Jabra Elite Active

Buying presents is always challenging, but Skip is definitely one of those people for whom shopping is hard. He tends to have very precise ideas about what he wants, and he would rather go without than have something that doesn't work exactly right. He has a few things he really enjoys, such as reading, music, tennis, etc. As such, he is always on the search for the perfect pair of headphones, whether wireless or wired. He has attempted several pairs over the years with mixed results. All were disappointing or inferior in some way.

Last fall he looked into the Jabra Elite Active 65t. He liked them, but had some reservations. When Christmas came around, we got them for him. He gave them an honest try, but he felt like the headphones "popped out" of his ears at times. Now, reader, he had to make some exaggerated facial expressions to cause them to pop out, but if he wasn't totally and completely on board it was fine with me if they were returned. For the record, I held firm that they wouldn't come out, unless you engaged in [insert crazy jaw maneuvering].

Unfortunately, the return window was much shorter than I realized, and they did not make it back in the mail in time. After that he tried them a couple of more times, but became disgusted with their performance. Although I did not intend to hijack his gift, he encouraged me to try them out to see if they might work for me. They worked great! I have been enjoying them for weeks, and they do not pop out. Now, I don't play tennis while wearing them like he was planning to do, but they stay in when walking and moving about.

Fast forward to yesterday. The trio were working on school projects, and I was making lunch while listening to an audiobook. I went to get something out of the oven, and one of the ear buds popped out. It bounced on the floor of the oven and rolled to the back, right under a hot coil.

Normally, we try to be a pretty drama-free household. However, there was a good bit of commotion to try to get the ear bud out of the oven. I may have shrieked I couldn't bear to watch it melt onto the floor of the oven. I sent George to get Skip, not realizing that George had no idea what was actually happening. After he ran off, I got the lower rack out, grabbed a pair of tongs and miraculously scooped them up on the first try.  In the meantime, George had no idea all of the commotion was about ear buds, thought I had been burned and was injured, and ran to get Skip who came up assuming someone was hurt. Then George panicked, ran outside and was very upset. He thought there would be a fire, and he knew to run outside. Poor little guy. We got him calmed down quickly by explaining that the sense of urgency was to move quickly before the ear bud melted... not that help was needed because of injury or danger.

George stayed close for the rest of the day and got lots of Minecraft time while snuggling close. I also shared that I have the same feelings when I see him wreck on his bicycle. The good news is that no one was hurt in the least, and George can laugh about it now. Also, the ear bud was saved as well.

Happily, I can continue to enjoy the Jabra Elite Active ear buds and listen to audiobooks, podcasts, and music all while being active.

However, as it turns out, they do pop out.

*Obviously not sponsored by Jabra. For the record, they are fantastic headphones, but maybe it's not advisable to wear them when cooking.