From 58f01378dd5a8c3835c6f9e91e18350c2fba4f71 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Tobias Manske Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2022 01:55:35 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] Schedule: Earplugs --- content/posts/2022-11-22-earplugs.md | 63 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 63 insertions(+) create mode 100644 content/posts/2022-11-22-earplugs.md diff --git a/content/posts/2022-11-22-earplugs.md b/content/posts/2022-11-22-earplugs.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c81e9cc --- /dev/null +++ b/content/posts/2022-11-22-earplugs.md @@ -0,0 +1,63 @@ +--- +title: "Silence is essential" +date: 2022-11-23T00:00:00+01:00 +slug: earplugs +categories: + - misc +tags: + - english + - life +summary: A good pair of custom ear plugs is surprisingly cheap and will help you stay sane when murphy strikes +showtoc: false +--- + +Since mid-August, I own a custom-made pair of soft silicon ear plugs. +In the few months of owning these I came across quite a few situations where they were incredibly handy. + +A custom-made pair of ear plugs has a few advantages over one-size-fits-all pairs. +For one, they fit perfectly and become almost unnoticeable after a few minutes of wear and sit flush with your ears. +Depending on the material, they even are soft enough to sleep on without a feeling of pressure on your ear. +This is a huge plus, even when compared to the "softer" off-the-shelf solutions on the market which only work for some people. +They are easy to clean and are said to be long-lasting. + + +## A few situations + +When I have my backpack on me, there is about a 95% chance that I have my earplugs with me. +In the other 5% I probably needed them the night before and rushed out the house in the morning :p + +### Forgot my headphones on a train journey +One time I had to really rush out of the house to catch the last train of the day. When the tram arrived I reached down around my neck to put on my headphones... only to find them missing. +In the rush I left them on my desk, dooming myself to a music less 6-hour journey. +This could have been really annoying as my fellow travelers included a few crying children as well as a quite loud train. + +Luckily, I at least had my earplugs on me. So I put them in and continued reading a book in almost silence while the people around me had to endure the surrounding noise. + +That day I got reminded again how effective they are in reducing noise when inserted correctly. +In a quieter car I really had to concentrate quite hard onto the announcement to get what they were saying. + +Since then, it's been a coin toss if I will listen to music or have the earplugs in during a long train ride. + +### Hot summers and open windows +During summer my flat tends to become unusually hot. This is in part due to the city I live in being incredibly sunny and my flat having quite a lot of roof area. +As a consequence, I have to leave the windows open at night to find any sleep during summer. +Summer nights are usually very busy, and I live close to a tram line, so there are some nights which can be noisy. + +Ear plugs keep me sane in those weeks :) + +### Sports and parties +Summer comes with a lot of sports tournaments which are broadcast on television as well as parties. +Many of those are announced and known well in advance, but sometimes they come with very inopportune timing. +For example, the night right before and exam when enough sleep is already difficult to find... + +... and a dozen other situations where I just wanted to keep sleeping. Including, loud children in them morning, workers drilling holes into walls a few rooms over, etc. + +### A break from society +Meeting lots of people is nice and fun, but doing that all day in a louder environment like a conference can be quite draining. +You don't want to go home yet, or can't, but you'd really enjoy a short break. +That's when you plug your ears, sit down with a beverage and just zone out for a bit[^1]. +[^1]: Just be prepared for the world to be very noisy for a few moments when unplugging afterwards... + + +At the time of writing my neighborhood is surprisingly loud which prompted me to put in my ear plugs and get this article started :) +