Headphones

I've always had a thing for good headphones. My brother had some Sennheisers long ago, and I always enjoyed listening to music on those as opposed to any speaker system we had. So fast foward a couple of years and after some research, I discovered they were Sennheiser 414. It was a rather low-end headphones in the audiophile world, but it sparked my interest. If a low end system, just imagine what better "cans" could do.

5. Sony mdr-v6 ($90). I purchased these way back on impulse while at Fry's electronics. They were the most expensive at the time, so they must be the best right? They do sound good. I started noticing that a lot of radio stations and music studios used them as refrence cans - meaning they will acurately reproduce the source music. Well, as my tastes became more and more refined, what I've discovered is that they're actually a bit "cold" and not a headphone that I want to listen to for more than an hour or so. Good bass, clean crisp highs define these headphones.

4. Sennheiser hd280 pro ($150 at the time). So after getting tired of the sony, I started researching for new headphones. I stumbled upon head-fi.org, a headphone forum... now these guys are hardcore! Anyway, these senns were fairly new at the time and good reviews were pouring in. I purchased the first set I could find. After all of my research and $150 later, I really wanted to love these, but I didn't. They were good but not great. The best thing they offered was noise reduction. These seal out a lot of outside/unwanted noise, but like the sony's they don't offer a pleasing sound. They have characteristics of the sony, clean crisp highs - they have a slightly laid back but accurate bass. Tremendous amount of clamping force lends to it's great noise reduction qualities, but it's also unbearable to wear for long periods. Still, for certain situations, I wear these when I want to hear everything clearly.

3. koss ksc35, ktxpro, ur40. Three different headphone, but they all have the same drivers. This is the absolute best buy in headphones. I got the ksc35 for about $11 on sale. The ur40 were a little more, but basically because of it's form factor. Great amounts of bass, nice midrange, and sugary sweet highs. Definitely not a refrence headphone, but very enjoyable to listen to. The ur40, though not as punchy as the ktxpro or ksc35 are so incredibly light, is a joy to wear for long periods.

2. Audio Technica a700 ($170). These things are huge. I believe you have to order them from Japan (I got mine from audiocubes.com - great site!). Like princess Leia's hair in Return of the Jedi, these aren't something you want to wear in public. But the sound and feel is bliss. Absolutely warm mids, clean crisp highs and abundant yet clean bass. It's size and price holds it back from being the top gun.

1. Grado sr60 ($70). These are a great introduction into high quality headphones. They don't look like much, but they are incredible sounding. Punchy as heck. Bass that you can actually feel. Nice rolled off highs and non-piercing mids, these are my favorite cans. Some claim that they aren't very comfortable, but the headband is just a simple wire that can be bent to fit any head like a glove. I could listen to these for hours... and I do.

note: I listen to all of the above headphones off of a computer, with a Turtle beach Santa Cruz sound card to a preSonus headphone amplifier.

Cereals

Im going back in time on this one. The following may not be what I'll currently yearn for, but they're what I would bring to my deserted island.

5. Cap'n Crunch - Good ol' cappy. There's a certain scientifically proven moment when the individual crunch bits stop mutilating the top of one's mouth and reaches it's zenith. The perfect texture when enough milk has been saturated, but still retains just a bit o crunch. But sadly, that apex is just a few mili-seconds long and all your left with is really sweet gruel.

4. Honey Nut Cheerios - This was actually a recent re-discovery of sorts. Perfectly sweetened, great crunch throughout the cereal eating experience. It's simple texture is refreshing.

3. Frosted Mini Wheats - I didn't think I'd like this one, probably because I tried the non-frosted version when I was a child. But it's really good. It's all about the frosting on this one. This one has a rather pleasurable zenith as well, the frosting stays crisp longer than the wheat and it's rather great. But, like Cap'n Crunch, the moment doesn't last, and it turns soggy. Still a current favorite however.

2. Fruity Pebbles - Ahh, such good memories. One of few cereals that I enjoy eating quickly, no waiting for the legendary zenith. Soft enough to not leave scars in mouth, yet delightfully light and crunchy. Artificial sweetness at it's best.

1. Honey Bunches of Oats - This is the current reigning champ. Many many trials and studies have been conducted. So far, this is the perfect cereal. Diverse enough in texture and taste to keep anyone coming back for more. Never too sweet, never too boring.

Honorable mention - Grape nuts. With a spoonful of sugar, this is surprisingly wonderful treat. Ultra crunchy to start with, which is refreshing compared to everything else on the market.

Top Five Appliances/tools

Here are my top five purchases in recent history... lets say.. 10 years ago till now. What make it a good purchase to me? It just has to serve it's intended purpose without any faults... it's surprising how few products fit into that category.

