Well, it turns out that I am not so old after all. Never mind that I will be turning fifty in less than a month. My ears are still young. How do I know? I can hear the new teen ring tone that adults are not supposed to be able to hear.

Part of me is glad and part of me is not. For those of you who cannot hear it, you are not missing much. The silly thing is one of the most annoying sounds I have ever heard. It's almost like a very high-pitched whistle or a ringing in my ears. It makes me want to cover my ears. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The only thing worse than putting up with the incessant ringing of a normal cell phone would be putting up with this ring. Luckily, most teenagers I know cannot just let a cell phone ring.

I am not sure why I can still hear this tone. Perhaps it is because I have never liked loud noises and go out of my way to avoid them. I do not like loud music. I never liked loud music. I lived a boring life and did not go to rock concerts. Partly, it was because of the loud music. Mainly, it was because I hated the whole atmosphere at them.

I would love to catch a teenager using a ring like this to try to hide the use of a cell phone. Unfortunately, mock trial season is still four or five months away. I would love to see the look on a teen's face as this old lady managed to hear the phone. I've been accused of having eyes in the back of my head. Perhaps I also have a special pair of young ears.

Able to hear high-pitched ring tones in a single listen. Okay, so it is not quite Superwoman. But give me a break. It's as close to a superpower as I am likely to get.

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