Have you noticed how beautiful the clouds are? The shape they weave in our sight with the help of the sunlight can be astonishing. Deep. I never noticed that. Jogging helps a lot. I'm feeling confident enough to not attach myself to others as much as I did before. The fear of public humiliation has not yet disappeared, but it affects me much less and I notice it quicker. It makes you feel great, overcoming yourself step by step, day after day. That visit to the therapist I did weeks ago? It's still paying off. With a single string, I'm unraveling the whole fabric of my ego issues as well as the self-sabotage that I involve myself in. Magical how such a small thing can affect one to such a great extent. Had a dream the other day about a girl I can't get my eyes off of kissing me then running away, as if overcome with emotions. Can't figure out what it means. Is it my subconscious telling me that she likes me indeed, or is it the projection of my desires? Lastly: any advice on wireless headphones or shoes? I have no idea about either and could use both on a budget.
Your comment about the beauty of clouds reminds me of some ways of thinking from Stoicism and Buddhism. There is hidden beauty all around us, and we often take it for granted because we're used to it, or because we're too busy paying attention to our thoughts about a thing rather than truly paying attention to the thing itself. As for headphones: http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wireless-exercise-headphones/
It isn't hidden if we just don't bother taking a look. As for the headphones link: I've already dismissed the article in question while looking through the Google results. I'm looking for a more classically-composed pair of headphones - the one that holds together by an arch over one's head - as well as leaning towards personal experience and facts that you might share that aren't present in the ads or product description.
Ah, I see. Personally, I trust The Wirecutter to have good product recommendations because they've been spot on when I followed their advice for printers and wired headphones. They also have recommendations for more classically-composed cordless headphones. Personally, I only have experience with wired headphones, and can offer some recommendations in that category if you're interested. What exactly is your use case for these headphones? Why do you want wireless? Are you planning on running with them?
The plan is to avoid the confusion I often get with wires when moving around the apartment looking for a better place. Long wires aren't comfortable to deal with in either of the positions I find myself most often because they tend to be unbendly, as durable as it makes them, and I'm not sure if I can have a short wire with a given pair of headphones. Wires are easy to break where they connect, in my experience, so I'd rather avoid having to spend money on a new pair every year.
So durability of the headphones, specifically the wire connection, is one of your main concerns, and the other one is the lack of comfort with a long, unbendly wire. That makes sense. I think you might like the Audio Technica ATHM50x headphones. They are wired, but the wire detaches and can be replaced. Also one of the wires is curly so it's short when you're nearby what they're plugged into. I have an older version of these same headphones, and I can tell you that they sound fucking amazing. If you've never had a quality pair of headphones before, the depth and richness it can bring out of music is out of this world. Given equal price points, the sound quality on a pair of wired headphones is likely to be MUCH better if you buy the right pair.
The ATHM50x looks badass. What bothers me about it, however, - and what you generally don't find in the lower-tier wireless headphones - is the earpillows, the padded circles around the sound sources. How do they fare? The only ones of this kind I had did not fare well: the pillows just kept pressing against the ears and made them sweat (which I didn't even know ears can do beforehand).
Hmmm. With mine, my ears do sweat when it's hot or when I wear them for several hours at a time. But they're breathable enough to not make them sweat 95% of the time. You might be different, though. I'm reading on Amazon that this newer version has upgraded padding material. I don't know if one could say for sure how comfortable they would be without trying them on for several hours. I will say that these headphones are designed for long periods of use, since they're really designed for studio monitoring. Another caveat that goes along with them being for studio use is that they're very accurate, and some people actually don't like the way that sounds. They don't boost any particular frequency to make the music sound more "dynamic", the music sounds like however it was recorded. And the sound is so much clearer than cheap consumer headphones that you may find unpleasant surprises in music, like if a song is poorly mastered and has some clipping when it gets loud, you can hear it. On the other hand, it makes well-mastered albums sound better than anything I've heard before. For instance, I was never a huge Björk fan before I bought nice headphones, but I am now.
I wouldn't count on it. I noticed that Guitar Center has them in some stores. At least, they have them in stock near where I live. It also looks like their return policy will let you return them after trying them on. Or maybe they'll let you try them on in the store. Maybe you could go there, or if they're not nearby, maybe there is another store that has a return policy that will let you try them on.
