I think I've joined the 21st Century

It started with an ad in the Avon Catalogue.

Because, you know, everyone goes to the Avon Catalogue for personal electronics, more specifically mp3 players. Not being a current Avon customer, I had to enlist Shane's grandma's help in ordering the special Avon mp3 player for Shane that Christmas. He was totally surprised that year, and that simple act started our journey into personal musical gadgetry.

I need to explain. I never had a walkman growing up. When I went on long school bus rides or vacations, I read books, or stole the other side of my friends' headphones to listen (with half an ear, har har.) (Sorry, that was bad.) Anyway. Among other things, we were walkman challenged, so when I grew up and decided Shane needed an mp3, I found the shortest and (then) least expensive route via good old Avon Calling.

It was a pretty good little mp3. Well, okay, it only held 12 songs. And the songs format was "smp3," which technically only exists in an Avon world. But we ran the crap out of that little player. I still hear the dulcet tones of Def Leopard's Hysteria when I turn a certain corner onto my street because that was the song I listened to at that point on my runs.

In 2006, we graduated to a Sandisk mp3 that I got at the 5 am sale at Circuit City that Black Friday. A few months later, tired of listening to running songs picked by a girl, Shane bought his own "Musica!" mp3, which only lasted a few weeks. We ran with Sandisk for a long time, sharing the player but drawing the line at community earphones. Blech, sweaty earphones, how sick.

Fast forward to 2008, Christmas. An all around crappy day around my house, but not without it's small rewards. Meet my new friend.

Dude, it's PURPLE! And has clean white headphones that stay in my ear. And I even created an Itunes account, which seems really official to me. Shane got it all set up for me on Saturday, I added songs for the first time yesterday, and I ran with it today. It even goes loud enough that I can't hear my squeaky treadmill, so it doesn't seem like I'm running that fast or hard.

And it's PURPLE!

We've come a long way from Avon. Now Thomas and Shane are realizing how cool it is and wanting mine. But come on, what boy can carry a purple Ipod, huh? It's clearly meant to be a girl's.

Thanks, Shaney. You've made my running year.