Labor Day Weekend Sound Experience...

This weekend I finally got to rest a bit. Now that we have a plan for moving and me going up to WA on Friday, things are not as frenzied for a couple of weeks.

I helped my mom search for a sound system that would suit her needs in her gazebo, which was interesting and fun. She knew she wanted high quality sound, but didn't really know what the final setup would be like. We went to Sears and she ended up getting this ginormous boom box with am 8-inch woofer. Yes, the sound was great, but when we brought it back to her house, it looked huge. We did not unpack it.

You really do get what you pay for. I explained to her that the only way I know to get really high quality sound in a compact unit it to get something from Bose. I have never had anything from Bose before, but I remember years ago housesitting for a couple who had one of the Bose Waves in their kitchen and I was extremely impressed with the sound quality. And, fortunately, our local mall just added a Bose store about a year ago.

Neither of us really knew what to expect, but yesterday we went and were both blown away at the quality. We took our MP3s and connecting cord so that we could test different units using familiar music. Minutes later we had Russell Watson's Funiculi! Funicula! blasting across the store from a unit smaller than my laptop.

We had a great salesman, and after about a half an hour my mom settled on a portable speaker with a retractable iPod dock, Aux Line in to plug in her MP3, rechargable battery or AC adaptor, handle, and additional internal bass. $399 + $10 for the case. In my opinion, totally worth it. So easy to move from room to room or outside and exactly what she needed and was looking for. She gets radio on her MP3, so that's not an issue. Aside from having a CD player, it will virtually replace the little radios that she has all over the house.

I am someone who is very conscious and sensitive to sound and noise. Always have been. It was a lot of fun to hear familiar songs in a whole new way.

I got a little treat too! My mom was so grateful for all of my help that she bought me a pair Bose computer speakers. I love them! They are so compact and not all bulky like my previous ones. They also have better sound without the woofer that I had on my floor.

Now that I'm moving into a much bigger house, I would love to have a portable speaker like the one my mom got, but that is down the road. In the meantime, I can even hook up my TV to the computer speakers. Last night and this morning I watched Angels and Demons for the first time using them. It was like being in Rome with its sights and sounds all around me. Fun! I'll do a review of that movie very soon. It is one of those stories that works its way into you. As a former Catholic, I found it fascinating. I have always loved learning about the Vatican and the papal selection.

And now, back to moving forward on the interstate move. My new dishwasher was delivered about an hour ago. The handyman I hired is on his way to cut a space in my kitchen to house it. I found this handyman's ad in a menu at a restaurant, and it turns out he is married to a lady who grew up next door to my mom when they were kids. Small world!