The SHOCKING Update!

When I’m commuting via public transit, I, as a lot of people do, like to listen to music. Occasionally I’ll read a book or magazine, but sometimes it is so crowded, reading is pretty much impossible—so is digging out a book when you’re so bundled up you can’t even turn your head (ah, Chicago winter…)

Silent stewing is no way to ride when you’re pressed between two people with an arm in your face, a bag in your side, and nothing to hold on to. So when dry winter temps hit and my earphones started shocking the insides of my ears, we had a problem. As I said before, I was using the stock iPhone earphones, so I tried some in-ear ear-buds, hoping that since the metal part wasn’t touching my ear, it would stop. Nope.

I then tried earphones with the foam pad on them, thinking that might absorb the shock. It seemed to be working, until after a couple of days, just as I was walking into the gym…zap! Now, I could go on the fact that the shock would only happen once in a while, but living in constant fear that you might get zapped in the ear at any moment is no way to live.

Tankboy had told me that I could try his over ear headphones that he uses to DJ, but when I first looked at the plug, it was too big to fit in a normal phones jack, so I thought I was out of luck there. But then he told me that he has to put on an adapter to fit in the jack on the mixers, took that off, and wallah, it fit.

Here’s the big news… IT’S WORKING! It’s been almost a week and I haven’t been shocked once! It’s got its downsides: I no longer have volume and play/pause control on the cord, the cord is suuuper long, and they’re kind of a pain to fit under my hood, but it’s all worth it if I can have my tunes and not be shocked. Plus, I look like somebody that’s proud to be a music lover—wear it big and proud!