This is totally going to change the way I work out....

Today, my friends, I entered the realm known as social relevance. I went out and did something that most people I know did 4 years ago.

I bought an iPod.

Well, technically, it's an iPod shuffle. Because the "I" in "I bought it" couldn't afford the bigger version

What sparked this sudden hip & cool purchase you ask? A trip to the beach, that's what. This weekend The Ocho and I are leaving for Florida with my parents and I finally realized that the days of transporting a CD player and my mondo case of music just doesn't cut it anymore. I need something small, lightweight and easily transportable. Not to mention trendy.

I felt pretty cool when I approached the high school boy working the counter at Target and said "Hi, I need a shuffle." (See how I did that? I left out the "iPod" and just said "shuffle" cause that makes you sound waayyyyy more tech savvy.) He asked me which one and then in the next breath rather sarcastically, and with a condescending chuckle in his voice asked "the pink one?"


I don't take sarcasm from 16 year old punks who work at Target. So, even though I really did want the pink one, I selected this one instead:I was pretty excited about my new-found trendiness so I came home ready to begin the set-up process and download some tunes. I read the instructions, plugged the cord into an available USB port and ........lost power to my hard drive. Of course.

Now, here's where you will all learn something you might not know about me. Computers DO NOT scare me. I don't worry when a program stalls, an error message appears or lights start flashing. I simply consider that a challenge. I don't easily lose patience with them either. So, this little setback did not........could not....deter me. And let's not forget, I am a computer teacher after all. So I did what every good computer teacher knows to do.

I unplugged it and plugged it in again. Works (almost) every time.

Once power was restored to the hard drive, I did the second thing every good computer teacher does. I Googled my problem. It was then I found out that I wasn't the only Windows user that had a problem plugging in their brand-spankin' new iPod shuffle and having it suck the power right out of the hard drive. Fortunately, some of those who had encountered this problem were much more technically capable (and geekier, I'm sure) than I. They suggested a solution and lo and behold it worked.

I was finally in business and started the process of charging it and selecting songs from my wildly varied iTunes playlist. It's my understanding that the shuffle can hold about 240 songs. So far, I'm ashamed to say I've only loaded 70. But it was fun mixing Miranda Lambert, Christy Nockels and Rhianna together. And putting Mandisa, Beyonce, Jason Mraz & the cast of High School Musical together was probably the most scandalous thing I've ever done. No, I take that back. Putting a Britney Spears song in the lineup was the most scandalous thing I've ever done.

It's still painfully lacking in Abba, Carrie Underwood, Justin Timberlake and the cast of Hairspray, but never fear. I'll see that's taken care of by tomorrow.

The next thing you know I'm going to be shopping at Forever 21 and eating sushi.