In my three years at UA I have encountered three people (out of 26,000+) who walk around campus playing music out of portable mp3 speakers. I guess this is the modern-day equivalent of strutting around with a boombox. Whatever the case, it irritates me to no end.

This semester I have a class with one of these people. When we get out of class, everyone walks out of the building and either pulls out their phone to return calls and texts, or they turn on their music and put their headphones on.

Except this guy…this guy turns his music on and plugs it into speakers in his backpack pocket.

From icebreaker activities at the beginning of the course, I know that this guy is into creating electronic music, and I have a suspicion that the music coming from his backpack may be something of his own invention.

So, cool, you’re proud of what you’ve made, you want to get it out there for people to hear, but as far as I’m concerned, what you’re doing here is noise pollution.

If you want people to hear your music, put it on your myspace (ha) or pimp it out to your Facebook friends like every other budding musician these days. If you want to just listen to music, I have some earbuds you can have, or go get some Monster Beats or Skullcandy or whatever it is everyone is wearing.

On the other hand, I’m totally down with Saxophone Girl.

Isn’t it cool that Abdurrahim el-Keib taught at my university for twenty years, and now he’s been elected prime minister of Libya?

I mean, I never met him or took a course from him or anything, but it’s still cool.