1:  Thursday, February 8, 2013, 1:55 am, 1111 Alliance Hall

2:  Identify and list the sounds farthest away from you.

The window is open, and I can hear the tires of very fast-moving cars on the asphalt of the turnpike.  The traffic is so fast and so constant that the sound of one car cannot be distinguished from the collective.  All together, the distant noise of the turnpike makes the unending tearing sound of a plane traversing the sky high above.  Sporadically, I hear a motorcycle accelerating with a succession of staccato, upward-inflected growls.

3:  Identify and list the sounds at a medium range from you.

For a few minutes, a boisterous group of three or four girls crosses the parking lot far below.  Their voices carry well, so that a few individual words said louder than the rest (like, “shit,” “Lydia,” and “bitch”) can be heard.  In spite of all the intermittent profanity, the mood of the mobile conversation is jubilant.  Once they’ve passed the building, their voices fade out, and a state of relative quiet resumes.

4: Identify and list the sounds closest to you (– you can include internal sounds if noticed or relevant).

Stephen sits at his desk, typing on his laptop.  The percussion of his fingertips on the keyboards is gentle and composed.  The fabric of his shirt makes soft, hushing sounds as he shifts in his chair and brushes his forearms against it.  Occasionally, his bare feet scrap against the densely woven carpet and make a similar swishing sound.  The different noises of his lucubration are very soothing, as attentive activity is one of my ASMR triggers.  Sometimes Stephen hums a few whimsical notes of nothing in particular before restoring his full attention to his work.

5: Describe the general sound level and amount of sound activity.

Once the girls have passed by, the sound level becomes quite low, although plenty of individual sounds can be heard.

6: Assign a one-word description to the “sound environment”.

“Studious”

7: Select and list 3 sounds that are essential to the sound environment. Note: you need to try and figure out what sounds make up this environment and which of those sounds need to be there for the feeling of the environment to stay intact.

The most essential sounds are not any from the outside world, but those of Stephen at work.  The clicks of his hands on his computer, the sound of his clothing being brushed, and his occasional humming all create a very specific kind of calm.