Stephen Mejias

Precisely at noon, Brother Todd called to remind me. Elvis came from my cell phone, ringing singing ringing: "You were always on my mind..."

I answered, "Hello?"

"Lighter latest," Brother Todd replied.

On this day, and for several days before and after, the sun simply stands still in the sky. At the end of that time, the sun will get down and dance the night away. It should be fun to see.

Which also reminds me of the Mermaid Parade. "Will you be there?" he asked.

"Nah. I don't even like my memories of that parade anymore. The first couple of times seemed special, but all I remember now is the heat and the crowd." (Don't take my cranky old word for it, though, Dear Reader. If you've never been, I recommend it. Now back to the ramble.)

Which also reminds me of Todd's reaction to his first hi-end audio experience. Did you read about it? He commented:

Holy shit! indeed! I'd been hoping the system would reveal secret tracks and parts in my favorite music that my ears were never able to discover. I'd never heard any high-end audio gear before in my life, and reading about it on this blog has had me very excited, and a bit in disbelief until I actually could hear it for myself. I brought Brian Eno's "Another Day On Earth." I feel like I know it pretty well, even though I've only been listening to it intensely since the fall. I could notice a much clearer distinction between the synth sounds. Found some new parts I hadn't noticed were separate from other parts. Minute spatial distances. The synthetic sounds were not so exciting to me as were the actual voice parts. Here, because of the system, more is more. All of the multi-tracked voices of Brian Eno become tangible separate entities. Where Eno is merging the voices into one, the system allows you to see through it somewhat, to take it apart, look inside, and see how the song works.

Which reminds me: there's an interesting thread in the forum, tracing the delights of a music lover's "first real stereo." radmacd writes:

I'm a huge music nerd and see myself as a budding stereophile. I finally picked up my first REAL system... I was just wondering how you guys think I did.

Audiophiles, it has become clear to me, often love to give advice. So, of course, our guys are fast at it.

Which reminds me: Kristina Roman, our summer intern, works way too fast. In an attempt to keep her busy and smiling, I've been giving her all of my work. Now including the blog.

"Kristina," I asked, "Do you like to write?"

"Sorta."

"What do you think about writing a weekly blog entry? The perspective of a twenty year old woman in the audio industry isn't one that's been much explored. I think it'd be interesting."

Kristina smiled. At this moment, the sun is holding fast to its axis, trying to keep its balance, like a commuter riding the 5 Express to the Bronx, as our summer intern dances all over her keyboard.