I hate my iPod. I think I will eventually like it just fine, but right this second it drives me insane. It's been so much WORK getting my music imported and figuring out the basics just to get the thing to play, and now I'm trying to figure out how to make it fit in the car-stereo-player thing, and it turns out that I can only use it in the car without its protective carrying case thing but it's difficult to remove from its protective carrying case thing, which, admittedly, is probably a good feature for a protective carrying case thing to have, but still. Just annoying. I may get a different protective carrying case. But then that would mean investing more time and thought, and money, into something I'm still not sure I want to use anyway.

But my mother-in-law got me one for Christmas, and it is a very nice little toy, and in the spirit of rising above and graciously accepting a generous gift, I'm trying very hard to make it work, in hopes that an operational toy yields imminent happiness.

Though throughout my struggles and mutterings and frustration, I have wondered, how much of my effort has been because I am overcompensating out of simple, pathetic gratitude that the woman has finally seen fit to treat me, at least this once, like a step above the neighborhood crack dealer?

One unintended (by me) side effect of playing with this thing has been the frank ogling and gawking by my husband. Aside from my transcription work, I never, ever wear headphones. It's been drummed into me by audiologist after audiologist, headphones are BAD and they make you go even DEAFER and you need to avoid them at ALL COSTS. I actually had one woman tell me once that the only way I could safely use headphones is if I worse noise filters or earplugs at the same time. Does that not strike anyone as a wee tad inefficient?

Anyway, but, in the spirit of Rising Above, I've been trying to listen to the iPod at home, and that means using headphones while doing dishes. That's about the only time when I can count on my children magically evaporating. And Willem flips out, every time. "You look so WEIRD with headphones! My wife doesn't wear headphones! It's just bizarre!" Thanks, hon. Anytime I can bring a little freakshow into your life, I'm all for it.

So, we'll see. Someday I imagine I'll enjoy having all my music in one place... just think how long I waited to get a digital camera. And in the meantime, just let me hate the iPod a little longer. We all need something we're good at.