52/365 Protective gear

I'm part of a generation that will likely have hearing issues when we reach our older years.

In high school, part of the ritual when you got your license and drove to school involved leaving the parking lot with your music -- preferably something with a strong beat -- turned up so everyone outside the car could hear.

I did it. And I definitely felt a little cooler, even if I wasn't.

Then we got iPods, and those loud speakers that once remained in your car or room now migrated right into your ear canal.

I know previous generations have had stereos, boom boxes, walkmans and loud music of their own. But as with everything, it seems like in more recent years the decibel has increased. And putting ear buds directly in your ear doesn't help matters.

I've (mostly) grown out of the loud, booming music phase. And I'm taking more care to protect my hearing. Like yesterday, I vacuumed with a Shop-Vac for over two hours, and I made sure to wear protective ear muffs while I did it.

I hope that will save me a few years of yelling, "What?" at everyone around me.

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD1000, lit by a single CFL bulb indoors