Archive for July, 2007

My first MP3 player was an iRiver H120. It was a very nice device and served me well. After it stopped working, I used my Best Buy warranty to upgrade to the iRiver H320. Even though the 320 featured a color screen, I always felt more comfortable with the 120. The controls were just more intuitive and easier to access. The 320 served my needs well, though, and I went merrily on my listening way. Then, the time came.

This past weekend, as Joe and I were heading to Baltimore, the H320 decided it was time to quit. Every time I pressed play, it would just lock up and I would have to reset the device. Of course, I had the Best Buy warranty, so I went to Best Buy to get a new device. My choices were between the Microsoft Zune, the Apple iPod, and the Creative Zen Vision:M. The Zen Vision was ruled out when I attempted using Joe’s and I would up looking like an idiot. Maybe I could have adjusted over time, but I just didn’t feel comfortable with it, so I was stuck with the Zune or iPod.

Why would I go with the iPod? Well, to be honest, it came down to the form factor. The Zune has a nice screen, yes, but I don’t look at the screen all that often. Being 7% shorter and almost 30% thinner, the iPod would simply fit in my pocket better. Of course, that size difference is lessened by the fact that you absolutely need a case for the damn thing, since it gets fingerprints and smudges the second you look at it.

So, how is it? Well, I’m still waiting on my eVo3 case from iSkin to come in, but I don’t mind the interface on the iPod, itself. I wish I could browse by folder structure and now by id3 tag information, but none of the players do that anymore. iTunes, on the other hand, while very automated, also runs like hell in Vista. It’s just so sluggish and chunky.

I don’t know what else to say, but that’s how I wound up with an iPod. Go spread the word of my amazing tale.

So, this past weekend Joe and I took a trip down to Maryland to see Oriole Park at Camden Yards. This is now the second out of town stadium on our planned stadium tour.

Saturday morning, after grabbing breakfast at the Vegas Diner, we started the long 4+ hour drive down to our hotel in Catonsville, which is just outside of Baltimore. About an hour and a half into the trip, I briefly mentioned how I hoped my MP3 player would die soon so I could use my Best Buy warranty to get a replacement. Literally, as soon as I said it, the damn thing died. This meant we were stuck trying to find local rock stations along the way. For the record, WMMR, in Delaware, is awesome and WIYY, in Maryland, sucks. Someone needs to let WIYY know what actually constitutes “rock” music.

Anyway, we finally got to the hotel and checked in. The room was pretty nice. It was a two star hotel, so one doesn’t expect much going in. The bathroom was a bit tight and my sheets were, well, I didn’t sleep on the sheets, I slept on top of the blankets, but that may have been my paranoia more than anything else. The beds were comfortable and that’s what mattered in the end.

After checking in and realizing we had some time to kill, we decided to go to a nearby theater and catch The Simpsons Movie. It was pretty good and the ticket prices were nuts. We only paid $6.75 for a full ticket. Daaaaaaaaamn. I’m being ripped off in NYC, for sure.

Finally, we headed to Oriole Park. Parking is a disaster there. The lots are spread out over a good ten locations. The lot we parked in, Lot NN, was some little fenced off area in the middle of a city block. If there wasn’t a guy standing in front with an Orioles staff shirt on, I would have never known it was a legit parking lot. After walking 5 blocks, or so, we finally arrived at the park (forgive the poor picture quality). The stadium is beautiful on the exterior and the scenery, especially the warehouse behind right field, really make for a beautiful site. It’s not as amazing as Citizen’s Bank in Philly, but it’s a very nice stadium, nonetheless.

After the game, we headed to Applebee’s, which was only a block away from the hotel. The food was good, but it would have been a lot better if Joe didn’t play on my retarded homophobia and convince me not to get the salad I really wanted. I hate you.

With our stomachs full, we called it a night. There were some crazy thunderstorms over night and they continued into the morning, making for a rather interesting drive home. Before we left Catonsville, though, we stopped for some breakfast at Double T’s Diner. Great decision. The people there were very nice and the food was amazing. My breakfast actually held me for the rest of the day. I snacked on a bagel last night, but otherwise that was all I ate.

All in all, it was a great trip. It felt nice to get away from Brooklyn and just not have any concerns for a day. It’s a freedom that reiterates the growing desire for Joe and I to find an apartment and start our lives away from home. Let’s hope that happens sooner than later.

Tomorrow, Joe and I will be heading to Baltimore to see Camden Yards and, as I did with the trip to Philly, I’ll be taking you along. Throughout the trip, I’ll be taking pictures with my cell phone and immediately uploading to my Flickr profile. I think it’s a pretty cool idea (still) and hope more people will actually give a damn this time lol.I don’t even know when we leave and all, yet, but you can be sure that by noon there will be pictures online already.

You know me. I love my music.

The new untitled Korn album has hit the streets a bit earlier than the band would have liked. It’s better than “See You On the Other Side”, but lacks any true energy. It’s actually kind of sad to listen to. SYOTOS at least had “Liar” on it, which was simply a kick ass Korn song. This new album lacks any tracks like that. Looks like Korn really is long gone.

However, there is good news. Smile Empty Soul has put a B-Sides album up for purchase online. I’m a fan so I bought it hook, line, and sinker. I’m actually pretty stoked to get a bit of new music from them, though. They said they just got off tour and are starting work on new shit, but that can always take a while. This should, hopefully, hold me over.

Also, make sure you guys keep an eye out on the new Seether album. I don’t have a title or much else, but they say it’s “coming around August”.

A few days ago, I ordered a Sony Ericsson HBH-DS970 from an ebay user by the name of dallas2you. The price seemed too good to be true. I think you know where this is already going. Yeah, the price was definitely too good to be true. After trying out the device and not being happy with the sound quality, I did some research and, sure enough, the damn thing is hugely bootlegged in China and Hong Kong and I was sold one of these cheap bootleg versions. Fuck me.

Anyways, as sexy as the Sony headset is, I simply can’t afford a real one, which would run around $120. While taking this up with the eBay user before escalating the issue with eBay and Paypal, I already ordered a Plantronics Pulsar 260 headset. It’s not nearly as beautiful as the Sony unit it, but it’s a third of the price and just as functional.

I’m not in a good mood. I should have realized something was off because of the price, but I was blinded by the thought of saving $75. Damn me

Update: I cancelled the order for the Plantronics set. I really don’t want to spend the extra money. Hopefully, this gets resolved, otherwise, for now, I have to deal with crappy audio quality.

Update: Buy.com couldn’t cancel the order for me, so now I’m stuck with it on my credit card bill for this cycle. Blah.