Published on 12, July, 2020
I spend a lot of time travelling on trains in the course of my work and there are two sounds that drive me nuts, to the extent that I’ll go and find myself another seat if that’s possible and, if it’s not, I’ll just grit my teeth in anguish! The first is the sound of people typing on their laptops, the rattling keystroke sounds make me want to scream! Second is the sound of people whispering to one-another. You get this in museums and galleries too. Just speak normally people, there’s no need to whisper, I can hear you anyway.
Obviously, the tick tick sound of IPhone ear buds or Air Pods is also infuriating, but I imagine that’s the case for most people!
There are plenty of sounds that can drive me insane. One of them happens to be the sound of my son's sneezes, as they're absolutely deafening. If I'm aware that he's about to sneeze, I have to brace myself for it and cover my ears. I consider it a miracle that my house is still standing, and that the glass in my windows hasn't shattered.
I always envy the quiet sneezers of this world, mine isn't quite like the QE2 coming in to dock, but on the approach road. But one just gets the one one is given. I wish I had a more elegant and discrete sneeze.