Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....

I'll type this as quietly as possible- its so quiet here today, there are people here, but one is sleeping and the rest are quieter than librarians with gags on. Not that this is particularly unusual, I have my own personal ipod induced sound bubble around me to get over the quietness. In the labs back in the UK we had a radio on- playing at low level unless a good song came on and people TALKED to each other, here there is chatting, but only briefly and for short periods ( a minute or so). Rest of the time its quieter than the grave (excluding the phone and its hold tune of Jesu, joy of mans desiring of course and boy that song really gets in your head).
I like peace and quiet don't get me wrong, but the hours of non talking and silently working or setting up experiments gets to you after a while. I'm a music person- I even revised my final exams at university to the star wars soundtracks to cover the sound of stressed scribbling and muttering in the university library. Its not that everyone hates each other here- we're certainly a friendly open bunch compared to other labs.
Is it some form of antidote to the sound assult when you step outside? Perhaps thats it. Outside the streets are a bit of an aural assult course- tweeting and chirping crossing sounds and mornful bing- booong of the subway entrance noises, trucks with their "we're a truck making important deliveries sounds so we'll tell you to be careful cause there's a truck sound every 5 secs " sound, and don't get me started on the loudspeakers planted all over the place with their inane babble- either babbling on about something that no one is listening to or playing musak that adds un neccesarily to the noise. Or the giant tv screens at major crossings that play clips and adverts very loudly competing with the men and their portable speakers SHOUTING that their products are simply super and you should come see- once they've said all the super polite phrases 50,000 times.
Perhaps this why people here are so quiet? Savouring those moments of peace and quiet?