5. Bosch coffee grinder. I had another grinder before, Black and Decker I think. That was horrible. But this one was cheap, looks good, and just plain works. Nothing special, but just nothing bad. This was probably about $13.

4. Oral B Sonicare electric toothbrush. Who knew brushing your teeth could be an experience. I take it on vacations for over a week and it lasts just fine. There's a timer that lets you know when to switch locations... fault proof brushing! A little pricey at about $80, but still a great buy. Leaves my teeth feeling immaculate.

3. Snap-On wire cutters. Such a good tool. Again, quite pricey for a some clippers you could get from Craftsmen for about $8. I think these were about $35, but through the years, they just work.. I've used them so much but they still feel exactly the same.

2. Delta Multi-Head Handheld Showerhead. The first thing I usually buy for any new dwelling is a good showerhead. It has to be overly powerful and abundant in flow. I've actually modded a few showerheads by drilling out larger openings to increase flow. I can't deal with weak, sissy flow. This was a good buy. A little expensive at about $45, but worth it.

1. Dirt Devil WindTunnel vacuum cleaner. Now, I'm sure there are many many other vacuums out there that do a much better job at sucking, but for $69? I was surprised at how well this thing cleaned both my domicile and my car. Haven't had a problem with it yet. This was sort of an impulse buy at the time. I doing some random shopping for some random thing, happened to pass the vacuum cleaner aisle and picked up the cheapest bagless model. I didn't really think much while purchasing it, but after the first use I was hooked. Seeing how much dirt and dust it collects after 1 week is amazing. (edit - I actually have no idea why this fascinates me so much, but it does. Every week, I'm amazed when dumping out the canister).

Top 5 Video Games

For this one, I'm going for "all time."

5. Tetris - NES. Wow, I spent so many hours on this game. Not much to say about this one that hasn't already been said.

4.Resident Evil 1 - ps1. This is the game that turned me into a "gamer." Spent 14 hours straight, missed a day of school.. and it was worth it. The first time the dogs jumped from the windows... scared the bejebus out of me. A whole new gaming experience was unfolded for me.

3. Forza Motorsport - xbox. As an automotive enthusiast, driving games naturally attract me more than others. So far this is the most sim-like, most immersive driving game to date for me. I have gran turismo 4, but the physics in that game just don't do it for me. This is the current game that I can still play for hours even though I've beaten every track multiple times.

2. Street Fighter - arcade/SNES. I don't even want to imagine how much quarters were spent on this one. I got to be fairly competitive with it too, entering a few small tournaments. I remember thinking to myself when it got ported to the SNES, "man how can the graphics in gaming get any better..." I was just a little wrong on that one.

1. Halo/Halo2 - xbox. Hands down the best gaming experience for me, ever. The first game that I've waited in line for (halo 2) and took time off of work for. Audio, story, gameplay, it was the first game I ever considered "Complete."

Top Five Dave Chappell Quotes

5. Byahhh

4. Yeah.. well some people like their cucumbers pickled

3. What did the five fingers say to the face.... SLAP!

2. Is Wayne Brady gonna half to choke a bitch?

1. Im gonna tell you something about me, Joe Rogan, that you might not know... I smoke rocks.

Top Five Albums

This is going to be tough. But here it goes. How to qualify? I'm thinking of it this way: "If I had to throw away all my music except for 5 albums/cds, which would I keep?" This should be a fairly diverse list as I don't want to get bored with only five cds to live with.

5. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders. I loved this when it came out and I think I listen to it just as often. The Tribe at it's best if you ask me. Here are some of my favorite lines. "I skate on your crew, like Mario Lemieux", "my style is kind of fat, reminiscent of a whale", "your style is incomplete, same as vinnie testaverde".

4. Built To Spill - Keep it Like a Secret. Mostly because it contains my favorite bts track "Carry the Zero" But this whole cd is a classic. I used to use this CD to practice guitar to also, that may explain why I'm so intimate with it.

3. The Sundays - Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. The first full realease of The Sundays and slightly less polished than their later albums... but an absolute gem. Harriet Wheeler's voice is angelic.

2. Elliott Smith - Either/Or. Yeah it's the most commercially successful of Elliott's library, and probably not a favorite of Elliott's hardcore fans... But I love it. It contains two tracks Elliott seemed to hate to play live, Angeles and Say Yes ( I guess because they got so popular). If you've never heard of Elliott's work, just re-watch Good Will Hunting.

1. Quasi - Field Studies. My favorite band. Field studies captures Quasi in their still ultra pop mode. Their later releases veer more and more towards rock. Field Studies also has contains some great tracks with Janet at lead vocals. Most have never heard of Quasi, but you should. They are a great live band too.

honorable mentions: Mates of State - Bring It Back, Rilo Kiley - The Execution of All Things, Blake Babies - Earwig, Modest Mouse - This is a long drive.., Pixies - Doolittle.