What the deaf man heard

I've got a slight hearing problem. Nothing that bothers me in any way. I only have troubles where there is a lot of background noise.

We went out to the Heart and Crown last night for a work thing for Laura. As I was sitting there wondering what the hell people were talking about and trying not to look like too much of a freak while I cupped my hand around my ear, I thought up a way to describe what's it like for me at a bar.

Picture yourself sitting beside a loud set of rapids. Now turn on 3 stereo's pretty loud so all the sounds blends so there isn't really much that's distinguishable. That's the background sound. Now try and listen to a tv where the sound is turned all the way down to like 1 bar. That's the conversation.

For the most part I hear about 1/2 of a word, every 4-5 words. I can sort of keep up with the gist of what's going on, but a lot of the time that's not enough. I just sit there and try and look interested and watch for clues where I should laugh or look concerned at the right time. That's harder than it looks.

That's why I like drinking at home better. That and it's cheaper. :-P

Update: Okay, to be clear: I love going to pubs. I love the atmosphere, the people, the drinks. However, if you're going to a loud pub to have long conversation to get caught up with someone, it might not be the best place. Please don't read my above post and think that I am a "pub hater".