I can't really listen to a ton of music with lyrics, for two reasons: 1.) I find a lot of songs objectionable for reasons that are either arbitrary or not, and 2.) it is overstimulating.
While I much prefer the "aesthetic" (or, I guess lifestyle) of being a complete hermit who spends hours a day in meditation and quiet contemplation, some temporary life hick-ups (i.e., being forced to live with 6 other people in a 2-bedroom apartment) have prevented me from doing so. This is putting it mildly. To be a bit more dramatic/pragmatic, I have been bombarded constantly with sound pollution for the better part of the past month.
The TV; the nattering; the neighbors; the loud music. It's all constant. I have found some reprieve in the hours of sleep I manage to get, but my waking hours are basically not very enjoyable. Maybe it is for the better that I'm getting less sleep though, but I can't help but feel it's made me more "carnal;" more "tribal."
I think most people are really desensitized to how moving and powerful music can actually be, because they're basically exposed to it all the time. Think about how things were in the "olden days;" if you wanted to listen to a band, you would have to actually assemble a team of musicians together in some concert hall. There was no listening to Ellie Goulding while you wash your dishes.
I think, for the most part, the large majority of people are really uncomfortable with silence, especially the "newer generation," and cannot stand their own thoughts. Which, is really kind of sad when you think about it, because who's inside your mind? That's you in there. Fear of silence is fear of yourself.
Positives
I digress, however. Since I like to balance out the whining with a little bit of upbeatness, I'd like to also share what I am grateful for.
I am grateful that I no longer live in a place that really ought to be condemned; and, as much as the people around me annoy me, I am really glad to have them. Taking my little niece and nephew to the park has humbled me a bit, I'd like to think, and it's reinvigorated a part of myself I think I have lost.
Plus, I'd like to think I handle the kiddos a lot better than their parents, but you know, I don't have the burden of having to tell them "no" all the time. But I'm definitely their "cool uncle." I've been teaching my niece (5) some math, introduced her to Pokémon games, and have been playing with my nephew's (2) play toolset.
A couple nights ago, I had one of my closest friends (the only irl friend I still go out of my way to talk to) come over; he took a one hour bus ride here, and I gave him a tour of this tiny little podunk town. We bought some fancy cheeses, salami, dark chocolates, grapes, and a bottle of wine, and made a little charcuterie board. I ate most of it... (≧▽≦)
Neutrals
Baby Snick (daughter of Snick, cousin/sister to countless inbred halflings) the cat had been going a little stir crazy, being cooped up in the room. She's not a huge fan of the bigger dogs that live here, and there are a TON of dogs in this apartment complex.
She's starting to go downstairs and outside though; and, I guess this is kind of a plus instead of a neutral, but she has been really loving recently.