passing time @ work

I'm working now on days when I am not performing at night, and it's actually okay because the job is mindless and allows me to listen to my iPod. There are some things to discuss here.

One: THANK GOD for my iPod. I can't imagine living in a society sans personal music devices again. On an unrelated note, I remember when I first broke down a got a cell. Sheesh! Now with my laptop, cell and iPod, what else do I need? (bluetooth devices, a blueray DVD player, a DVD recorder, a TiVo for goodness sake... I guess I've got a Christmas list in the works)

Two: I can't stand my iPod. Wait. Stop. Did I just contradict myself? Well, sorta. See, all day long I do mindless, finger strengthening jobs and I listen to my headphones. Well, luckily I work less than an eight hour day, but still, six hours with those little earbuds in my ears makes me sore! My left ear lobe is especially prone to pain after about two- or two-and-a-half hours. Sometimes I am moved to a job that's quite loud, so I wear ear protection, right? Well, my earbuds fit inside the protection, but that causes a whole other set of pain issues--different parts of the ear, different pressure, etc.

Three: Books on Tape. I'm using the mornings to listen to Myla Goldberg's BEE SEASON (I blogged about the movie here) on CD. It's my first audiobook, and I think I might come around to them. They're quick and easy to get through, evidently, as I can "read" at work. But, I can't imagine listening to them at home while I'm sitting around the living room. I would rather pull out an actual old-fashioned, bounded grouping of pages, that, in previous centuries was commonly known as a BOOK. Also, Goldberg does the reading herself, and I've found her voice to be difficult and challenging to listen to continuously. Each morning as I turn her on, it's fine. But thank goodness I stop after two-and-a-half hours and switch to music.

Four: Music. It's a good opportunity for me to finally listen to many of those showtunes I've purchased or downloaded (always legally, always) and never actually heard. There are some gems out there that I've found recently, including APPLAUSE and, I know, but I'm just now learning it, DREAMGIRLS.

I was definitely going to blog about another issue entirely, but now I'll just be able to save it for tomorrow. Then, coming soon: solitude at the movies, self-lauding dreaming.