iPod Nano (5th Generation)

In a very whimsical move, I bought a new iPod nano ($149 retail - but mine was less than this) on Black Friday. Apple was having an uncharacteristic sale, and I decided to jump on it. I know I had wanted a Touch model ($199 retail), but running with it would have damaged it... along with the fact that there's no easy song-changing with that thing.

And now, it is currently in transit to my home and will be waiting for me when I get there tonight.

So I went with this video-taking device that is about the same size as my current iPod. I don't think I have much use for the video feature, voice recording, or any of that, though. What drew me in was the FM tuner and song-tagging. Imagine... no more me trying desperately to remember the song playing on the radio. Now I can just tag it by pushing a button. Although I wish it had AM radio as well (I am a big fan of KNX 1070/News), I will settle for FM!

Another change will be the color. I thought about green again, but for a change, I went with this red version. I believe these "red" products go to AIDS foundations. Size-wise, I'm going from 4GB to 8GB. This means that I can put any and all songs I have on here, along with the album art, without worrying about maxing out the space.

I don't know if this new guy will fit in my current running belt clip, but I'm hoping it will. The newer versions of these are not well-made, according to websites I've visited. The external dimensions match, but this iPod is thinner, so we'll see later today, I suppose. I obviously must find a solution to run with this, lest my purchase be in vain. I already hate spending on something I already technically have...

But as for my current iPod, "The Ukrainian" has taken interest in it and has offered to buy it from me. We have a similar deal on for when I finally get a new, more portable laptop. He has never had an iPod and is in serious need of a new laptop, and given that both of these are still in great condition, I guess I can do this without too much awkwardness (?????).

I guess I can consider this a holiday gift to myself, though I got myself some makeup for my birthday this past year and a laptop/iPod/Garmin all within a few weeks for my birthday more than two-and-a-half years ago. Or maybe this is a "new job" gift.

Note on "new job": I am finally leaving my job that I despise, effective 1/4/2010. This one in within a 10-mi radius of my house, which will definitely save me commuting time. It will count for my required 1400 field hours for school... which means that I will be doing something in my own field!!! It is a learning analytics group, which means we launch and evaluate training. I'm excited to be doing Human Resources stuff again... and this time, I only have to keep one job and stay (relatively) focused!

Also, this is considered a promotion (though not monetarily) because I'm going from the highest intern-level to a level-2 analyst. That's above entry level... my degree has enabled me to do something else besides copying... yay!