Huh, What?!?

Been away awhile. No good excuses, or fantastic stories of Smelly Pirate Hookers, just didn't feel like writing. It happens. As should be expected, life continues to roll. This one is a story of caution.

At the ripe old age of 34, I was told I am a candidate for hearing aids. Joy! Well, not really joy, but there is good news (at the end of the post). Apparently years of Shooting, Rock & Roll, and a bit o' time working in loud plants can hurt your hearing. Especially if you don't wear hearing protection. Like most kids/teenagers, I was convinced I was bullet proof. As I grew older, I saw the error of my ways. More specifically I heard the error of my ways in the form of Tinnitus.

People hear Tinnitus differently, mine is an always present high pitched ring that sounds like feedback from a microphone, while others associate it with crickets, or even a low hum. There isn't a cure for it. It's always present. Most times I can tune it out, but night is the worst. I have to sleep with a fan or some other white noise to drown out the ring. In reality it sounds worse then it really is (no pun intended).

Now, the good news. I'm not a lost cause. I don't need the hearing aids just yet. As I age, and my hearing goes into the expected decline I most likely will need them all the time, but the loss I currently suffer mainly impacts speech with background noise. I can recognize that something has been said, but the words don't register (women's voices particularly - because of the frequency). One on one it doesn't have much impact, but in an area with background noise, I will probably have to request something be repeated, especially if I'm not looking at you.

So, what can you do to protect your hearing? Easy! wear hearing protection! When I shoot indoors I wear both plugs and muffs. I picked up a cool set of Peltor hearing muffs, that allow you to hear regularly, but cut out at higher decibel levels. If I go to a concert (rare, but it does happen on occasion), I picked up a set of in ear plugs. They are almost invisible, and allow you to hear regular conversation but block harmful noise. Next on my list is to replace the custom plugs I lost (should be $60 or so at the gun show). $60 custom molded plugs, and $100 Peltors are cheap when you consider the hearing aids I'm looking at run about $3000 an ear.

Freaking out the norms

A couple weeks ago I went to a Tattoo Festival. This was my first Tattoo festival, so I didn't really know what to expect. All in all I can say it was interesting. The lighting was challenging, so not every picture worked, but I did get a couple cool shots.

While walking through, I started flipping through one of the artists flash, just to get an idea of what they prefer, and if it would be worth while to hang out and take some pictures. Apparently I looked a little too normal, as this older guy (late 60s or so) came over and started talking to me. He was covered in old ink on his arms, and had a fresh one on his leg, and generally was a little intimidating at first. Fairly gruffly, he started asking me questions. I explained I was interested in taking some pictures of artists working, and had been thinking about some new ink. Of course, he looked at the flash book I was checking out, and it was all low quality flowers and tribal stuff. Awwwkwaard. Anyway, I explained I was looking for an artist to do some Japanese work (in prep for my Foo Dogs) and then showed him my right shoulder. He looked at me thoughtfully for a second and said "but you look so normal!". I responded with "I'm just here freaking out the norms." He thought that was hilarious.

I guess stereotypes run both ways.