headphones changed everything

I like to take walks in my neighborhood. Just outside of the development is an entire commercial area filled with restaurants, stores of every sort, not just selling things but also services of every kind. All this within walking distance, and anchored by a proper supermarket, a Wegmans, no less. I can't assume that everyone has heard of Wegmans, a company that began in Rochester, NY and expanded in the tri-state and further south to the DC area over the last decade or so. I enjoy the proximity, which is partly why we moved here. My husband thinks it's such a waste of time going to the supermarket more than once a week but since it's walking distance, I never feel like it's the end of the world because I forgot the milk or we ran out of eggs. I don't feel the pressure to create a weekly menu and stick to it because those are the only ingredients I got on my last run. I could conceivably grocery shop everyday. I can think about what I want to cook the night before and buy what I need in the morning when most people are at the office and it's not busy in there. Small fridge? No big deal. I can still make that 25 ingredient stew tonight. I'll just get everything on the day I need them and grab one banana to eat with my oat bran.

For the first time yesterday, I took headphones with me, out on my walk. I have playlists that I listen to in the car and I tend to listen to things over and over when I'm trying to learn a song. But when I'm walking, I feel like it's extra important for me to hear what is going on around me. It was different, having the headphones on. Suddenly, I was in a movie and the soundtrack was playing. I could really hear the words to every song and I found new meaning to them because I was in a different environment and I was moving.

My husband and my children, they are all married to their headphones. We have a small house and it takes very little effort to holler out that dinner is ready. You would think that everyone would show up instantaneously. Nope. Once those headphones are on, everyone is in their own little world, lost in the music or whatever else they might be listening to. My husband complains when the children do not show up immediately to eat. He'll call out in a much louder voice than me. No response. Just text them, I say. Yup, we message our own children to come down for dinner. You know it. You do it too. 

Maybe I actually am a people person. Maybe I just spent too many years having to put on headphones at work so I associate them not with an escape but with a job. Or maybe it's that constant feeling that I'm disturbing the other person when they have to unplug one ear just to hear what I'm saying. There's nothing like having a pair of headphones on to communicate that you absolutely have no desire to chat. Maybe I should learn to sign. No. Everyone should learn how to read lips. Ha! But isn't it nice to chat with our neighbors? I stopped to chat with some lady walking her dog the other day. She was wearing a dress that I also owned, in a different color, and she looked beautiful in it. I had to tell her. I also offered a little TMI about how I had the dress, I returned the other color and now I regret it because she looked so good in it and the color I kept didn't look great in pictures. It was maybe a 30 second interaction but I'm sure I made her day. After all, who wouldn't want a perfect stranger to come up to them just to say they were beautiful? I'm not creepy, I promise. 

When I had my headphones on, I had zero interactions. Is it weird that I thought it was a lonelier walk than if I hadn't had them on? Would it have been any different if I'd used a different pair of headphones? I actually used the in-ear beats that I normally take on the plane with me. It's less obvious and allows me to hear more of what is happening around me. Normally, people want the noise-canceling ones for plane rides but I always felt so weird not hearing any extraneous noise at all. This isn't work. But next time I'll take the Sony. 

How are you about headphones? Got a favorite? Hands down, I'm a Sony girl. The latest one I have for personal use is the WH-1000XM4. I got it on sale from Target last year and it sounds awesome. Wireless, noise-canceling and comfortable. Fast-charging but way more than sufficient playback time. So, why do I use the beats? Because the ones that go over the ear are uncomfortable with earrings on and the headband sometimes messes up my hair. It's not like I don't have choices here. There are actually so many choices and so I have a pair of headphones for every device and they address all different needs and scenarios. Thank you, husband. You're the best (headphone hoarder).

For studio use, my favorite has remained the Sony MDR-7506. This is a real industry favorite. I can tell you from experience that it is not all hype. In at least one job, I remember the announcers used to fight over these headphones. There were maybe 2 people who would bring their own headphones in to work. The rest of the crew shared 2 pairs. At one point, there was a Sennheiser and the Sony. My first partner, he was down with the Sennheiser so I was free to use the Sony. When he left, the guy I got paired with wasn't very particular so I would use the Sony and leave it on the newscaster's side in the booth for the next girl to use. I come in at 5AM and leave before 11AM. I can only speculate what happens when I'm not there.

I remember days where I'd come in and the headphones were missing. The announcer on board (graveyard shift) would definitely have one on and if it wasn't the Sony, well then I needed to hunt it down. We (the newsies) kinda claimed the Sony but some of the guys liked to use it too and so it came to a point where people would hide it or they would use it in the recording room when there was no newscaster and not put it back in the booth. Our head technician, who procured the equipment, kept promising that he'd ordered a new one for news and we could keep it in the newsroom when we were done with our shifts but he ordered a different model that had a smaller, round ear. It was very annoying because it was not the same thing! These are just headphones, I know. But having the one you like on, that made such a difference on how the next 3 hours went.

When I got my equipment in 2010, I had to had have my Sony. It cost me a hundred dollars but the joy I had, finally owning these headphones, I cannot tell you. I can't explain to you, in technical terms, why I like them so much. Is it the treble? Like I hear the mids and highs a little bit better, and not like my ears are partially stuffed with cotton. 

I take really good care of my stuff so imagine my surprise when I took them out of the box (I keep original packaging) and saw that one of the ear pads had ripped. The faux leather material was cracked from age. But the good news is that there is a simple and inexpensive fix. New ear pads! 10 bucks and they're good as new. 

Playlist Recommendation: Someday We'll Know, New Radicals