Thursday, October 9, 2008

The iPod Experiment

About an hour before I left work yesterday, my coworker came up to me and asked if she could borrow my iPod. Her iPod had died and she was going on a bike ride with one of my other coworkers. I hesitated. As you know, I listen to mine in the car and that's a long ride home listening to nothing but the radio and God forbid, commercials! ACK!

She noticed my hesitation and suggested we swap them for the night. My car iPod player would charge hers while it played so it didn't matter that it was dead. I was intrigued. Different music? That would make the ride interesting.

After we agreed we both got a little apprehensive. We knew we had similar tastes. She listens to country, but not as much as I do. She listens to groups like Dave Matthews Band, who have never really done anything for me. But it wasn't like she listens to opera and I listen to rap. It couldn't be that much of a culture shock, could it?

We thought about it for a second and then immediately started warning and apologizing to each other about our music. I explained how I had a lot of Conway Twitty on mine and she mentioned Dave Matthews again.

As I was driving home it occurred to me how private an iPod could be. The iPod for the most part was designed to be listened to with headphones. Yes, there are devices you can buy that will play them out loud, but for the most part, people use them for things like working or exercising. That way none of your coworkers will ever know that you are listening to Barry Manilow and not someone cool like The Pussycat Dolls. (Are they really cool? I had to look at the Billboard website. Yes, I am a dork).

My point is that suddenly someone is looking into that private place you hardly show anyone. And that's why me and my coworker made a pact that we would never discuss what we learned from the iPods. And I'm still honoring that pact. Kind of.

I do have to say though that it was totally cool that she had The Beatles on her iPod too. She's almost ten years younger than I am and it amazes me how The Beatles will appeal to every generation. Even my son is a big fan of theirs now.

Oh God. I hope she didn't get any Neil Diamond! Why didn't I clear that off??? Dammit. OMG...

Air Supply.

Yes, we will never discuss the iPod. Maybe we should've sealed the pact with blood or something...

3 comments:

DC said...

I don't care what Billboard says, the Pussycat Dolls are NOT cool. At all.

And I have some embarassing songs on mine too. If you search hard enough, you'll find a song each of Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, the Jonas Bros, and a bunch of classic disney songs.

Jennifer A. said...

I always said that my iPod could have me committed.

I agree that an iPod is private, almost as private as a dairy or journal.

And dc.. I have The Best of the Brady Bunch album on mine.. how is that for embarrassing?

Candy, Cherry lollipop now. Sugar, candy never stop now.

GirlnBlue said...

You made me recall a faraway experience in my teenage time when we were on some trip with the class... I've always been the one with the headphones on, and visiting around wouldn't keep me from it, of course... So, this classmate asked me that I let her listen to my music, and as I did I felt so naked! So, yeah, definitely, the soundtrack to our own lives is a very personal thing to share...