My New iPod

I bought a new iPod!!!

Ok, yes, this is kind of a big deal. Because I have be honest, I am kind of cheapskate when it comes to technology. In fact, I literally cannot think of a single piece of technology that (until my purchase last week) I have bought on my own rather than been given as a gift. I almost refuse to buy technology unless it's necessary. No, I lied. I bought my TV. And it was kind of a huge deal. Or maybe ordeal is a better word.

Here's my deal:
1) I have other things I like to splurge on. I am fully in support of individuals who drop $300 without batting an eye on a new camera/phone/ipod. That's their thing, rock on. However, when I think of what I can do with a spare $300, I think of where I can FLY or what three concerts I could go to. So, will I drop $100 on a Justin Timberlake concert or a flight to Miami to see my college roommate without thinking twice? Absolutely. Will I spend $100 on a camera even when my old one has been broken for well over a year because someone spilled something on it at my 22nd birthday party? Not so much.

2) Technology kind of scares me. There are so many options, and I do not keep track of what the options are. Therefore, if I cannot make an informed decision, I will make no decision. I know where to get the best flights, how to get sweet seats at concerts, or even what restaurants are worth dropping a pretty penny, but with the thought of sorting through the myriad of options all written in a language I don't understand nor know how to distill into pros and cons, I freeze. It's kind of like when I go to one of those restaurants where there are 72 options on the menu. How about you just give me 7? Because while I know that not all 72 are good, I am not confident enough to know which are. But if there are 7, I can feel more sure in my decision. When I bought my tv (and a white one at that- who buys a white tv but me? I love that tv, by the way), I made Jesse come with me. Because I wanted to be taken seriously. And not screw up.

3) My computer: high school graduation gift. It is on its last legs. Like for real. Remember when pages actually "loaded" on the internet? Yeah, mine has regressed to that. And I'll double click to open up my iTunes, and about 30 seconds later, oh boy, there it is. If it weren't so sad, I would probably laugh.

4) My cell phone: I drop it at least once a week. It is falling apart. My cell phone history is sad and includes broken and damaged ones. So yes, I get a new cell phone once a year. But because I break them.

5) Camera: Well, we've covered this. And what's really pathetic is that I love taking pictures. Like I was the picture taker/album maker/photo tagger in college. I made all the scrapbooks. And for the past year, nada. I steal other people's cameras at events. My dead camera has literally been sitting in my desk drawer at work, and I keep telling myself maybe I'll get it fixed. But really, I should just buy a new one. Really really.

6) And so now, the iPod. Where did my first one come from, you may ask? Freeipods.com. I am not kidding. It really truly works. All you have to do is sign up for one of the offers (you know, sign up for AOL, print cartridges, BMG music, whatever) and then refer five other people to the site and do the same. I signed up for AOL, because it's free for a month. So, once my freeipods account was credited, I canceled AOL and never paid a dime. Then I put the link in my away message on instant messenger, and two months later, I had my five people. Two weeks later, an iPod arrived at my door. With a free tshirt as well. That's how I liked my technology. Free and handed to me. However, three years later, my 20GB second generation iPod was on its last legs. Maybe even moreso than my computer. It worked about half the time, would randomly skip songs, play 30 seconds of a song, or just freeze. Battery life? Pitiful. So, I decided I had to bite the bullet. And since I was going to the Apple store to buy an iPod for a work raffle, I did it. I bought an 80GB classic silver iPod. AND, I traded in my old one to get a 10% discount. Like I said, anything counts.

My friend suggested that I get an iPhone, given that I need a phone, camera, and iPod (and, arguably, a computer)... So why not get it all in one and likely save some money? Yeah right, like having a $500 piece of technology that does everything all in one wouldn't make me want to take out a life insurance plan. Because all too soon it would end up in technology heaven. And then I would be back at square one.