Good day

While I'm firmly in the iPod Love Group I've had quite a turbulent relationship with the little miracles of late. Amazingly we've owned 7 iPods (six models) but only ever bought one ourselves. That is what happens when you work in sales for an organization that figured out salesmen will do anything short of trading their first born into slavery for a chance at a free iPod. Sure the promises of hitting quotas, increasing job security, potentially $1000s in commissions, pleasing bosses, and job promotions are all nice but fleeting. However, give someone a whack at $149.00 of hardware in a cool box and watch them line up to run through fire.

In just the past few months the iPod gods have been angry:

1. The iPod video was removed from my back pack with what appears to be a bullet hole in the screen. But not a bullet from a gun, more like a bullet pressed at a slow speed with someone's palm. Or maybe it was from a gun and it actually saved my life. Maybe the iPod gods weren't angry. For $179.00 the Apple store can try to fix it but no promises. Or you can buy a used one eBay for way less.
2. While flying from Irvine to Dallas I had a layover in SLC. Jeff was on the flight so I put out the seat occupied card and walked with him off the plane. 15 minutes later I return and my iPod Touch and iPod Shuffle are missing from the seat back pocket. The cleaning crew was nice enough to leave the gum wrappers. When contacted by the airline the crew had no recollection of finding two iPods.
3. I kept the original iPod shuffle in my gym locker at work. A few weeks ago I couldn't find it only to later find it in my pocket. Of course it was after my shorts had been through the washer and dryer.

Now we were down to the originally purchased iPod mini* and the newly won iPod nano. Until yesterday they have been more than sufficient for the two of us. Turns out I own a lot of crappy music and don't need 60 GB to hold it all times. 8 GB is plenty. Plus my running shoes had Nike+ and I have loved connecting to the nano. I don't know about anyone else but I am terrible at estimating how long and far I have been running. I guess I could wear a watch or chart a run ahead of time but whatever. I would usually return after 27 minutes and 3.5 miles thinking it was more like 45 minutes and 6 miles. Nike+ has been 99% accurate on distance for me. (Disclaimer: this is for workouts in unknown territories, I'm not that big of an idiot at home).

Back to yesterday . . . I started really wanting another shuffle to keep at work. They are so convenient with the clip and the size. While thinking this I looked at the shuffle that had been washed, spun, rinsed, spun, and tumble dried. I had repeat visions of plugging it in and melting my own hard drive but decided to try it anyways. Nothing happened for several seconds and just as I thought I better not push my luck the orange light turned on. I then held up the earphones and pushed play, again nothing happened for several seconds until I hear the sweet sounds of The Mr. T Experience. I was so stoked to be back in business and immediately called Beth with the news.

"You broke another one?"
"This is the one that went through the wash."
"You put your iPod through the wash?"
"I told this, remember?"
"Which one the blue one?"
"No it was the white one."
"The video?"
"No the shuffle, the one that looks like a thumb drive."
"Oh, hmmm . . . good day."

Yes. Yes, it was.

* Looking at the iPod mini today brings back memories of Macs in elementary school. Little gray screens used to play Oregon Trail (that game owned!). But the mini to this day still has something the other iPods with screens don't, a clip that works. What is up with that? Why do we either have to use the arm bands or have it bouncing around in a pocket. The sweet spot on the arm bands is impossible to find. Either it's a tourniquet or it's falling down around my wrist. I just want to clip it to my waste and not have to dislocate my shoulder to adjust the volume.