An-noise-ances (no, that doesn't work!)
I work in an office that is full of young chaps testing video games. Noisy video games. Young chaps who speak loudly in many languages. And play music loudly. Hippity Hop music that I don't understand.
My team are writers. We like quiet. It's perfectly acceptable to be interrupted now and again by the peaceful ruffle of dictionary pages being turned. Or a hushed discussion about words. But we listen to our music through headphones - even our favourite Bond themes, shared over iTunes. We turn our TVs down low when we're playing the same bit of the same game over and over again.
Now and again we do make noise: meeting important deadlines merits a splendid laser-type sound effect; I'm trying to introduce an 'it's time for tea' song (strangely, no-one seems very keen); any mention of a certain boy wizard elicits much boo-ing and jeering. (Right now, I bet you're really wishing you work where I work!!)
But the thing is, noise is good. Too much quiet is bad. But some noise is just so annoying. General background conversation: good. Incessant high-performance car noises and sirens on racing-type video games: bad. General background conversation in multiple languages: very good. Constant out-of-tune whistling: very bad. Good natured banter and laughter: splendid. That bloody Mr T phrase generator keyring thing that was soooo funny the first time you heard it ("I ain't gettin' on no plane, fool"): aaargh!!!!
Somewhere in here there's a lesson to be learnt about everybody getting along together, compromise and tolerance. Which is all well and good, as long as it doesn't bother me!
Oh, I ought to point out that I'm not actually a writer myself. Hence the not-great writing...
posted by jomoore @ 8:30 pm
4 comments
4 Comments:
They should give me a job. No, they really should. I'm good at swearing very loudly. And ranting. It keeps the troops amused.
I went out for the day yesterday to Hever Castle, deep in the Kentish contryside, very beautiful and peaceful (even the rain kept away for most of the day). Background noise was appropriate - birdsong, rustle of leaves, trckling of water,etc. THEN three different schools had decided to send their little cherubs out for the days so whatever part of the grounds you were in you were bound to come across one group or another. Background noise was then no longer background; it was proper in-your-face loud nuisance!
Later on I was at the theatre to see a couple of festival plays and where there shouldn't really be any background noise during a performance. The first play had been going for about 5 minutes when in comes a late arrival, a little bent old man and his companion who come every night (usually a bit late but are sitting down by the time the action starts)and sit in the front row. Last night they were made to sit about halfway down so the little old man had to adjust his hearing aid. We were then treated to whistles, whines and feedback, tutts and restless mutterings from the audience. Luckily it didn't last for the whole of the performance.
I'm off to the hairdressers soon where the background noise is usually Capital Radio (ho, hum)
You will have to swear in a foreign accent, pt, if you want to cut it here.
Over the past 2 years I've sat next or close to a German, and Frenchman and a Spaniard - and all of them swear in English, even when they are speaking in their native tongue. That fascinates me. Perhaps you just can't beat the good old f-word for making a point, no matter where you come from...?
Merde!
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