My iPod isn't what it used to be.

Today, I was traveling and found that my iPod now only runs about four hours on a full charge. It's served me well, having been with me to Europe (twice), nearly every day at work and, well, most every day when I wasn't at work! It's been with me much more frequently than all those wireless phones I always carry, too. If you restricted me to only one device, my listening journal should tell you it would be my iPod.

While I love the way the device keeps me musically interested at all times, I can't say I'm really thrilled about the prospect of buying a new one. The newer iPods have more features, such as video, internet, games, and color displays (hey, my iPod is really, really old), but all I want is music playback. I don't want to pay $200-$400 for a gadget that not only has features I don't want, but is also incompatible with my computer! Yes, my machine is so old that I need to replace it for full compatibility with currently-offered iPods.

Still, there is one reason to grab a new iPod Classic. I've never had an MP3 player (this is my 4th Pod) that could hold all my digital music at once. My collection is currently about 120 GigaBytes and the larger Classic model holds 160 GigaBytes. Finally! Room to grow!

CDs listened to today:

• Samba Mapalanga: Ujumbe
• Robert Russell Bennett: Suite Of Old American Dances
• Elvis Costello: Spike
• Alban Berg: Lulu Suite
• Elliott Carter: Sonata for Piano
• William Schuman: Symphony No. 10 (Gerard Schwarz conducting)
• My Morning Jacket: Z
• Remy Shand: The Way I Feel