HW #11 - self experiment 1

I never leave the house with out two things, my phone and my phone. The first thing i do when i walk out my house to go to school is put my headphones on full blast listening to whatever new music i downloaded from limewire the night before. I thought it would be interesting to ride the subway to school with out my ipod playing, it was surprising to me how different the experience of riding the subway felt. When i walked on to the 6 train at city hall i sat in my normal spot but instead of being emersed in my music i suddenly felt this feeling of total awareness. I found that my brain was thinking a million different thoughts, i was noticing what people where doing more and i couldn't help but just stare. It felt very uncomfortable and awkward, i did not have my security blanket (i guess i can call it that now), i was now in the world with everyone else. While my music plays i get a sense of aloneness, like i am in my own world, it gives me something to do, i have noticed that if my eyes are not on my phone or my ipod playing game i make awkward eye contact with people or go off into blank stares at the most random things. On the day that i conducted the "experiment" i happened to sit next to a young boy (about 6) and his mother who pulled out a tintin book and began reading it to him in french although i did not really understand what was going on i was looking at all the pictures over the little boys shoulder, instead of my eyes glued to a screen it was glued to pictures but i can imagine that either the boy or the mother found it annoying. Overall for me ipods are what start the day off for me right. I can go a few days without one on the subway but when i have it playing loudly in my ears is when my trips to and from school are most comfortable.