Sounds of a Study Lab

I now work in the College and Career Readiness department of Tri County Community College. This means that I usually end up doing a lot of things during my three-hour shifts (it's part-time) one of which is occasionally facilitate an open lab for people who are studying to take their G.E.D.

Last night there were very few people and they were mostly studying on their own, so I grabbed a scrap piece of paper and a pen (which I have to travel with as this department has an obsession with pencils. I find, on average, one, three-year-old, promotional pen to every five #2 pencils) and then started my own version of a writing exercise.

Sidebar: I have found that being out of school, I will periodically give myself homework. Like telling myself to sit and think about the sounds I heard and how to describe them, rather than doodle. 

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Sonic* Studying

- The rhythmic vibration of the old air condintoner, alternating between noise and quiet, like a weary Grandfather napping in an threadbare arm chair, snoring, in and out.

-The muffled static of papers sliding together and apart.

- The frustrated knock of a pencil hitting the table, only to be picked back up again seconds later. As if the driver of the wood encrusted lead was only looking for a different sound besides the steady pull of the black tip against the white scrap paper.

- An extended and somewhat labored copier, broken up by the incessant beeping of an error warning, which is broken up by the curt, yet good natured, "Shut up!" of the operator of the machine.

- A wide range of sighs:

     -The frustrated one that preceded the the pencil drop
     - The weary one that starts with a slow intake of breath
     - The wishful one, accompanied by an expression implying that their eyes are seeing anything but the ghostly yellow/white of the wall infront of them.

- The dynamic tones of the lead facilitator as she jokes back and forth with students. Inflecting more on the punchline of dry humor than on any legitimate statement or direction.

- The stifled puffs of air pushed, in quick succession, out of the nose of the girl who seems incapable of not laughing at everything that happens or is said.  

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There was more sounds to be sure, but the students left and the lab closed. 

*Sonic |ˈsänik|: adjective 

relating to or using sound waves.