Totally Pretty Good

Have you ever noticed how stuff always shits out at the worst possible moment? It’s so infuriating! And what makes it even worse is the fact that it’s actually your fault.

Sure, from time to time, a device will go kaput without any warning. But often, the signs are there, and you ignore them because some more immediately pressing issue dominates your attention, leaving little time for being proactive.

Thus, your car that’s been making a troubling noise for two months finally fails to start the day of the road trip. Or your phone–which only takes a charge when you place it just right and bend the cable up slightly by propping it on a hardcover book (and actually, it’s been getting harder and harder to get it in its required position with each passing day)–won’t turn on the morning you’re supposed to leave on your vacation.

And when this happens, you say: “Ugh! Just my luck! Why couldn’t this have happened two days earlier?!”

Now, before you get defensive, understand that by you, I mean me. This is what I do.

So it went a few days ago, when my right earbud bit the dust in the middle of a miserable jog through heat and humidity. And what indication did I have that such a thing was imminent? Other than the fact that it had broken apart weeks earlier. Literally. The casing had cracked, and I had to daintily remove it from the charging case or risk ripping it in half.

At this point, a pair of functioning earbuds is only slightly less essential than my glasses. I need something to listen to as I do chores or exercise, lest I spend any time alone with only my thoughts. For this reason, I’d actually anticipated my buds’ eventual demise and had another pair on standby, so that I wouldn’t have to suffer through a single day of silence while I waited for shipping.

Even more fortunate: as I now find myself sans backup, what should pop up on the Meh sales calendar but a pair of good mid-tier earbuds from a brand I’ve heard of for $50 less than I’d pay on Amazon!

These ones, to be exact:

They look pretty nice, huh? And by all accounts, they are. Over on Amazon, they get a 4.1 out of 5 based on 122 reviews, and users praise their bass and overall sound quality.

So I can buy these and stash them away for when my current pair suddenly shorts out after only three months of very clear warning signs.

Fate has smiled upon me! And you too, if you need/want some new buds.