I had a similar problem, starting at about the same age. Drove me nuts. Drove everyone around me nuts, too.

Have you been diagnosed with hyperacusis? Reason I ask is that I was diagnosed with an auditory processing disorder, which explained things a bit but didn't fix anything.

I finally got relief from neuro-linguistic programming. Find a practitioner and give it a shot. It's a real problem, but it is up to you to find a way to live in the world with it.

I'm aghast at the idea that a woman "should feel guilty" if she is unable to diagnose herself with depression. If she's depressed, she may not realize she's sick, or she may not be able to take the initiative to do anything about it. (Same for a male sufferer of depression, by the way.)

I grew up on a farm where we raised horses. It was always important to be with the mares who were about to give birth, because occasionally a mare would turn on the foal (baby horse) for no discernable reason. I only saw it once: we had to raise that little fellow on a bottle in the backyard.

My inference from that is that there may be instincts for mothering, but sometimes things go wrong. Even "in nature" (if a farm is nature -- we'll debate that one another time) sometimes all those hormones set off undesired behavior.

The Pilot is right: the human element is the key.

I find that the things that stick in my mind are the interactions with airline personnel. I find, too, that I have become pretty rigid in my airline preferences based on memories: there was one airline I didn't fly again for 10 years, no matter how cheap it was, after an airline employee was particularly nasty. On the other hand, I'll gladly ride Southwest pretty much anytime, anyplace, because they have always been kind and helpful about the minor disability that was such an annoyance to the employee of the airline I will not name.

A clean lav and a container for waste paper would be nice, I admit. And yes, bring back the magazines. But I'll trade it all for a smile and reasonable, professional treatment at the ticket counter and in the cabin.

Your column about the Mojave boneyard (fascinating place -- I've driven by, but never visited) reminded me of a place I visited recently -- the El Avion bar and restaurant, in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. A Fairchild C-123 with an Iran-Contra history has been converted into a bar, located high on a hillside on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. The food wasn't impressive, but the plane itself was pretty interesting. They saved enough of the interior to let a tourist imagine Ollie North, up to his tricks...

People seem to have a fascination with converting airplanes to other uses (e.g., The Proud Bird in LA.) Does the Mojave Boneyard do much of that sort of business?

for "rankist" -- try "rude," "unkind," or "unprofessional."

The problem in our airports is that it serves the purposes of the present administration to keep citizens as frightened as possible. Safety isn't their first concern: fear is, because fear is useful to them in polls and the voting booth.

The contrast of this administration to another one is striking: that earlier administration faced a depression and a world war, and persevered. It is time we recalled the words of FDR's first inaugural address:

" This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. "

As long as we are frightened, the bad guys are winning. That's what they want: they want us frightened, dumping mascara and water bottles in bins in airports, xraying shoes and frantically gutting our constitution in a desperate effort to be "safe." Until we are willing to speak the truth and listen to the truth, we're going to be our own worst enemies, afraid of our shadows.

We have allowed our fears to paralyze us. Shame on us. We need to tell our politicians that we've grown a backbone, and we want them to grow backbones, too.

Ms. Mieszkowski interviewed teens in the Lakeshore Ave. Starbucks in Oakland, CA. The teens in question are actively pursuing civic responsibilities: working in a food bank, interning at City Hall. Within a few miles, maybe even blocks of that Starbucks, there are a million interesting stories about young people.

A recent series of articles by Brenda Peyton in the Oakland Tribune examined efforts in Oakland (many of them by young people) to fight the escalating crime and violence in that city. Deaths in 2006 are on track to nearly double the number of deaths in 2005.

Oakland is a study in extremes: a high murder rate, great kids, troubled kids, civic heroism, a serious drug problem, a hot baseball team, one of the nation's most innovative programs for foster children who pass 18. There's lots to talk about, in Oakland.

Sugary coffee drinks at the Lakeshore Starbucks are bad for you. That's not news. Oakland's got a lot more to offer -- and a lot more interesting things to interview kids about -- than lattes.