I unlock the deadbolt, it definitely needs some lubricant or just a new lock altogether. As I set the bags down some of the contents of the bags tip over, a metallic sound is heard but it is also kind of distorted because they contain liquid. Sitting down on the couch I almost immediately hear the bags rustling, I believe that some curious animals have discovered them and decided to investigate. It almost sounds like one got stuck inside of a bag because I could hear the bag moving then silence, but suddenly the sound of the bag became more violent and a cat came sprinting out of the kitchen. I could hear the claws scraping against the floor but could not get any grip because of the smooth texture, sounded like stones being slid across the floor. Next came the sound of doors opening, probably the next door neighbors. Also I could hear people walking around upstairs, Colleen was talking to one of my other room mates, I couldn’t entirely tell which because the sound of cats running around assisted in blocking out noise from upstairs.

Week 2

1/27/13 10:00 pm -- 10:20 pm (living room)

Initially, I didn't think I could hear anything at all. Roommates just left for the bar so the sudden silence threw me off. The washing machine was running, it was making a constant "thunk" sound and I could hear the sound of the water being moved about. The clock ticking became more and more audible, I love how we don't notice sounds that are constant such as a clock ticking until it is quiet. The cats were making a lot of noise, running around playing and jumping on bags and boxes, it was annoying me, made me kind of want to stop them. A ringing appeared in my ear as well and that seemed to overpower all other noise even though the moment other sounds were made, like me taking a deep breath, the ringing would seem to disappear until it was completely silent again.

1/28/13 10:00 am -- 10:15 am (my room)

The moment everything went silent, I heard the sound of muffled (but audible) voices just outside from one of my roommates talking to a plumber that was working on our bathroom upstairs. Next I heard the sound of banging, it sounded like the guys working upstairs were breaking a wall, or at least tearing one apart. The sound of foot steps walking across the floor upstairs also was pretty loud, it made me feel a little bit like someone was going to either fall through the ceiling or something like that. Cars driving by, I could hear their sound systems blasting something that sounded terrible. Planes could also be heard overhead.

Week 1

1/17/13 (Thurs.), 11am-11:10am – Cars driving by, they sound like they are moving really fast, doesn’t make me feel too safe because they might not be able to stop if someone were to cross their path. Birds are making noises outside, makes me feel at ease knowing that it is nice enough outside that they are just hanging around. If it were suddenly quiet it would make me feel uneasy I’d imagine. I can hear my computer speakers making noises right before I receive a text, it’s funny because I feel awesome being able to hear that and pick up my phone right before I get the text. The sound of neighbors entering their house, sometimes I think it’s someone entering my house but then I don’t hear any footsteps going down the hall, I feel at ease a little more. I can hear the wind gently blowing into my room, I forgot that I had left a window open to air out my room, it was getting stuffy.

1/21/13 (Mon.), 11:30am-11:45am – Music from my speakers is playing music, Between the Buried and Me; it makes me feel good hearing the constant time changes, the drums complex beats. I shut off the sound system. I can hear the sound of my laptop’s fan going, my keyboard making sounds every time I type. I could hear a car’s engine in the distance, perhaps racing or just speeding up to get up to the speed limit as quickly as possible, a whopping 40mph, unless they were speeding. Hearing the wind of a vehicle moving from a distance is an interesting feeling, it makes me feel like they are approaching fast but then the sound fades away. The sound of my space heater working makes me feel even warmer though it’s not directly hitting me. I had to get up, my bed made a slight creak sound; It makes me feel either I’m almost too heavy for it or that the bed is just old. Either way it can still hold me up just fine. My footsteps are somewhat heavy, I try to walk as quietly as possible, the floor still makes some creaking noises because it’s an old house so the floor is probably not in the best condition beneath.