Today's Free Concert

A free concert? A free Roots and Talib Kweli concert? Why yes please! Today I will be attending this wonderful line up presented by Celebrate Brooklyn! in the Prospect Park Bandshell. I am on a mission this summer to take advantage of all the fabulous free activities that NYC has to offer during the summer months. I cannot think of a more lovely way to spend a warm Sunday evening.

Tomorrow I see the Man of my dreams

I remember the first time I heard Maxwell's music. I had stayed home "sick" from school. I must have been in 5th or 6th grade at the time because it was before I was allowed to watch MTV. Naturally, I was putting my time at home to good use, and lounging in my sister's bed watching the forbidden channel. It was the beginning of a long love affair between me and the channel, where I would watch nearly any programming they played.

Maxwell Unplugged happened to be on. I was practically hypnotized. He was SO cute with the big fro, and his music was unbelievably soulful. Ever since that day I have been a fan. I own all four of his albums, and absolutely swoon for at least one song on each one. Sumthin Sumthin has been a long time favorite of mine. It has made it to many mixed cd's and playlists. Yet, the single of his latest album, Black Summer's Night, entitled "Pretty Wings" knocked me off my feet nearly as much as the first time I heard him sing. Yes, that is how good it is. Though I love him just a teensy little bit less without the fro.

Now he is performing a free concert tomorrow for the Today show in Rockefeller plaza. AND I'm going!! I am totally not a morning person, but I am dragging myself out of bed to make it at 7am. Watch for me in the audience. I'll be the one screaming "I love you Maxwell!" and looking like the super fan that I am. Check one more thing off the list if items required to make my life complete.

My new headphones

I bought these new headphones today to replace the crappy Nike ones that bit the dust a couple weeks ago. They are Sony MDR-EX35V earbuds. So far, I've owned them for about 6 hours and I like them a lot. Qualities I love:

-They come with a little fleece pouch to store them in

-The fleece pouch is complete with a little rubber thingy to wrap the headphones around during storage to keep them from getting tangled or damaged

-There are 3 sizes of rubber ear bud covers, not that my ear canals are going to change size, but they will come in handy when I inevitably lose one of the rubber covers

-They're PINK!

-The bass is pretty good for earbuds

-They really stick in your ears, which makes me think they will be fantastic for running

-They were only 30 bucks, so when I inevitably lose/destroy them I won't feel too bad

-And best of all, they actually play music, in both ears. I have been so deprived without headphones this past week, now that I have them again, I'm not sure how I survived so long without them.

I recommend.

Buyer Beware: Nike Vapor Headphones suck

Do not buy these headphones. The are Nike Vapor headphones, and let me tell you, the website gives an enticing description. Don't let it fool you. I received them for Christmas this year. I picked them out because I heard they were good for running. Well, good for running they were. Until they stopped working piece by piece until now I have a set of totally non-functional headphones that are torturing me by keeping me from listening to my ipod at work.

The headphones themselves are very short, to accommodate putting your ipod in an arm strap, or holding it while you run, without a lot of extra cord flapping around. The genius part was that they came with a radio cord (I think that’s what its called?) that extends the headphones length just enough so I can put my ipod in my purse and still have them reach my ears, or balance it in the cup holder of the elliptical so I can read my magazine with my hands free.

First the radio cord went. It was an inconvenience, but I managed. I could no longer set my ipod on the machines at the gym, or drop it in my bag. No, I had to constantly be holding it while in motion. It was a pain on my commute, but I could still set it on my desk and listen, and it really wasn’t too bad to have to hold it. It made changing songs convenient.

Then the right earphone stopped working. This really pissed me off, but I have been far too busy to run out and buy a new set, so I made do. It’s better than no music at all.

Today, only 6 months after their purchase, they are completely broken and useless. I had to borrow my roommate’s ear buds just to go to the gym tonight, and I am mad. I take fairly good care of my headphones. I at least take enough care of them that they should last more than 6 months. Is that really how disposable we are making everything these days? 6 months, then buy a new set, you’ll probably be sick of them anyways. Well, I was a little sick of them, and I do want new headphones, but I wanted it to be on my schedule, not Nike’s. Don’t fall into the same trap I did. Keep away from these awful headphones.

What I'm listening to now:

If you like Jack Johnson, and Ben Harper, and a few Maxwell oldies are your guilty pleasure, you'll like this guy.  He's not really a new artist, apparently he's been around since 2005, but he's totally worth a shout out, and  new to me: Amos Lee.