Hearing Loss

[stormdog]

The techno that's playing on SomaFM right now has a recurring high-pitched sound that must be up in the 17-18khz range. While it's slightly annoying, it also pleases me because it may mean that my hearing might be recovering a bit. I think I semi-permanently lost high-range hearing last month after a bike inner tube I was inflating exploded at 70psi or so a few feet from my ear. It was a novel experience; a tremendous bang followed by a ringing noise that lasted for ten or fifteen seconds. It was just like a simulated flash-bang grenade in Half-Life! Well, without the flash. I can tell things are different because the Xlerator hand dryers in men's rooms no longer hurt my ears. (I try them once in a while to see if they do and am a little sad when they don't. I guess that's part of getting older.)