h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There are two things that really set my teeth on edge, both aural. The first is anything metal scraped on stone or concrete, particularly rough stone. My parents used to live in a house with a rough stone/concrete slab path. When raking up the grass cuttings the rake used to drag on the path from time to time. This always got to me.

The other thing that makes my skin crawl is the sound of nails being filed. Emery board is the worst, but any kind of metal file is pretty bad.

Pet hate - definately, especially when your trying to watch the TV, and sitting on the same sofa - the rocking motion gets me seriously irritated.

Sudden, REALLY loud noises drive me nuts. When I was ten, I was put into a totally dark concrete bunker and told to find a seat among several wiggling kids already seated on the floor. When one of the teachers shot off an airhorn, I was furious, and told whoever thought he was in charge that I didn't want to have anything to do whatever they had going and to let me out. The sound of an airhorn still makes me want to punch someone.

I hate loud noises too. I never go to nightclubs or discos, and even wear ear defenders at rock concerts. If you look closely, you'll find that the musicians do too. Only a total idiot would risk the kind of hearing damage that comes from prolonged exposure to this kind of noise level.