The Sound Of Silence

Last modified on January 4th, 2009

Someone came to look at my apartment in Vancouver the other day, and their first comment about it was how noisy they thought it would be with all the traffic over the Howe Street on-ramp. I guess after living here for years, I’ve sort of grown used to it.

Truthfully though, it is really loud. While lying in bed this morning I heard at least three loud sirens in about ten minutes, along with tons of trucks, cars honking, and traffic over the bridge. I’ve never really been one for earplugs, mainly because I’m paranoid about sleeping through a fire alarm or something like that. That being said, I tried wearing some ear plugs the other night, and actually ended up sleeping a lot better.

I’m pretty certain that noise will not really be a problem in my new place. There’s no police station, firehall or hospital nearby, so the chances of hearing a siren are pretty much zero. Also, I’m not really next to any major roads, so I don’t think I’ll hear much in the way of traffic during the night. It’s been years since I’ve had a sleep that wasn’t interrupted by noises, so it’s going to be a welcome change living somewhere quiet again.

8 responses to “The Sound Of Silence”

  1. Dale says:

    Just the sound of success is all you’ll hear. Muahahahaha!

  2. Tracy says:

    That’s good to hear, I’m glad noise won’t be a problem for you. I guess cause I’m so high up I don’t hear a lot of traffic, just sirens… the noise I wish I could get rid of is my neighbour, actually neighbours on both sides.

  3. Andrea says:

    I hope the quiet will really help with the sleep issues.

  4. Hesty says:

    Woohoo.. back to work and now I can check out your blog. Novus has weird policy that won’t allow me to browse computer/pages on the same subnet.

    Yeah, I’m surprised how well sound can travel. I can hear bus and even people yelling very well from 20+ floors up. Doesn’t sound obey inverse square law? Hmm..

  5. VancityAllie says:

    I really think your newfound place will allow you to sleep in peace! Loud ambient noise, especially random ones can really keep a person up. As someone who has struggled with sleep and insomnia over the past years… I can’t say how a little “quiet” can go a long way. Congrats on your big move out of the city! 🙂

  6. Scott says:

    Duane – I think this link is quite fitting given the recent change in your life. Enjoy.

    Scott

    http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/01/04/how_the_city_hurts_your_brain/

  7. Dori says:

    That’s great, Duane! I tell you, we weren’t living on a particularly noisy street in Kits, but the neighbor’s noise upstairs was WAY too much- since we’ve moved to our new place, it’s the most wonderful thing to have a quiet space to live. Quality of life, man. ENJOY the peace and quiet!

  8. Duane Storey says:

    Thanks Dori! You and Dustin have to come for a visit once I’m all settled. The next little while is pretty crazy, but I should be back to normal by the end of January.

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