Once Again, Late to the Party But So Frickn' Glad I Came

I gave Graham an ipod Nano for his birthday this past June. I felt all proud of myself for getting hin something I knew he would like and use and that he wasn't expecting. He was excited and surprised when he got it, set it up, and then used it for about 6 weeks and then just never had any interest in it again. I hate to say this, but I was TOTALLY DISAPPOINTED. As someone who suffers from gift giving anxiety (GGA), I thought FOR SURE I had SCORED. I asked him about it and he said, "Well, it turns out, I like being IN New York." The he offered to give it to me. I made a big stink--well, a medium stink about it--because I was totally BUMMED that it wasn't a great gift after all, but mostly it just felt BAD to take something I had bought for him and use it for myself. This weekend, after seeing it sit there unused for ANOTHER week, I finally asked him about it, he offered it again, and then guiltily, I accepted. I picked it up, held it for a moment and then raced over to my computer and IMMEDIATELY erased his library and filled it with mine. This morning, I finally used it for the first time.

OH. MY. GOODNESS. iPod Nano, where have you been ALL MY LIFE??????

I used to walk a lot with headphones when I lived in Boston. It was probably one of my favorite things to do: slip in a mixed tape, or a tape of a CD I just got, and the world WAS ALIVE. Eventually I moved on to a portable CD player, but after breaking one too many, I gave up on the walking with music. This morning, it was like rediscovering a lost love, only the lost love got HOTTER, KINDER, and MORE FUN TO BE WITH. I got off of the subway early and thought I'd walk to the next subway line, with it on shuffle. When I got to Liz Phair's song "Fuck and Run" I was a TOTAL GONER. It was all I could do, not to start running through the streets of the village and Gramercy Park, like I was in the best movie EVER MADE. I skipped the subway entirely, called work to say I was running late, and GROOVED OUT the whole rest of the way.

It has been my dream to walk along the streets of New York and listen to Lou Reed and Patti Smith and be drenched in the landscape these songs were created from. When "Sweet Jane" came on, followed by Smith's "Gloria" I felt like the most powerful person in the world!

I can't believe I went this long without walking with music. It was inspiring. It was colorful. The world broke open to me! Once again, I know I am probably the LAST PERSON ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH to get an ipod, but HOLYCRAP, people! These things should be handed out freely so that everyone can walk in this world and be dazzled by the movie they live in, with a soundtrack that makes them MOVE.