I Hear You
Friday, July 4th, 2008Today is Independence Day, July 4th and I’m getting ready to get started on my list of things to do today… my Honey-Do list. Let’s see: coffee, check; e-mail, check; bagel, check; coffee, check; put the meat in the marinade so it’ll be ready to grill later, that’s next… then I’ll get on my long pants and go outside.
As a professional DJ, my schedule isn’t like many folks. I’m not a “9-to-5er”, I work weekends when almost everyone else is off from work and ready to have a party… and I love it. Anyway, I’m getting ready to go outside and help dig in my wife’s flower garden. It’s not really so bad because I get to use the roto-tiller… a POWER tool, right up my alley. It’s a macho tool. It breaks up the ground slinging dirt around and I break a sweat and it’s much easier than using a shovel.
It’s VERY LOUD though, and as much as my machismo is urging me not to, I’ll take a moment to put in my ear plugs before I start up my motorized friend. Through my almost 25 years as a professional DJ, I’ve had one thing happen to me that is no fun at all. I’m loosing my hearing because of all the loud sounds I’m surrounded with every time I go out to work.
For me it has meant that I must listen to a high pitched “ringing” sound all the time… 24/7 – 365… day and night… NON-Stop ringing. It’s a real drag sometimes because I miss things other people say around me. It’s hard to carry on a conversation with one person in a room with a large group of people around. I have to really focus on that one person and I find myself watching their lips sometimes to understand them. I think the hardest thing for me though, is that my son has learned that he needs to be sure I’m looking at him so I’ll understand everything he’s saying to me. That hurts me sometimes.
I want to caution you, dear reader, to protect your hearing better than I have. You can get those squishy in-your-ear plugs in places like Lowes or Home Depot, and they work pretty well. I use a brand of ear plug called “Hear-Os” which is made for practicing musicians and DJs from my local Rock-Shop… er, Music Store. I haven’t stepped up to this one yet, but I’m thinking about having a pair of ear plugs custom made so I can hear myself properly when I sing. That option is not for everyone I realize, but the point is that if you loose your hearing, you can’t get it back. Take care of yourself.
AV