By Juan C. Ayllon I was maybe three years living with my family in La Paz, Bolivia when I discovered this savory sensation: the Salteña! I can’t remember if my parents purchased it from a street vendor or a tiny, family owned restaurant with rough hewn tables and crumbling plaster walls, but for me, it was love at first bite.
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This morning, I opened an email from Wordgenius.com entitled, Word of the Day: Melomaniac. It read, "Definition: A person who loves music." Clicking on the link to read more, it provided the following examples of that word used in sentences:
By Juan C. Ayllon Since selling my living edge turntable isolation platform this last year, I've had a gnawing desire to find a replacement that would go better with our modern minimalist family/ A/V room.
Now our rule is that when I'm not using it, the turntable has to be tucked away in our BDI Corridor media console (so as not to ruin its aesthetic lines with the extra clutter), but even so, simply placing my VPI Prime Scout turntable directly atop AV RoomService Equipment Vibration Protector pads -- which works well to isolate it -- always felt a bit chintzy. I have always felt that a better solution would be to place the deck on a heavy platform that, in turn, would be supported by the EVPs. The big catch was that I really didn't want to spend much money on them. By Juan C. Ayllon In the twilight years of my teaching career, and with no travel plans (Belle is working, not on vacation), following our family Christmas celebration with Belle, Mom, and the kids and grandkids who didn't travel, I find myself once again finding creative ways to spend my winter break. And even though I'm 61 years old, I sometimes feel like a big kid with time on his hands.
Sure, there's chores and tasks that need tending. For example, I plan on replacing the broken straps on my Barcelona Chair replica, organizing our storage space, updating my resume and pondering future career plans. I also have interview pieces, reviews and other writing projects to do. By Juan C. Ayllon Several months ago on ‘The Audiophiliac’ YouTube show, Steve Guttenburg suggested that if your sound system is really optimized to your taste, you will find yourself listening to music over it more than ever.
That troubled me. My two channel stereo and listening room has never – and I mean NEVER – sounded better across the sound spectrum, yet nowadays, I will sometimes go days on a stretch sans a session of dedicated music listening. By Juan C. Ayllon Three years ago, my father-in-law, William John Stevenson, passed away at age 78.
He had a colorful past. A truckdriver, thug, and member of the infamous Ulster Defense Association (a northern Ireland loyalist paramilitary organization) in Belfast, Ireland, he and his wife, Mary, made petrol bombs before he had a dramatic conversion experience. Turning his life over to Christ, he begged to leave on religious grounds and, miraculously, he and his family were given 48 hours to leave town unscathed. By Juan C. Ayllon Last Saturday, I was polishing an interview with Dave Malekpour, president and founder of Professional Audio Designs, for another website, and something he said has been swirling in the eddies of my mind.
Vacation Wind Down: An Anniversary Dinner, Storms, Petting Zoo, Road Trip and Listening with Friends7/27/2022 By Juan C. Ayllon It’s six in the morning on Sunday, the day after my 11th wedding anniversary, I am wide awake, and it’s little wonder.
It’s been a whirlwind year. I wrapped up summer school teaching STEM to third and fourth graders last week. I've got a pile of reviews to tackle, basement storage to sort out and, in a week and a half, I will begin my new teaching position. So, although there’s plenty to be thankful for, I’ve had a lot on my mind these last several days. By Juan C. Ayllon Spring has sprung, and July is jumping, and when my wife gets home, we feel like...binge watching---TV, that is!
It's good to laugh, isn't it? In light of the incomprehensible shootings in nearby Highland Park three days ago on the Fourth of July, even as we mourn, it's good to periodically distract, laugh and savor the good things in life before resuming the struggle to right wrongs and tackle hard issues in our troubled society. By Scott Enslen As I spent time reflecting on when I got interested in listening to audio systems
and where it has taken me, I have to go back to 1971. I have two older siblings, and I remember like it was yesterday: my sister bringing home Carol King’s Tapestry album and listening to it over and over again. |
Juan C. AyllonA writer, artist, educator and owner of Prairie Audio Man Cave, he lives with his wife, Isabel (AKA Belle), and their Goldendoodle, Liam, enjoys listening to high fidelity music and all things hi-fi at their home in the greater Chicagoland area.. Archives
March 2024
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