Black Tuesday

After four years, I think my poor old second-generation iPod is on its last legs. Last Friday I noticed an icon I'd never seen before: a disk with an exclamation point. When I tried to reboot it, all the music I had spent the last few years carefully curating was completely gone.

Trying not to panic, I scoured the iPod message boards for a fix. After a few hours I was able to get it working again, but it only lasted for a couple of days. This morning I once again woke to the evil icon and an empty library.

I can't begin to think of my life without my iPod. It's my security blanket, daily pep talk and urban armor. This morning I endured the whine of subway brakes, street preachers and screaming babies while others around me were plugged into their Nanos (nanii?) and Shuffles, blissfully oblivious to the world around them.

I really don't want to think about replacing my iPod. It's not just the cost, but the sentimental value of the thing (not to mention the early-adopter cred). I haven't completely given up hope yet. There is still Tekserve and the Apple store. Until then, I'm still wearing my headphones, planted firmly in the "denial" phase.