This is good advice - thanks for making me feel somewhat less crazy. It's nice to know I'm not alone.

Ya I think the inevitable truth is that I will just keep breaking them and needing to replace them. I pretty much only use them at home (I gave up on going out in public with anything I care about years ago) - I should really consider a side-career in wear-testing clothes and electronics. I wish there was something to be done about the length of the cord. The flexibility it offers is great, but so often it just ends up a liability.