Musical milestones...

I finally joined the iPod nation and picked up a new pod for myself. I was looking at Nanos since before the holidays and had thought that's what I was going to get. I even knew my new Nano's name...Neil. But when crunch time came (I'm allowed to use the phrase 'crunch time' because I used to be a sports editor), I couldn't bring myself to go that little.

So, Neil is still on the shelf somewhere. I hope he doesn't end up having to play endless Christina Aquilara songs or, worse yet, endless Christian music...but his fate is out of my hands.

That leaves me in a quandary though. What do I name my sleek black-and-silver, video-playing piece of musical wonder? I'm now looking for ideas. Help a brother out, will ya?

Already, I feel the same way I did when I finally broke down and got my first CD player (which was portable and came with a tape adaptor and cigarette lighter plug for the car, in case you were wonderin). Yeah, I was stubborn then too. It was such an odd feeling to walk into Tower Records in Beaverton, Oregon and realize that the whole store was mine...not just the ever dwindling tape and record sections. It was like going for a stroll and discovering the Grand Canyon.

Don't get me wrong, I haven't been completely oblivious to the march of technology. I've got about 30 gigs of music loaded on my computer and still haven't ripped all my CDs. I've also been through two cheap MP3 players already.

This is different though. If getting my first MP3 player was like moving to a new neighborhood, then getting my first iPod is like finding out that my apartment is in the same building as a modeling agency. The world just seems full of potential and possibilities.

I've already found the joy of iTunes' one-click shopping. That in itself is a piece of blissful wonder. Then there's the podcast subscription possibilities. In seconds, I found several that podcasts that I would have never known about, much less downloaded. I mean...'Ask A Ninja'...get outta here! Awesome.

Believe me, this new toy is already making my life a wee bit happier.