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One of the slight drawbacks to an otherwise plum pick for an office in the WAG empire is its close proximity to a small experimentalist lab. The lab contains a sonicator, which inspired me to purchase headphones (on the group account) in order to block out the new and interesting form of aural Chinese Water Torture. It also now contains a student who sings.

I’m fairly sure it’s the student singing and not a recording, as the moo-sounding pitch fluctuation is not constant. It starts rather softly, then gets louder as the singer becomes more confident, no doubt related to the fact that no one has walked in and demanded an explanation for the humpback whale sound. It doesn’t last more than a few minutes at a time. Although I would love to meet the source of this sound, I know it can never be. For as anyone who’s been caught singing in the shower knows, once a private singer finds out there’s someone listening it’s impossible to go on singing. Such personal expression must be done alone. I must imagine who this person is.

I know which research group the person is in, and I can guess what subgroup. I can determine what kind of work the person does. More importantly, however, this person is probably reasonably happy. This person does not know the realities of the wall thickness in the sub basement of the BI, and likely is similarly ignorant to the soul-crushing facts of life as a graduate student. This person inspires me by reminding me of an earlier, more optimistic time. Perhaps I will sing in my office when I think no one is around.