Your faithful correspondent, writing from Pennsylvania, reports that after one day of traveling and being subjected to the unavoidable, unremitting “cell yell” of others (particularly one vapid hausfrau type with one of the most awful Minnesota accents I have ever heard — David M., stop laughing — prattling on and on about family issues! to her pastor, it sounded like! At the very tiny, enclosed US Airways waiting area!) PeaceBang says “Sign me up for that iPod.”
Perhaps I can write it off as a medical expense. My blood pressure is at stake here, people.

Also, the despicable little girl who whined to her boyfriend because he had chosen seats *across the aisle* from each other. “Why dintcha just put us on SEPARATE FLIGHTS, huh? Why dintcha? Why not?”
PeaceBang, finally turning around: “That sounds like a GREAT idea! Why don’t you go take another flight?”

An iPod also would have come in handy during the 45 minute wait for my Budget rental car at the Philadelphia airport.

I do agree that our society is doing everything it can to avoid any kind of meaningful silence or solitude. We seem to be afraid to face either our own deep self or the Other who is desparately trying to reach us.

I was especially saddened by ChaliceChick, who seemed to use your post to act out some relational difficulties with her parents. I guess she found that safer than actually dealing with your argument.

Your rant reminded me very much of the speech my parents gave when I wanted to buy a walkman when I was 12. The annoying thing is, they let me talk about it for weeks while I was saving up for a really nice one and THEN told me I couldn’t have one.

And did I mention how their claim that the other kids who didn’t do dishes every night would grow up to not know how to do them and end up sad and alone because no one wants to be with a person who can’t do dishes turned out to be a total lie?

Anywho, the CSO and I were actually discussing Ipods the other night. We were saying that it would be cool to have an ipod that could real the body’s physiological signs of emotion and respond accordingly. Notice you’re late for work,your Ipod changes to “Flight of the Bumblebee,” Your cat dies, yout Ipod changes to “November Rain,” etc.

OK, that would probably be bad. But an interesting sort of bad.

CC

(Mrs P is grooving on her iPod, too. She got it for the gym and plane trips. Mine is a commuter sedative — um, I mean, a stimulant! Yes, a stimulant! As natural as coffee!)