Headphones

Well we got one break last week.  The company finally provided me with a service vehicle.  It’s a big creepy van and I no longer have to worry about breaking down on my drives out to Valdosta or Ft. Stewart.  Now all I have to do is PAY off what I owe (plus interest for their infinite patience!!!) on that little white truck and we’ll start seeing the financial situation turning up.  75+ miles a day eats up some gas money, now it’s all company owned…

And not in any way to make a complaint, but the new van doesn’t have a tape or CD player or an AUX input.  AM/FM only.  This was a deal breaker for any rental car I had while I was on the road but with this van, I’ll take what I can get.  I can’t listen to the morning DJs anymore, I just can’t handle their insipid little jokes or even crack a smile at what passes for humor now-a-days.  NPR will only get you so far before you want to fall asleep.  I’ll eventually put in an in-line FM transmitter on the antenna but until then, I’ve got headphones hooked up to the iPod and I just try to look casual as I drive by the cops.

I normally listen to podcasts or audiobooks on the long drive but this afternoon I was at a point where I was caught up on the shows and didn’t want to start a new book.  I hit random on the BiPolar playlist and enjoyed some music on the way home.  I had forgotten how different music can sound in headphones.  It’s alive!  It’s clean!  I can’t believe how crisp each note is, I can’t believe that I forgot how beautiful it can all be!

If you haven’t listened with headphones recently, do yourself a favor; get your favorite piece of music, relax for a few minutes, sit back and appreciate every single note.  I have my headphones on all the time at the house, but it’s normally while listening to voicework.  I know you know what headphones sound like, I know you know the feeling… But honestly, if you haven’t done it in the last few months, give it another try.  Take a few minutes and rediscover the finite orchestrations that we all miss over the big speakers.