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June 03, 2008
The day the music died
Headphones, originally uploaded by timtak.
Yesterday, I was walking from work to my bar review class, when I felt a strange tug on my bag. When I finally sat down, I saw that my headphones had gotten caught on the bag's strap, and the bag was pulling them apart. The wire was all stretched out, and my poor headphones were quite broken.
I'm sort of ambivalent about that particular pair of headphones. I like them because they snugly wrap around my ears, have good sound and don't bother me when I'm running. On the other hand, the cord is too long, and it coils up to easily and then won't return. Additionally, a time-consuming trip on a bus taught that if I wear them for too long, they make my ears chafe.
Like I said, the headphones were ruined. My only other option was the ubiquitous white earbuds that came with my iPod, and I refuse to use those. Why would I want to be like everyone else? Unfortunately, I was in the Loop and the only place open was a Walgreens. I picked up some headphones that similarly wrapped around my ears, but also had a shorter cord. I'm still not a huge fan of them, but they'll do for now.
I don't know how it is for most people, but I am very persnickety about headphones. I want them to fit well; I want them to have good sound; I want them to be not burdensome. I could never understand those people who walk around town with giant, pricey, noise-canceling headphones. I could see not wanting to be disturbed in one's own home, but is the pain of potentially speaking to a person on the street so great you need to ensure you can't even hear the bus that's about to run you down? I just want something that will be comfortable and also not make me look like I am merely counting the seconds until I return to my life of painful isolation.
On a more general level, I also question the need to always be listening to one's iPod. I listen to mine on the train, or at and on the way to the gym. I don't have it blasting at the grocery store, or in line at Starbucks, or at lunch. I love my tunes, believe me, but I'd prefer to be directing myself at the outside world instead of shutting myself away. It's no wonder people have such a problem meeting other people nowadays: we're all flitting along in our own little iPod worlds.
entry no. 1159
Posted at June 3, 2008 10:26 AM