But more importantly

I just want to blog about my iPod.

My honey bought me an iPod three years ago. Since then, I've upgraded it twice, and had the 60gb photo iPod. Everytime I picked up my little pod, I thought sweetly of my beloved. Never have I had a better present. Those of you who've given me presents, don't take offense. I love presents, and every present I've ever had was good. Even the plastic monkey and jar of off-brand peanuts that my dad gave me for my 19th Christmas. (He always waited until Christmas Eve around 6 pm to go to the TG&Y and grab the last thing off the shelf.) That monkey and the peanuts weren't good at the time. But he'd dead now, so it's a good memory. At the time, it was totally WTF? Sorry, I lost track.

How did I lose track of my iPod? I think it fell out of my car when I grabbed my jacket off the seat. Or worse, maybe I sat it down while I was administering an exam to a large group of students (not my own!) and some sad, podless person took mine. Could that have happened?

In the car, I'd plug my iPod into the stereo auxiliary line-in, and hit "shuffle songs." I hit fast-forward a lot. I had a lot of crap on my iPod. I tried to remember to mark the really crappy stuff in an on-the-go list. But fast-forward is easier.

I had pictures in my iPod. Pictures of my girl, pictures of my pets, pictures of my family and friends. Pictures of tattoos designs I'd like to get.

I like to listen to loud disco in my car. I didn't like disco as much when I was growing up in the 70s. Something about its big loud and proud queerness appeals to me now. If I'm driving up to my house when Gloria Estefan comes on singing "Turn the Beat Around" or Sylvester is making me feel mighty real, I keep driving, around the block, to finish up.

I like loud bluegrass, too. The Louvin Brothers tribute makes me want to drive and drive.

I'm not that silhouette person with the white earbuds. I'm 800-watt amp and subwoofer in the trunk iPod person. When I first got my iPod, I went to my car, plugged it in, and turned on "Tomorrow Never Knows." Perfect.

Before I got my iPod, I would drive around with my little 12" iBook lined in to the stereo. That was fun. I had a little trippy screensaver, and my front seat felt like my own little audio-visual escape. I will return to this practice while I figure out what's next. That's cool.