Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is.
- Yoda
Even his griefs are a joy, long after, to one that remembers all that he wrought and endured.
- Homer
Before we begin this morning’s silliness, please join with me in a moment of silence for something that’s been a part of my life for almost seven years. It’s kept me entertained through many driving adventures, including two cross-country trips. It’s been loud, it’s been quiet, and it’s been completely responsive to my needs and desires (which is more than I can say for some of the women who have passed through my life). No matter what, it’s always been there for me, ready to do my bidding however I may have wanted it to be done at a particular point in time.
Please bow your head and….
OK, I think that’s long enough, eh? You might think I’m talking about a pet or a person, but no, I’m actually talking about my iPod. And not just ANY iPod, mind you. No, I’m mourning the death of my U2 iPod, circa 2004, which is by far the oldest gadget I own. In what at the time was a piece of sheer marketing genius, Apple came out with an iPod in conjuction with the release of U2’s How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb album. It still has Apple’s original grey-scale screen, which reminds me of the old Macintosh SE I bought as a “divorce present” for myself in 1989. Yeah, it’s long since been obsolete, but it’s done some yeoman work for me over the years. For the past few years, I’ve used it primarily in my car, but the battery had been progressively dying. I knew it was only a matter of time before it gave up the ghost and went to wherever in the cosmos it is that iPods go when they die.
Sadly, yesterday was that day. After charging it and hooking it up to the Pioneer deck in my car, the poor thing just lost its mind. After playing for awhile, it just stopped…right in the middle of a Pat Green song, which seemed oddly appropriate at the time. Now the screen is frozen and unresponsive, and it appears that the moment I’d feared for years would come had finally arrived. So, yeah, I’m kinda in mourning today…but the good news is that now I can justify getting a new iPod. Every end represents a new beginning…right??
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to try to open the sucker up…because I’ve always wondered what makes these things tick. And if there’s one thing I’m REALLY good at, it’s destroying things. ;-)
