6.19.2008

in memoriam

A couple of days ago my iPod became intimately acquainted with blunt force trauma gravity. The whole spectacle reminded me of television show that I enjoy watching (and Ashley despises).

The premise of mythbusters is that they test myths, urban legends, things you see on movies, rumors... etc. It's really an enjoyable show. The hosts are kind of over the top but even Ashley in her spite admits, "smart people watch this show."

But I digress...

I work on the 8th floor of a 12 story building (not my actual office). My desk is next to the window, facing the street. When I get in from my commute I'm a little sweaty. After I change my clothes I often let my shirt dry on my bike, so it will be dry for my ride home. I open the window next to my desk to expedite the drying process.

My bag also gets sweaty from the ride in, so I was trying to figure out how to position my bag on the window sill so as to benefit from the sun and fresh air, while keeping my bag inside the building. I wasn't trying to pull a Michael Jackson with my bag or belongings... so get that image out of your head right this instant (image provided courtesy of timeinc).

While I was brainstorming about my set up... my iPod slipped out of my bag and hurled towards its premature demise. 8 stories. Approximately 80 feet. My dear iPod. I wonder what the last song going through its little hard drive was? Free fallin' by Tom Petty? Sky is Falling by Blackalicious?

I waited to hear a smash... with my eyes winced. It seemed like an ETERNITY before I heard a crackle and pop. Somewhere a bell rang out to offer a death knell. I went down to street level and a woman had picked up the remains for me to identify the body. Yup... there she was, my little friend. Her heart was true - she was a pal and a confidant.

Despite the traumatic end to my iPod's prolific run, it certainly served me well. Never a problem. I reformatted it a couple of times, stored photos, calendars, large files, and of course all of my music on it. To top all of those accolades - I got my iPod for free. Not in one of those "get five people to sign up for a trial subscription scams" that were rampant on the internet 3-4 years ago... but as a parting gift from my former employer GBSM as I headed off to Washington D.C.

So now I find myself in the market for a new iPod and it's come at quite an opportune time. I just graduated from school and Ashley's been thinking about getting me a pretty fancy phone now that I'm in the business world.

While my music listening days are about to get an upgrade, I'm a little sad at how my iPod left this world. A needless death. I was hoping for 2-3 more years, perhaps the last months would be marked by sporadic functioning and memory loss. Is it better to burn out or to fade away? I guess I know what the burn out feels like. Looking forward to a fade away next time around.

Anyway - thanks for all the good times iPod.

9 comments:

Mia said...

You will love love love love love (I could go on for pages) an iPhone. I will say that they are pricey so be careful with it. I have destroyed 2 yep 2 already. I am going to wholeheartedly blame it on my toddlers who have no concept of DON'T TOUCH MOMMY'S PHONE. But luckily both of my "incident's" have fallen under the mfg warranty (long stories). I sort of wish I would have waited for the next gen to come out, but to be honest I love my phone. I use it all the time and it is brilliant. This is my first piece of apple machinery so I was new to the whole apple ingenuity. My condolences to your old iPod.

Ryan said...

It's always sad to say goodbye to an old friend. BUT now you have an excuse to get a piece of technology that you may love as much as your first born.

I've had my iPhone since the day it came out ( yes I was a geek that waited in line) and I can honestly say its the most amazing electronic device I've ever owned. Here it is a year later and I love it as much as the day I picked it up.

Lemonzest said...

Awesome post. I have a few comments:

Who on earth allowed Michael Jackson to get ahold of a baby? And who subsequently let him take the baby onto the balcony?

Golden Girls?

Perhaps if your beloved iPod was playing a different song, she would still be with us. Perhaps Freebird or I Believe I Can Fly?

Blythe said...

RIP, David's beloved ipod.

Scarlett got a video ipod for her birthday. It seems to have limitless storage. She loves it like some people love their children. Possibly more than I love my children.

Liz said...

First of all, mythbusters. I had never watched it until my nephew (yes, nephew. he's 8) got me into it. (Yes, Ashley, he IS super smart). I think it's kind of fascinating to watch. I'm amazed at how smart those people are and how they figure out how to test stuff.

Secondly, Michael Jackson and his dangling baby. I just want to let everyone know that the last time I was in Berlin, I was on a tour and the tourguide showed us the Hotel Adlon right near the Brandenberg gate. 5 windows up, 5 windows over... that was where the incident occured. Sent chills up my spine.

Lastly, I think ipod sudden death is better than an ipod fading out. Back in the day I bought myself a pink mini ipod 4GB. 3 years later none of the buttons worked except for play. So I could hit play, but couldn't move to the next song, or turn the volume down (it was fully up). It was a sad way to go.

David said...

thanks for all of your condolences.

jeff - i'm suprised you didn't hear about the michael jackson thing. that's way old. maybe you were on your mission.

i'm excited for the new generation of ipod mia... i think it will give me everything i want. i'm especially excited for the GPS functionality, ooh boy.

we are a firm apple family. ipod's, shuffles, ibook, powerbook, and imac... what's one more iphone?

liz, maybe the sudden death is the way to go. just rip the cord out... no worrying about life support.

although, i do wonder with your ipod... did you try to reformat it? ashley's was having serious problems... and that didn't work, so i don't know why i'm suggesting it. but hers was old and well used.

i took impeccable care of my ipod, which is why i wanted to ride off into the sunset with it.

Dawn D. Lion said...

My ipod's needs medical intervention, ie, the battery is dead and I can't afford a replacement, so I can only play it hooked up to a charger. I guess that puts it in the fading away category, but I look forward to many good times during its golden years.
I haven't heard about what bells and whistles the iphone has, (yes, technologically out of the loop for a mac user) so I'd be interested in checking it out.

David said...

dawn, the iphone is the epitome of bells and whistles. phone, GPS, iPod, web browser, email... all in one.

Sea Plus said...

"Lemonzest" ruined my goal of being the first one to comment about your Golden Girls reference. Had he/she not (I refuse to look at their profile to determmine its gender) I would have written:

David,

I think the last bit of data your ipod might have processed before it collided with Earth was one line of text... "Thank you for being a friend."