Ten Things I Know About My IPod

My sis got me the greatest gift ever last Christmas -- an adorable, hot pink IPod Nano. I had desperately wanted an IPod practically since the day they hit the market. The problem is that, at heart, I am cheap. Oh, I spend money like crazy, but I have a hard time justifying big ticket expenses, particularly big ticket expenses that benefit only me. Yes, I will gladly spend money on a piece of furniture or car repairs -- stuff that will benefit all the members of my household (yes, all two of us!). But when it comes to spending a lot of money just for myself, I balk. Even plunking down a couple bucks on a book involves some serious debate on my part.

So the gift of the Ipod was beyond awesome. Over the past several months, I have grown to love my little pink friend (named "Elle Woods"). She has made my commute to and from work a true delight. She has gotten me through several very dull teacher meetings (thank you, Solitaire!). She helped get me focused and pumped up backstage during Plaza Suite. She is the bomb.

Like any relationship, I've learned a lot about Elle Woods as we've traveled the highways together. I know her preferences, and she's taught me how well some music can work together.

The following are some things I've learned:

1. Elle Woods really loves the following artists: Pink and Beck. She used to be really into Jack Johnson and Wilco, but that love seems to have faded. She is much more likely to throw Pink and Beck frequently into the shuffle than just about anything else she has.

2. Her favorite American Idol alum is Allison Iraheta. She plays stuff from Allison's solo album A LOT. She has a lot of Adam Lambert but rarely plays him.

3. As weird as it sounds, "You Oughtta Know" followed by "Particle Man" is a killer way to start the day.

4. Despite the fact that she has a lot of They Might Be Giants, the only TMBG song that exists for her is "Particle Man."

5. Like my friend Debbi, she does not so much care for Green Day. I've loaded quite a lot of Green Day on my IPod but it rarely plays via shuffle.

6. She is developing a real love for the Avett Brothers. Recently, she's been throwing an Avett Brothers tune into the mix just about every day.

7. She does not like Madonna, Katy Perry, Cobie Caillait, Michael Franti, or Amy Winehouse even though I've loaded a TON of their music onto the IPod.

8. She does like Glee.

9. She's not afraid of a little blast of old time jazz (Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway) -- or pretend old time jazz in the form of the Asylum Street Spankers.

10. I think a Fishbone obsession is on the horizon for Elle.