I repeatedly fell into earplugs this weekend. Sounds of the wrong kind at the wrong time as I was going to bed, and I ended up putting them in to prevent any chance of further disturbance.
The thing about earplugs for sleep is that they are not very much about the sound I am currently hearing, nor the sounds I just heard. They are mainly a way to reassure myself I will not hear further sounds, should there be any. For a long time, I wore earplugs every or almost every night. Once you have used them a few nights straight, they become a very hard habit to shake.
Sure, I could try without tonight. But is it really worth it, if there is some annoying noise at just the wrong time and I end up awake for another hour, annoyed and just waiting for another sound?
Another associated bother which is really hard to shake if it takes root: what if those sounds I heard last night are the start of a trend? Have I just got new neighbors whose habits include making just those sounds most (or, perhaps even worse, on random) nights? Then what?
Well, I guess simply sleeping on it is a good idea … Without plugs, hopefully.
Aside
Links.net: still regularly updated, still fascinating to dive into. Also the site and person who inspired me to create a site of my own.
I started thinking about his house in Oakland, which I saw on-site and in some random documentary. I found it surprisingly easily, teleporting through link after link. Everything still lives, but the rest of the internet disappoints with broken things from the older pages.