life without an ipod

so among all other mundane things in life, my nano broke over the weekend. the geniuses at the apple store diagnosed it as a hardware issue, saying that the keys have stopped responding. nothing's wrong with the actual ipod, i just need to get my keys replaced - for $79.

considering a brand new nano costs $149 and a shuffle is as low as $49, i thought it would be silly to get mine fixed for $79. instead, i decided to finally utilize the 5 GB of space left on my iphone, ordered a cheap armband from amazon, and will be using that when i go on my runs as an alternative.

the nano was a generous gift from my best friend back when the first nanos came out (since she put me in her last blog post, here's a shout out to hers! check it out) my broken nano sort of signified a stage of our lives coming to an end. as melodramatic as that sounds, she bought me the nano as a xmas present after starting her first full-time paying job. jan had graduated a year earlier and started working the summer of 2006. we had exchanged multiple presents growing up, but the nano was definitely a gift that was far beyond the budget of a college student. i remember being speechless and in awe because i couldn't remember a time when we gave each other such pricey gifts. beyond the price tag, it was a gesture of independence and adulthood- an indication that she is successfully supporting herself in the real world.

now fast-forward three years, she is in LA pursuing acting, and i'm looking for a job here in nyc. in terms of finances, i don't think either one of us today can compare with the times when we could afford to buy and give the more lavish presents. yet, perhaps this is a different kind of independence. i certainly hope that learning to cope with life's changes, finding our own paths and pursuing goals and dreams that we've set out for ourselves make up the other layers of adulthood that cannot be quantified with dollar signs.

life without an ipod is definitely more quiet than before. it's interesting how easily-accessible technology has drastically shortened our attention span and made us crave instant gratification. i think it's good to have this literal peace of mind from time to time. i don't think i can happily survive for long without music when i go running, but at least for the next few days, i can hear myself think when i'm on the track.