What does your iPod say about you?

Wow -- has it really been that long since I posted a blog entry? Yes, I guess it has. Here's the thing. I've been on the road AND I've been under the weather, a lethal combination. I'm feeling better now, but still can't really hear out of my left ear (a lingering effect of my cold). My husband says that it's really caused by over iPoding.

Anyway, the most terrible thing happened to me on a recent trip. I left my iPod on the airplane. Yep, that's what I did. And believe me, tracking down a brand new 30 gigabyte video iPod after it's gone missing for more than 30 minutes is a lot more difficult than it sounds. I hope whoever has it enjoys it.

At any rate, I've come to believe that when you lose your iPod you actually lose a little part of your soul. OK, maybe a bit over dramatic, but I'm not the only one who feels that way. Numerous iPod lovers have commented that they would "die" if they lost their iPod.

Why is that? I tend to think it's because we invest so much of our own personality into the device. The music, books and videos I've put on my iPod say volumes about who I am, and I'm not sure how I feel about a total stranger having access to my deepest, darkest secrets. How will people judge me based on the fact that I have "self-help" books on my iPod? What about the whole second season of Battlestar Galactica buried somewhere on its hard drive? Or all the mystery novels? And don't get me started on the musical selections -- my husband borrowed it and ripped some of his rather obscure brazillian music onto it. That will get some heads scratching. Fortunately, I had recently downloaded a series of lectures on quantum physics, so whoever has it must think I'm at least somewhat smart (or maybe I'm not because I don't already know about quantum physics).

It's hard to sleep at night knowing that my purloined iPod is out there portraying an incomplete and chaotic picture of me to the outside world. I wish I could have cleaned it up a little before it disappeared. You know, added in some more thoughtful content and removed some of the guilty pleasures. If I had known it would be my ambassador I would have treated it more kindly.

Never mind. My friends bought me a new one for my birthday. And believe me, I'm going to be sure that baby doesn't leave my sight. Just in case, though, I'm going to make sure it represents the Stephanie Vance I want everyone else to see. Hmmm, and maybe by listening to all those edifying books, music and lectures, I'll become the Stephanie Vance I want to become.