Loud Noises
I have mentioned that Saturday's fire
alarm really hurt my ears. Loudness in general is something that
causes me a great deal of unpleasantness.
I don't enjoy noisy restaurants. I've noticed that sports bars,
"family" restaurants, and other such places seem deliberately
designed to maximize noise: they remove carpeting from the floors;
have an open floor plan with no walls, tall booths, or other
sound-absorbing fixtures; and add TVs, loud music, live bands, or
other distractions to increase the general hubbub.
Sometimes, I just find the noise level distracting. I can't think
straight, and it makes it very hard for me to have a conversation
with people at my table. Even when I can make out what they're
saying through the ambient noise, the sheer volume and quantity of
the sounds is entirely too distracting for me to follow what
they're saying.
Movie theaters and concerts are probably the worst for me, though.
I find the sound volume to be physically painful, and have resorted
to wearing earplugs whenever possible. Of course, sometimes I
forget to bring a pair with me. Now that I have a service dog,
maybe I'll slip a pair of earplugs into one of her vest pockets
just in case.
Hmmmm. I wonder if the noise levels that bother me are physically
dangerous for a dog, since they have more sensitive hearing than
humans. I'll have to add that question to the research pile.