May 1st, 2021 Location: bedroom Time: 5:38pm 

Far Sounds: someone’s car alarm is going off down the street, ice cream truck drove by just a second ago too

Medium Sounds: the small thuds of my housemate’s cat running up and down the stairs

Close Sounds: my space heater growling, my nose sniffling from crying, you can’t hear them, but my thoughts are very loud 

Sound Description/Level: Suburban kind of atmosphere, pretty quiet except for the occasional spike in volume here and there 

Important Sounds: the car alarm, the cat, the sniffles

April 24, 2021 at 11:40 AM

 Location: RSR booth in Stuyvestant Hall

Far Sounds: Cars driving by, birds in the trees outside, a car backfiring, honking, music coming from a car parked out front

Medium Sounds: ID card being swiped multiple times, the beeping as the card is declined, the click as the card is finally accepted, multiple doors opening and closing, footsteps, keys jangling

Close sounds: The air conditioner in the booth coming on and off, my typing on the keyboard, my chair creaking as it rolls/rocks back and forth

Sound Description/Level: Medium to low, there are many moments of complete silence followed by multiple and continuous sounds at once

Important Sounds: Music coming from a car, the opening and closing of doors, typing on a keyboard

4/23/2021, 9:31 pm, the balcony in the Student Center

Sounds farthest away to me: People walking to and from the unispan, some occasionally stopping to order from Brooklyn Slice. Brooklyn Slice, exhausted but not relenting, continuously cooks pizza after pizza, slapping in a new pizza in the blasting oven, just for the poor hungry souls of the students of Hofstra.

Sounds at a medium range to me: A trash bin is wheeled around from the restaurants that are closed, picking up the thin plastic bags of garbage from each one. The Starbucks floors are being cleaned of all the hectic non stop orders they receive. First an old broom removes the floor of any hair and crumbs, and then an audibly damp mop is used to remove all the spilled drinks that have long since dried up. Then they finally close and lock up the creaky metal walls of all the restaurants, allowing them to rest until tomorrow’s busy day.

Sounds closest to me: Sitting not too far from me are some of my friends, as they laugh and talk about whatever is happening to them in life. As I sit and tap away at my computer, eager to join them, as I pound away at the keys as if it were their fault.

The general sound level and amount of sound activity: An above average sound level, but the overall amount of sound activity is high as there is so much going on, even though it appears as though there isn’t.

One word description to the “sound environment”: Moribund

Three sounds which are essential to the sound environment: Large squeaky bins, brooms sweeping, and metal walls being locked up.

April 9, 2021 at 2:55 PM

 Location: Physical Education Building; Hofstra’s vaccine site

Far Sounds: The doors opening and closing and people enter and exit the building, the names of students being called when their 15 minutes wait time is over

Medium Sounds: People walking, conversations between the student and the person administrating their test next to me, chairs scraping on the floor as people get up and sit down, a custodian sanitizing the chairs after each person leaves

Close sounds: The woman administration my vaccine typing on the computer, the questions she asks me as she fills out the necessary forms, her chair rolling over towards me, my breathing getting more exaggerated as she gets ready to place in needle in my arm

Sound Description/Level: Medium to low, the environment is continuously moving which heightens the sound level and then mellows out for a few moments

Important Sounds: Doors opening and closing, typing on the computer, and various conversations

4/9/2021, 11:59 pm, HofUSA

Sounds farthest away from me: People will talk frequently, more of it coming from the back in the kitchen, sometimes they’ll even shout out orders that are ready. I’m not sure what is being discussed in the larger dining area, but I’ll hear laughter sometimes.

Sounds at a medium range from me: The whir of the milkshakes being made, the ice being shuffled from the ice machine, and the check up of utensil inventory. There is never a dull moment when there are no orders.

Sounds closest to me: I am in the side room, the room right in front of the register. The show, Friends, is playing on the TV behind me with the occasional commercial running. I half expect to hear Joey say “How you doin’”, but it never comes. It’s always the same canned laughter being played.

The general sound level and amount of sound activity: Although there is a lot of activity, there is not a whole lot of sound being produced, so the whole sound level is low

One word description to the “sound environment”: Entertaining

Three sounds which are essential to the sound environment: Intermittent talking, the shuffling of ice, and the canned laughter from Friends.