In Love with My iPod

I’m having a love affair with music.

I run with it. I work with it. I drive with it. I sleep with it. I’m sure lots of people are tuned into their iPod throughout the day, but I’m new to the iPod world, having just bought one a little over a month ago. Now, I don’t know how I managed without one. For so long, I resisted buying an iPod, just as I resisted buying a North Face fleece in college. Almost everyone on campus had one of these overly expensive, wannabe jackets, and I didn’t want what everyone had. iPods, though, are different; I can understand the appeal in them.

I especially like running with my iPod because it distracts me from thinking about fatigue or heat. Running with a partner has always helped me run harder and faster, but an iPod fills this void when running partners aren’t an option. Lately while running, I’ve been listening to Coldplay’s “Life in Technicolor” (great, upbeat instrumental); “Lost” (nice beat) and “Lovers in Japan” (good lyrics): “Lovers, keep on the road you’re on/ runners until the race is run/ soldiers, you’ve got to soldier on/Sometimes even right is wrong. …

At night, if I’m hanging out, I usually put my iPod on shuffle. When I go to bed, Sarah McLachlan and Norah Jones put me to sleep. I’m a little reluctant to listen to my iPod at work, and only do so if I really need help focusing. And I won’t listen to my iPod while casually walking around. For as much as I love music and being tuned into my iPod, I don’t want to seem tuned out to the rest of the world.

Weigh in: When is it/isn’t it appropriate to listen to your iPod at work?