Please allow me to introduce myself...

I am a woman of wealth (hah, I wish) and taste (now that's true).

My name is Jaime and I am a music lover, audiophile, record collector, and a woman.  I’m far from unique, but women seem to be a largely silent minority within the audiophile and hi-fi worlds.  Fortunately, many are finding their voices.  More women are writing for magazines that cater to this niche population (e.g. TONEAudio Magazine) and making their presence known within the market.  I was once told that a woman who knows music is like a white buffalo.  Not true.  Not true at all.  Women do know music and love to appreciate it.  Sometimes that means an iPod, other times it means a vinyl rack.

I didn’t even know what an audiophile was until I was in my mid-20s.  Then one day someone asked me if I was one (and my boyfriend said yes).  I just knew that I wanted the best sounding music and the best sounding system I could afford.  So what if that meant buying yet another copy of Bella Donna?  Ok, so maybe I didn’t need to buy yet another vintage turntable, but it was a Thorens!  Let’s try these speakers with that turntable and this receiver to see if it sounds better.  At one point, I think my boyfriend was ready to stage an intervention.  I am probably borderline OCD and most likely have ADD, so this whole audiophile and record collecting thing is a great way to channel that energy.

I can’t really tell you when I fell in love with music, but when I was about 10 years old my grandfather bought home a console stereo and a box of CDs and my whole world opened up.  That box contained a world of wonders: Stevie Nicks, Arlo Guthrie, Sade, The Byrds, Metallica.  My world was never the same.  Music became my passion and filled the places inside of me that I didn’t even know were empty.  It may seem melodramatic, but I think music has shaped my life and taken me in directions I may not have otherwise traveled.

This blog is going to focus on my adventures in the male dominated audiophile world, the music I love, gear, concerts, and pretty much anything remotely related to music that I decide to write about.  From time to time I might throw in something that relates to my other interests: the paranormal, tarot, jewelry making, history, and antiques.  Sometimes it will be funny, other times snarky or sarcastic, occasionally sad, often happy, and perhaps even bitter on occasion.  Hopefully it will always be entertaining.

My boyfriend David is going to be mentioned quite a bit in the blog.  We met because of our shared passion for music and our first date was to a record store (yes, really).  Our favorite things to do together are listen to music, visit record stores, scrounge around flea markets/estate sales/thrift stores, go to concerts and live shows, watch TV, and sleep in on Sundays.  David has taught me a lot about records and I’ve been able to teach him a thing or two about music - although he won’t readily admit it.  Together we have discovered the ins and outs of buying vintage equipment, navigating estate sales to find treasures, branching out into reel to reel, and how to be curators of our rather, well, large music collection.  Our respective music collections weren’t exactly small when we first met and after several years together it takes up quite a bit of real estate within our home.  Music really is a focal point in our lives.

So why this blog?  To put it simply, I’m opinionated and have posted those opinions on Facebook.  I’ve shared funny anecdotes about record shopping and talk about music quite often.  My friends and David encouraged me to start a blog.  After dragging my feet for months, I decided sure, why not?

I would like to send out a special thank you to my friend, Tricia.  When I shared on Facebook about deciding to this blog, she suggested its title. :)