noise

i had almost completely forgotten how noisy a city can be. in nyc i lived in the west village, in a 2nd story apartment in a very busy area. we had all kinds of noise day and night. and while it was a narrow and low car traffic street, the volume of tourist noise (mostly from chumley's) was unending on a weekend night. my second place was in tribeca on the 5th floor and while it had virtually zero foot traffic, it was on the approach to the holland tunnel. the sounds of car engines and horns were constant. none of this bothered me - i actually enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of the city (except in august when the street stunk of piss, both animal and human). but after living in wisconsin for 6 years i had completely forgotten what it was like to listen to the hum of the city.

the construction of the houseboat seems to be quite thin. the first two days i was convinced that the sounds from people getting in and out of the car were people on my front entry way. i have a peep window in my front door which i opened countless times because i was sure that somebody was standing mere inches away from my entrance. the first night i could not figure out what the honking noise was - an steady and constant sound that turned out to be ducks in the canal.

i enjoy laying in bed listening to the sounds passing by. as long as they aren't football hooligans.