iPod Nano

I hadn't wanted to fall in with the whole craze, but I've been looking at iPods for a long time now. At first I wanted the best and most expensive, but I realised that I probably wouldn't even have anything to fill 80 GB, nor would I want to convert full movies to watch on it. I don't even take very many pictures either. It'd be strange having the photos to follow of my iPod on my iPod.

I had wanted to get the U2 one, only because it's red and black, but I really don't like U2 or Bono, nor am I willing to pay extra for it just so that a small portion of the proceeds would be directed towards the efforts in Africa. I don't want their signatures all over the back of it either. You should know by now that those are my favourite colours - black first, then red, but they're best when together as a team. I had really been planning on buying the Red iPod Nano online, because it was the same fair price and I'd get the engraving for free .

A few weeks ago, we thought better of it and decided to buy it at a local store, so if I had any problems with it, I could easily go back and take care of it. The problem was it was only available online. Nevertheless, I finally made up my mind and settled for a black one with 8GB at Costco, but was very adamant finding a way to make it red and black. I was going to pay for it myself, but my dad really insisted that he wanted to get it for me under one condition: I had to eat. I was still hoping that I could just buy it myself.

For the time being, I kept it in one of those tiny sealable plastic baggies and put it in a Dyrberg/Kern bag that I had received as a gift to contain the jewelry inside, of course. I was very anxious about getting the slightest scratch on it or damaging it any way. (Note: The red case is the one I ended up buying.)


The next weekend, we went shopping for iPod accessories at Pacific Mall. Oddly enough, almost all of the silicone skins or plastic cases only come in pastel colours. It was frustrated, but we persisted. Just as we were about to give up after approximately four hours of endless searching solely for iPod cases, we found a very nice metal one for $25. I was worried about scratching the screen since the case left it bare, but they were also selling plastic coverings for $5 and they were specifically designed for the iPod Nano. I was thinking that I had those clear adhesive sheets at home for cell phone screens, but couldn't be sure that they would be large enough.


I still keep it in the Dyrberg/Klein pouch, because sometimes I'm able to use the click wheel or lock/unlock the hold without having to pull out of the bag. The "Even brighter colour screen" is indeed strong enough to shine through the mesh and I can see the screen quite clearly.


Another bonus of keeping it in the pouch is not having to remove the actual device from it and directly insert USB connection cable directly when it's facing the right direction. The earbuds' cord also flows nicely through the opening when the strings are drawn. I don't feel safe with it dangling around my neck, putting it in my pocket, or just carrying it in my hand, so I hang it on my wrist by the strings, then twist it around so that it fits securely in the palm of my hand.



There was one night where I couldn't sleep at all. I stayed up the entire night and by 3 or 4 AM I gave up on sleep and decided I had to do something. I couldn't think of anything, so I thought I'd follow the trend of all craftsters and make an iPod cozy. I did it in one night and I happened to have a trinket for its closure - a silver metal 'M'. Why the 'M'? For Music! For Mania! I don't know. To be honest, it was just what I happened to have on hand, because I had used all the other letters in the word DREAM (you'll see how and why in another post to come). I made sure to make a small button hole opening at the bottle so I could plug in the headphone cord.

I hadn't intended on its cover to be in something of a zig-zag or snake-like shape. I wasn't sure if I wanted to make it at all, but decided it was for the best so that it wouldn't slip out. Plus, I just wanted to make use of that 'M'. I might remake the cover, because it doesn't fit quit the orderly stripes on the inside and on the back. As with most manic creations, especially made through or in the middle of the night, I wanted to destroy it as soon as the sun had risen. I'm rather ashamed of it, but it wouldn't be of much use to me to frog it completely, because the yarn would be difficult to use and I might be able to think of a way to improve it or motivate myself to remake the cover. Who knows. For now, I just never use it and prefer to keep it hidden. I hadn't really wanted to even take pictures of it let alone post them online, but I might as well include it as a part of this post.

On a side note, how do you handle the headphone cord? Does anyone have any brilliant ideas on how to keep it neat, organized and in good condition in a convenient fashion other than winding it around the iPod? I really hate having to do that and I really worry that the plug will get stretched or twisted and just give out on me some day. The sound quality is excellent, better than all the other cheap MP3 players I've gotten in the past, especially in comparison to the most recent one I had owned, where it required a lot of twisting of the plug to get it to play music. It was difficult to get it to play in even one side, but both was next to impossible.