I’m certain I’ve admitted this in the past… I am a (recovering) nerd.

I obsess about music. And collecting it. And no one seems to know how to tag it. Or make cohesive playlists.

I do.

To help me with this endeavor, I enlist the assistance of an ancient PowerMac G4. It’s fair to say it’s been my daily driver for over a decade, even though it has fallen out of Apple’s ecosystem nearly that long ago.

Why have I held on to it? There are many reasons…

It’s utterly expandable. True, it’s maxed out on RAM and the OS provides some limitations that require a lot of creativity and finesse. Yet, unlike recent Mac hardware, it is comfortably holding twelve terabytes of space. Plus, aesthetically, it’s beautiful. A reminder of the golden days of Apple.

And I can keep going/adding space. Which is crucial with an always growing media library.

The other reason is iTunes 10. When Apple redesigned iTunes for version 11, they removed some features I consider critical. Especially where smart playlists are concerned.

It’s likely safe to say that organization of playlists lost priority when Apple Music became a gleam in someone’s eye. All hail the mighty subscription! But I digress… that’s a topic for another day.

I can no longer control the order of songs on a smart playlist that auto updates. And the default is alphabetical by either artist or album. Neither is useful on a long road trip with your iPod as your DJ.

So, why am I compelled to write about this today?

Well, holding on to this ancient Mac has it’s disadvantages… and SSD technology has evolved to create some wonderful workarounds.

The G4 is heavy. And it consumes a lot of electricity—at least compared to say, a MacBook or Mac Mini. And it’s heavy.

As someone who’s freeing himself from anchors and working to become more nomadic, it just doesn’t have a place in my life direction. Not a sustainable one, anyway.

So, it’s time to branch out. Will I maintain separate branches of my iTunes library? And track/backport any changes for that day I pull it out of storage and recommision it? Or will I grow weary of extra maintenance over my music collection obsession?

Or will it be some odd combination of both?

And will I lose tracking of the iPod(s) play counts of songs?

I guess it’s time to find out.

What i'm listening to:

Bad Habits
Ed Sheeran
Bad Habits

One of the biggest tragedies of the last thirty years, is the decision not to release Tia Carrere’s cover of “Touch Me” by Private Life performed in Wayne’s World.

Seriously, what can we do to make this happen?

What i'm listening to:

Touch Me
Private Life
Private Life

Men and women are just different.

There, I’ve said it. And I meant it.

Sorry for everyone who hates being a girl and wants to be a boy. Or an it. Sorry, because I’m not sorry.

One test. Men think in boxes. Compartments.

And, believe it or not, one of those boxes is totally empty.

So, when a man is sitting there, and says he’s thinking about... nothing, he means it.

His mind is blank. Resting.

Women are incapable of thinking about... nothing. If she says she’s thinking about... nothing?

Look out. She’s pissed and about to rock your world.

And no, she can’t help it. Even if she identifies as a man.

OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG!

I can’t believe it worked!

What i'm listening to:

Is That All There Is?
Peggy Lee
Is That All There Is?

I remember reading this book when I was young.

I can reread books, because I do tend to forget (or miss) a lot of details. Yet this one…

Considering my love for dogs, and my relating to Billy and his love for his dogs…

I know I’m going to be bawling like a li’l girl with a skinned knee.

Pro tip: Don’t go into a holiday weekend on a island resort with less than ⅛ tank of gas.

What i'm listening to:

Lights
Ellie Goulding
Bright Lights

If you’re not drizzling honey on your pizza, you’re doing it wrong.

Just saying.

Originally, there was a feature in the iPod that possibly made it smarter than any Apple devices since.

Yet, it’s been gone for a long, long time.

My beloved third generation iPod has the ability to affect dynamic playlists—on the fly. Seriously. My iPod nano, which isn’t much newer, lacks this same feature. And anything with a touch screen? Forget it.

I’ll explain: within iTunes, I can create a smart playlist that will consist of the last forty songs played.

For the doubters, this can be useful. Sometimes, we’re away from paper, or driving, or otherwise unable to simply jot a note—and we must rely on our memory to retain it.

We get to where we’re going... and, of course, the thought is gone.

Music affects memory. And if you’re a playlist hopper, like I am, it might be hard to remember what you were listening to when you had that particular thought.

However, if you have a smart playlist on your iPod that magically replays the last forty songs you listened to—without a computer, or the internet—perhaps you have a shot of reviving that memory.

Ask how I know.

Anyway, as I continue lamenting the loss of usability and innovation in Apple products, I recalled wanting to write about this for some time.

Funny how memory works, isn’t it?

What i'm listening to:

Tomorrow
Madi Diaz
Phantom

Last week, Tara and I had a conversation I can’t seem to shake.

Apparently, she doesn’t understand me...

I was at the laundromat, waiting for a load of clothes to dry. Which isn’t so bad. Anymore, I find I enjoy any opportunity to simply sit with no obligations.

I sent her a picture of one of the industrial clothes washers doing it’s job, to which she replied she was thinking about me.

Teasing, I mentioned I appreciated (formerly) having a washer and dryer of my own—adding on that this laundromat has an ice cream shop inside, for while you wait.

I guess it’s the best ice cream in town, which explains the continuous parade of pretty girls passing through eating their ice cream cones.

Confused, she commented that I don’t understand why she schools, and she doesn’t understand why I leave a washer and dryer to go to the laundromat.

I reminded her that my washer and dryer is nearly eight hundred miles away.

And she responded, “Yes, I know. Point was that you left that behind.”

So, I told her, “I guess we can just sit in appreciation that we confuse the shit out of each other.”

“Exactly,” was her reply.

I couldn’t help replaying the conversation in my head. Over and over. It’s a perfect illustration of the difference in our mindsets.

One thing going back to university has in common with owning a washer and dryer is: both restrict your movements.

I’m not going to lie. I’ve been particularly disapproving in my comments regarding her return to school. I don’t understand it. At. All.

When we talk, she’s envious of my life. My adventures. My freedom. Freedom from responsibility. Freedom from obligations. Freedom from relationship (at least with those who’d restrict my movements).

Yet, she’s afraid of the unknown. This, I understand. All too well. It isn’t that hard to walk away from life, responsibilities, obligations. Then again, it isn’t that easy either. Simple? Yes. Easy? Not so much. Trust me, I understand her trepidation.

For most of the time we’ve known each other, I’ve been comfortably trapped in a mediocre existence. Just like so many I know back home.

She still can’t believe I escaped. She still believes she can’t escape.

Interesting.

Nevertheless, I’ll keep inviting her to come see me. And to write. And to keep a presence in my life.

We understand each other better than she realizes. I don’t think we confuse each other. At. All.