I was planning to call the Apple Support line. I was planning to maybe head into town today in order to swap the iPod Shuffle over, as the next few days weren’t going to offer many chances. And then, after having left the iPod Shuffle plugged into my computer for most of the night, I tried just turning it off and turning it on again.

Stuff started to happen. Suddenly, where before the computer had refused to even recognise that there was anything there, now, there was activity. I clicked through various screens, and then… bliss… iTunes started downloading music into the iPod at random. I disconnected the thing, plugged in the white earphones (which I am planning to swap with black ones when I go out- I’d rather not be wearing a large sign saying “Please mug me, I might be carrying a £300 iPod Video!”), pressed a few buttons- and was greeted by my first track.

“I Feel Love”, by Donna Summer.

Somehow, I think me and this little device are going to get on.

(And, just to completely freak me out, it’s just switched to ‘Rebel Without a Pause’ by Public Enemy…)

* * *

(A few minutes later. As if to underline the sheer weirdness of my music collection, it’s gone from Public Enemy to ‘Also Sprach Zarathustra’ from 2001. Words fail me as to how much I’m enjoying this…)