Aargh, my ears!

I don't think I'll write about my weekend as a narrative, I'll just put up anecdotes about different things as I see fit--just to try something different. But don't worry, I'm sure each post will be just as long as you've come to expect. :)

Concerts and clubs are well known for their detrimental effects on the human ear. I expected some loud music at the Oakenfold show, but I was not prepared for the sonic power that I experienced.

But before I even got to the Quest Club I did my best to render my ears useless without the help of world famous DJs. Earlier that day (Sunday) after grilling some tasty burgers and corn-on-the-cob out on the porch we all decided to hit the pool. Much splashing and swimming ensued. We enjoyed the slide and played some basketball (Matt and I crushed Steph and Jen, but Matt and Jen took it to Steph and I; Jen is taller than Steph and Matt is stronger than me, plus, he was getting lucky on long range shots--who hits long range jumpers in a pool with a palm size ball and a toy hoop?).

One of the cool toys Matt had was an underwater torpedo. It kind of looks like one of those mini nerf footballs with fins on the end that you can throw really far only it's much more dense and sleeker and has a warning on the outside "Do not throw out of water". So it's basically a football that you throw underwater and it works pretty well. Matt and I had masks on and threw the ball to each other from opposide sides of the pool. But if you didn't throw it just right, though, it could turn down and head to the bottom of the pool, 8' deep. I threw it down there a couple of times and Matt the Marine would surface dive down and retrieve it with little effort. During this game and playing around in general if I ever got my head more than just fully underwater I would notice the pressure in my ears. I used to be able to dive to the bottom of pools when I was a kid but I think I've had problems ever since I got an ear ringing slap in the head while performing in "Guys and Dolls" in high school. One time one of Matt's throws went astray and headed to the bottom of the pool, luckily it wasn't in the deep end but just on the slope down towards it. I decided to dive for it since it wasn't that deep. I dove for it and could feel the pressure building and right before I grabbed the torpedo something in my right ear burst and it felt like a stream of air was escaping. I headed straight for the surface and walked slowly for the stairs. I was dizzy and in pain.

I sat on the steps for maybe 15 or 20 minutes just holding my head wishing the ringing and pain would go away. After a little while the pain had dampened enough to actually want to move about but it was not gone. For the next couple of hours I was essentially deaf in my right ear. Isn't that just perfect? I almost never go out to see live (well, calling techno "live" is slightly difficult, but you understand) music and I screw up my ear so I can't hear well. I told Steph that we'd have to stand on the right side of the club so I could hear everything with my left ear.

But, fate intervened on the way to Steve's house--my ear popped itself back to almost-normal! Oh, what a feeling! The beautiful sound of my car engine and the AC were able to float blissfully to my inner ear. It wasn't perfect but it worked.

After we arrived at the club for the show the house DJ played for a couple hours, then Sandra Collins, then Paul Oakenfold. And as I mentioned before it was LOUD. The bass was unbelievable, you heard it and felt it through your entired body. Unfortunately it seems that clubs seem to think that louder equals better. While this may be true with the bass if the amps and speakers can handle the sound, it doesn't necessarily hold true with the treble. Any time any of the DJs put some higher pitched samples into the music the speakers would just screech painfully. This equated to extra pain for my slightly ruined ears but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle and didn't happen that often as the DJs were definitely fans of the bass that night.

The worst moment came during Oakenfold's set when he put in a sample that seemed to sound right at the resonant frequency of my head. Caffeine headaches can be painful, but this was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. My entire head was ringing--but mainly behind the eyes and next to the ears. The torture did not last too long and to my delight stopped before my head exploded.

My ears were ringing for the ride back home and have still not come back to their original state. But they're getting better and I'm certain they are on their way to full recovery as long as I'm not stupid with deep water or loud music. In fact, a couple of minutes ago they popped again and opened a little more, what a wonderful feeling.