Apple have announced 100 million iPod sales. But don't thank us, Mr. Jobs... thank YOU. Because... they're just awesome little things. Your gorgeous little invention has single-handedly re-invigorated my lust for music... the lust I thought had been brutally murdered by Britney, BSB and *NSYNC. And 100 million means the iPod has almost entered the echelon of a bonafied "everyday" item - like a cellphone, a laptop, or lately, a pair of classic Chucks.

Mine is 30GB 3rd Gen with buttons. It's a tad bulky and the screen is not colour, but I have no desire to retire it because of that. It purrs (and sometimes even whirs) like a kitten. I bought it second-hand, in like, 2003-2004, something like that, from a friend who wanted to upgrade. And I just adore it. It's like a little, bitty friend who I have come to grow so very attached to.

My iPod plays for me everywhere I go (including the 3.5 day trip from AZ to T.O.) I have a JBL On Stage with an itty-bitty remote so that it can play for me in the kitchen or the living room. And I sleep with it, also. Every night. It helps to shut out the noise that rattles in my brain after a long, hectic day. I usually go for the Billie Holiday playlist, or my Mellow playlist, and more recently, my designated "Sleep" playlist. My iPod lulls me into dreamland usually before the third song completes.

I have a Wake playlist, in which I've lovingly ripped and downloaded every song I can think of with morning, awake, rise, get up, sunshine, sunrise, etc in the title. And there's some goodies on there, let me tell you. (Sunshine Superman, anyone?) Gets my day off to a groovin' start, indeed.

I have a Ultra Lounge playlist. A Bossa Nova playlist. A Punk playlist. A Funk playlist. I have an Italian playlist for when I'm cooking/eating pasta, and a Nature playlist for when I want to be all "serenity now." I've finely crafted playlists that capture moods, too, titled Mellow, Autumn, and Cookstown (the place where I grew up, containing all the hits of my youth). Hell, I even have a French Accordian playlist (don't you DARE judge me, audio-snob! I often like to pretend I'm strolling along the Sienne - is that so wrong?!)

I have pretty much maxxed out the disk space too... I have a distressing .8 of a GB left with nearly 5 thousand songs... and I can't for the life of me figure out what to delete to make room for more playlists!

But I love my iPod. It is a little old by most Nano-owning, video-owning iPodders, but it's so reliable. It's there with me in all my activities, and it's there with me in all my various moods.

My iPod is GREAT. It's a veritable GEM. In fact, it's one in a (100) million.