Random Reads

Sound Creep Symptom:  You wonder if the world is getting louder or you're just getting crankier. Causes:  "Researchers have found one of the reasons we feel so negatively affected by noise today is that it's become nearly impossible to escape the din," says George Prochnik, author of  In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise . We listen to televisions with surround sound and talk on mobile phones when walking. Even our nights are noisier: Since 1973, when Federal Express launched expedited delivery, planes have zoomed overhead even in the wee hours. Last year, the World Health Organization estimated that at least 1 million years of healthy living are lost each year due to noise pollution. Treatment:  Prochnik recommends a "sound diet" in which you balance annoying noise with silent breaks or healthier sounds. For instance, urban designers in Europe have found that water fountains can make people feel more tranquil. Resist the urge...

Blowout "It was my first date ever with a boy, and I had a slight cold. We went to a nice restaurant, and while we were eating our meal, I sneezed — and a huge booger bubble came out of my nose! It was awful, and it wouldn't go away. I jumped up as fast as I could and ran to the bathroom with my hands over my face. After that, the guy never asked to go anywhere with me again. It was so horrible!" Skip O Donnell/ iStock Back Next View Thumbnails Cat Trick "Last year, when I had just started my first period, the boy I liked asked me out. I suggested that he and a friend come over to my house to watch movies. We had recently gotten a kitten, and she liked to take things out of the trash and carry them around. While we were watching the movie, she came into the living room and dumped something on my date's lap. He stared at it, and then jumped up and said, 'Whoa!' I looked over — and realized it was one of my used pads! I threw it away fast,...