In Mourning

I coveted the iPod Touch from the moment I saw the first commercial. I stalked it at the Apple store. I schemed for ways to save up for it. And then one day my husband came home from work with a big present in his hands. At a party for a professional club he belongs to, my lucky husband was drawn for the grand door prize. It was a Garmin navigational system - pretty cool in it's own right, but also plenty expensive in terms of trade-in value. My husband knew the people who had donated the prize, and they sweetly sent him the info so we could exchange it at Amazon.

(We interrupt this pitiful post to give huge kudos to my husband, who is the most unselfish person I know, and gives me everything he possibly can, including the full value for any door prizes won.)

We pitched in the residual money and on Christmas morning, next to my stocking, was one of the best Christmas presents I have ever received. And I loved it! Let me tell you why:

• I can sync it with my Outlook calendar and contacts.
• I can download cool applications like the scriptures & games & facebook.
• It has wi-fi so I can get online from anywhere in my house, not to mention loads of other places.
• I can sit and surf the internet or do other computer things while I snuggle with my kids on the couch. It's like my old laptop (which I miss) except a whole lot smaller.
• And, um, oh yeah, it can do music and video. I'm starting to get into that too.

I have been trying out a gym, using a 30-day free pass. I loaded up some good work-out music and headed out to run on the treadmill with my new iPod. I didn't have any kind of holder yet, like an arm band. I was even thinking about a fanny pack or something. I figured I could just hold it in my hand until I decided on a permanent solution. You might be able to see where this is going.

Less than a minute into my run, I dropped my brand new, less than a week old iPod Touch. It bounced once, then dropped into the 5 millimeter crack between the treadmill mat and the frame. It shot through the middle and came out the rollers at the back. Well, it tried to come out. I frantically hit the stop button and tried to free my iPod from being stuck half in and half out of the treadmill. It was upside down, and when I ran my finger underneath, I cut my finger on the shattered screen. So much for the touch screen.

In the end, it took a gym worker, the general manager, and a pair of pliers to get it out. And here's what I have to show for it.

I cried for a couple hours, and still tear up sometimes now when I think about it. And now I'm saving my pennies and dimes, dreaming of a new one. Because I really miss it! But I think I'll go out and buy myself an armband or case first.