I Got the Music in Me

The other day Brian sadly told me he accidentally washed (and dryed) his mp3 player while doing laundry. He was a little horrified, but I figured it was about time for its demise. I bought it for him over two years ago, some no-name brand at Best Buy for under a hundred bucks. Given his consistent propensity for destroying things, (He is not known as Captain Destructo for nothing) I was just happy it had lasted this long. He hasn't said anything about replacing it, but I know he loved his little gadget and the type of work he does allows him to listen to music and/or talk radio all day. Accordingly, I've been scouring the internets and the Sunday ads so I can get him a replacement for Christmas.

It's strange that I haven't owned one yet. Music has always been a very important thing to me. In my lifetime, I've grudgingly switched from albums to cassettes to cds to rabidly downloading songs to my computer(s). (The totally legal way. Totally.) I'm usually a few months to a year behind the times and all the cool kids, but I always cave and eventually make the upgrade. Although I would totally love to listen to an 8-track again. What?

But somehow I've managed to become one of the only people on earth not residing in a third world country without an Ipod or one of its poorer relations. We came close to scoring two of them last Christmas in one of those too-good-to-be-true-so-it-probably-isn't situations but alas, it wasn't meant to be. I'm starting to think it's finally time. Of course all that depends on how the next few weeks shape up financially, but if things go as well as they're looking, this is what might be at the top of my list to Santa.

J and I were talking about it last night, since she's also one of the few Ipod-less damned souls left, keeping me company in our sad musicless hell. For the past year of so we've said to each other, Eh - it would be nice, but how much would it really add to our lives? Last night we started listing the ways:

Exercising - music has ALWAYS been such a helpful tool with this. Whether I'm taking a brisk walk outside or chugging away on a gym machine, music makes it possible to go longer, sometimes faster and more fun. Shit, Madonna just popped into my head: "Music! Makes the people! Come together! Yeah." Damn it!

Household chores - you and I both know how much better it is when you're cleaning/straightening/putting stuff away and have some Beastie Boys (or whatever) cranked. Brian got me a really nice wall-mounted cd player/radio last Christmas that I currently use for this, but it's no good for cleaning out the car, raking leaves or putting clothes away back in the closet room unless it's cranked to a pissing-off-neighbors level. And while I do enjoy pissing off my neighbors, those fuckers are crazy and I'm scared of retaliation.

At the office - while I continue to hang in limbo waiting to see if I'll ever get my own space, I continue to be at the mercy of Crazypants. Almost every day, I am subjected to her noises, whether it be her radio playing Angry Black Preacher, Angry Black Talk Show Host, gospel music in addition to her fantastic telephone ettiquette. Every so often I'll play music on the computer to retaliate, but honestly, fighting noise wars or any battles with her just makes me tired. Had I a little earbud nestled securely in one of my earholes, I could block her out by listening to Angry White Talk Show Host and then throw in some Metallica - "Master! Master! Master of puppets is pulling your striiiing!" and I think that would relieve a lot of frustration.

As it stands right now, I'm mostly listening to music for short periods of time while in the car. As I have only a six mile commute, this is not nearly enough and I'm in musical withdrawal. And now that the weather has turned, it's time to break out and revise my Cold Weather mix. See, I have a Hot Weather mix, songs that are and will always be great to listen to in the Summer: David Lee Roth's Crazy from the Heat, Bon Jovi's 99 in the Shade, Tom Petty's Even the Losers, anything from the License to Ill album, etc. Then for Winter, Coldplay's Clocks, Bob Segar's Main Street, Counting Crow's Long December, Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street, etc. Seriously - play some of the songs I've listed and see if it doesn't conjure a certain time in your life, and it'll correspond to the correct weather situation. It's totally scientific and shit.

So, yeah. I think I have myself convinced. Time to join all the cool kids so I can be cool too. But right now I need to put something on so I can stop singing fucking Madonna.