940 down, 4,600 to go (or ode to iPod)

My iPod purchase has truly been the impulse purchase that keeps on giving. Unfortunately, thanks to iTunes, it's also the impulse purchase that keeps on costing (especially after the recently released 500 Greatest Songs list by Rolling Stone).

For any mood, at any time, anywhere in the world, I can summon the melodic refrain of any (one of 940) song(s) I want. I have the power to carry entire albums or just a song or two from an artist's repertoire in my pocket. I can download a bunch of songs I secretly hate but pretend to relish just to impress people. I can also hide any songs by Phil Collins, The Partridge Family or The Chippettes.

I can last about five minutes longer on the treadmill (the time I thought it would take for girls to notice my iPod and ask to peruse the immaculately crafted playlists, which range from the mundane ["Sleepy"] to the alternately fascinating ["Manly Songs"] -- the girls are too busy listening to their own iPods and noticing that I'm not burning off many calories by constantly adjusting the volume). I am not afraid to go grocery shopping completely isolated from the real world with my headphones in. I can even manage the drive to and fro thanks to the iPod car plug-in.

Having previously been more a movie aficionado, I am now well-versed in music, as well. I know this because the iMixes I purchase at iTunes tell me so. Diverse, impressive taste that real music lovers have accrued during a lifetime is mine in minutes thanks to repeated purchases of $.99 and Internet access.

Music is now personal yet universal thanks to the genuises at Apple. And from someone who would read "Good Music for Dummies" were it available, I'm eternally grateful. Grateful, that is, until I find a new toy to shape the delicate but nonetheless poignant emotions I experience after a powerful purchase.