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It's the last day of September. The sun warms the otherwise chilly air. Trees are less full due to the stormy winds earlier this week. It's autumn, and all the words used to describe this season can be used here. But I want to write about what is real, for me, right now. Right now I sit at a desk behind stacks of books worrying about applications, tests, and essays I haven't completed yet. I am easily jostled out of complacency by sound. Lately it seems that I have developed an alarming sensitivity to sound. Am I evolving sonar abilities? In this office I hear: the sound of the copy machine (squeak whir squeak whir), the space heater warming my feet (shhhhhhhhhhhhhh), throat clearing (aheeemgrrrhaaackhmmm), a coworker typing (click click CLACK click), the tape dispenser dispensing (craaaaaaaaacklecreeaaaak), the security lock alerting (beep!). I want to surround myself with less noise or at least a change of sound scenery. The sound of ocean waves is calming. The wallpaper on my computer at work is an image of a beach and someone is holding up an index card that reads "You are here." Sound would suggest otherwise, unfortunately.