Can You Hear That?

Part 1: Did I tell you? MP3!

Yes, Santa brought me an MP3 player for Christmas, thank you Santa!

That is one funky reflection in the lower left!

I was a little intimidated by it at first, since they were so sure it was intuitive that there is no manual, just a little folded quick-start card that did not hold my hand nearly enough. My brother helped a bit, but we didn't really have time to sit down and make sense of it.

Yesterday, though, I talked to my friend Google and found that there is a manual, online, and that helped a lot. And my friend Google also helped me make it stop already with trying to put every photo on the computer onto it when I tried to "sync" it, which would surely kill it flat dead, considering that my photos (finally backed up, yay me) currently fill three little thumb drives, an 8GB, a 4GB, and a 2GB, and I need to get another one because I'm only backed up through November, oh woe. So no I don't want them all on the MP3 player stop it stop it!

Yes, I get a little emotional. Also silly, unless everyone gives their MP3 player a rap name? But seriously, I keep looking at it upside down, and you tell me:


Isn't D-SUDS a good name for it? Not that I will remember to call it that, but it amuses me mightily. (I am so middle-aged white girl.)

So first, I downloaded a song to it, then cleared off all the dreck it came with that I didn't even recognize (well, except Beethoven, I have heard of him). Then I loaded a podcast! Which meant that today, when I was doing something mindless at work, I was trying not to laugh out loud to the latest Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. And after I listened to the song (singular) a few times, I discovered that it gets radio: who knew? Not I, but that was fun, too.

Tonight, before going to the dentist, I loaded a few CDs that I got for Christmas onto it via the computer, and it worked! The music was a fine distraction as I got drilled, too. So when I got back, I loaded a bunch more. Is this an eclectic bunch?

• The Fray: How to save a life
• Shrek soundtrack
• Spin Doctors, Pocket full of Kryptonite (only the three songs I love)
• Weezer (the blue cover one)
• Amadeus soundtrack
  

It says I have 6.9GB left. That's a fair lot, isn't it? New toy, new toy. My next goal is playlists.

The Biggest Loser

There was a biggest loser competition at work last year, which I chose not to participate in. For those who aren't familiar with such things, you kick in some money ($20, in this case) and get weighed at the beginning and end of the time period. The person who loses the largest % of weight wins, and gets 80% of the money, with second place getting the remaining 20%. Last year's winner won a considerable sum.

There's going to be another this year, and I (again) wasn't planning to play along. In part because I hope to be at another company before the end of March, I hope I hope. And because I have no willpower, and eating feels good. Because I love chocolate, and candy, and ice cream.

But I am reconsidering, in part because the CEO is doubling the money and adding a week's vacation, which makes it a considerable prize, and because I'm sick of not fitting into clothes, and of getting winded climbing stairs. I gained a lot last year (see: stress eater), and I would like to lose some. And what got me thinking seriously was this line in the e-mail: "If that doesn’t give you motivation I don’t know what will!"

And you know, I don't know what will, either. Maybe this reward is the goal I need to motivate myself to shut my mouth and start moving.

I think maybe.