iPods+

I just bought my first iPod the other day. This should come as a surprise to anyone who knows me, given my love for both music and Apple products.

So now I have a Nano. I had always wanted an iPod, it had just always been a money thing. Plus I thought I wouldn't get much use out of one, considering the music options in house and car that don't require an mp3 player. But then I wanted to start running—which I'll get to later—and I wasn't about to do that without my own Nike+. So I needed an iPod.

I wish somebody would have told me earlier how awesome having an iPod is. It has changed my life over the past few days. I had always preferred music that didn't come from inside my ears, so I hadn't really done the walk around with headphones thing since my Walkman (I did have a Discman for a while, but it didn't get much use).

Now, I can't get enough of it. It's like I'm in a whole new world and I don't even care about the crazy Japanese shit going on all around me. I was riding my bike home from the electronics store that sits on top of a big hill when "Never Tear Us Apart" by the 80s and 90s sensation INXS shuffled on just as I was approaching my descent. I could just barely hear the outside world in my total Donnie Darko moment (granted, Echo and the Bunnymen would have been better). This benefit will likely cause my death because I also ignore all the traffic.

Another great thing about having an iPod is that when I walk into a store drenched in sweat because I just rode my bike 500 ft. in 90º heat with 90% humidity, it doesn't even matter because I have an iPod. People assume I'm exercising. This is beneficial because the natives don't sweat like we do; I get made fun of for drinking so much water.

The best part is that Apple and Nike have taken something that I need but hate (aimless running) and made it interesting to a geek like me. I can't wait every day to run and listen to the sexy computer chick tell me how far I've run, then plug in my iPod and do all sorts of nerdy computer things with my workouts. Plus, running is way less boring and painful when lost in music. I might even be starting to enjoy the actual running.

Enjoy this likely unrelated quote:

"We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special."

—Stephen Hawking