If there are any legit running stores near you, go there and get their advice. Different shoes fit different peoples' styles differently. As for me, I supinate like a freakball and I'm almost always in Asics or Brooks. Asics what or Brooks what doesn't really matter; I usually get last year's model deeply discounted. But that's me, not you. I switched to some Newtons about a year ago and while it shaved a minute off my mile time initially, it also gave me a hairline fracture in a metatarsal and I'm about halfway back up, probably because when you supinate and your strike is limited to a 1.5" wide chunk, that 1.5" wide chunk wears down quicker. Why wireless? I go wired and when i sweat 'em out, it's $15. And I sweat them out, and they all suck.
I was more interested in shoes in general. I feel like I'm in a place where my choice is between wet or chilly as far as my feet are concerned, which is among the reasons I ask for advice. It's a vague asking because I have no idea how to pick the right shoes beyond the general "size fits" and "doesn't hurt walking". I'd like to take your advice on running shoes, but I don't understand half of what you're saying about 'em. :) Regarding headphones, see this comment for reasoning pro-wireless.
"Shoes in general" depends more on socks, then. Start to learn about socks. If nothing else, they're cheaper than shoes. Worthy of note: I live nowhere near Siberia so my conception of "wet" and "chilly" may pale compared to yours. It seems that you're not looking for workout headphones, which means the world is your oyster. However, the good ones will still have a cord. Sorry.
So I spent six weeks on Mount Rainier, 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, in the wettest winter on record. And I was given a truly meager budget to get comfy. But far and away my best bang-for-buck purchases were: 1) super-cheap Cabela's socks 2) $160 head-to-toe Cabela's camo coveralls I was surrounded by people wearing $3k in Arcteryx and I had 'em beat. Everyone laughed at my camo until they discovered I was the only mutherfucker that was comfortable. That realtree shit? It's no joke. Cabela's sold me an insulated pair of pants, a fleece, a jacket and a removable hood that makes no noise, has no odor, and can literally be submerged without getting you wet. It is the shit. If I could find the exact same ensemble in something other than realtree I'd be in heaven. Tellin' ya. I'm a big booster of REI and actual, you know, exercise but the huntin'fishin'froadin' crowd has the sit-on-your-ass-and-not-freeze gear handled and they do it for pennies on the dollar what REI wants.
I'm a fan of good socks. If your feet feel cold and you're wearing cotton socks, try wool or synthetic socks. Cotton traps moisture against your skin and makes you feel cold while wool and most synthetic fabrics do not. Wool socks can be made lightweight; they aren't only for cold weather. Merino wool is a specific type of wool that's popular and not itchy. A lot of brands use it, and my experience is with Smart Wool and Darn Tough, two popular brands available in my part of the US.
A decent driver requires decent power. Wired headphones draw this from the jack, and the headphone amp driving them. Wireless headphones must draw that power from on-board batteries, which also must power the wireless link. It's a choice - do you want fidelity, light weight or battery life? Pick two.
Can't do that. I have no idea which even might be good, since I have no experience in the field. That being said, I have been thinking about it and figured that wired headphones can't be all that bad, considering how little real trouble I have with them. I'll be following the recommendations already given in the threads and see what I will come up with. Thanks for the help.
Its just a nice luxury. Great for running I can totally zone out on the track and just focus on running and music, they never fall out or get loose. I think Ive probably spent the same amount over the years on IEM's Ive destroyed due to shitty quality.
Unlike what I stated in the previous replies to this question in the thread, I now understand that I was meaning to ask about shoes for daily wearing. I'm looking for the general guidelines for looking for shoes, as well as the specific information on which kinds of material are best suited for me. My feet sweat heavily, and while different socks might help, I heard my mother telling me to look for leather shoes, and I'd like to figure out if it's correct but have no reliable material. I'd like to get personal experience rather than trusting the online articles.For the shoes -- what style do you want? Sneakers? Running shoes?
I'm looking for something that looks semi-formal while being comfortable enough to wear for half a day or more. I wear a semi-formal combo of dark trousers, white shirt with sleaves rolled up and a plain casual black tie. I'd like something that says neither "office worker", "attorney" nor "hipster".
The change in your outlook from a few months ago is astounding and very encouraging. Keep at it!