iPod Nation

Allow me to sing the praises of the iPod, one of the most enjoyable consumer products for this grouch in the last 20 years. Personal computers are wonderful and useful but to me they are much like a microwave or lawnmower - an appliance and not something of entertainment. The whole system of finding and downloading obscure music and then having it available in a device no bigger than a credit card is nothing short of amazing for me. This is the stuff of science fiction. I love being able to find some musical masterpiece like "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour on the Bedpost Overnight?" Or a more recent selection such as "King Tut" by Steve Martin. I mean really, how else would we find these? I used to spend hours making collections from our LP stereo records to cassette tapes and more recently to CDs. The iPod is much easier and the sound quality much superior. Being a cheapskate the recent Pepsi point promotion that gave free music from Amazon.com was akin to finding gold nuggets laying in the backyard for me.
I received an iTunes gift card for my anniversary recently. $20 to spend on any music that I wanted! Now that is a great gift (I also got a gift card to Dairy Queen - Blizzards, yum!); again it is like treasure hunting. I can search through the music data base and find tunes from the past that evoke memories of days gone by. How about the theme to "Lost in Space" by a very young Johnny (John) Williams? The theme to "The Virginian"? "The Avengers" - I can still see John Steed using the sword he pulled from his bumbershoot to adroitly flick a carnation from a vase and to the luscious Emma Peel. Mama Cass singing "Dream a Little Dream of Me" at a concert. How about the concert version of "Taxi" by Harry Chapin? I could go on but that is probably enough on that subject.

Knee update: I did my first physical therapy on Tuesday. I thought I was in good shape with strong leg and back muscles. Let's just say that the reality does not match my internal image of myself. The therapist had me using muscles that I didn't know existed and this morning I was so stiff that I found it painful to walk. I have another go at it tomorrow. But, as our new administration has stated several times "Never let a good crisis go to waste" I informed my boss that due to having PT in the morning on Thursday and considering my painful condition it will be best if I do the 'work from home' plan all day. I don't know if he has bought into this strategy but he didn't say no so I will indeed be working from home tomorrow. I will however not be working in my PJs as apparently some work-from-home types do.

Daily grouch: Since most people are being very kind towards me in my invalid state it is difficult for me to be grouchy but fortunately a neighbor was able to restore me to the state of grouchiness this afternoon. Here I was pushing my loaded bike up the long hill leading to our street when along came this guy in his super cool pickup. I was almost level with his driveway when he recklessly and without heed to my invalid status whipped his truck into the driveway directly in front of me. Would it have killed him to wait a few seconds until I was past and out of the way? I felt disrespected by him and it made me want to write a note about this and leave it under the windshield wiper on his truck. This type of behavior from Mr. Coolpickupdriver is enough to transform me from a grouch to a bitter old man with a cane. In this transformation I will shake my cane at transgressors and shout "You wild kids! Have some respect for your elders!" and then mutter about 'wippersnappers'.