Warning... don't buy an Ipod (If you have Windows)

For the past week or so I've been going in circles through the support pages in order to salvage my 20g Ipod. After a while of that, I discovered the discussion area where I realized it seems EVERYONE is having the same issue that troubleshooting just doesn't fix.

I read through most of the topics and it seems that the ipod will work fine for a few months (just after the 90 warranty has expired) and then become almost assuredly unfixable. I read some posts where people had sent their ipod for repairs twice and sometimes three times. Yet, after spending the $300-$400 just a short time before, now have to participate in the AppleCare plan for $59 OR pay the customer support service individually. If the customer goes out of their way to read all the topics they would learn that purchasing a fire wire card bus kit (between $40-$60)would save them a few headaches in the long run... maybe. Meanwhile, my ipod's system requirements say that both firewire AND USB cards are supported.

I'm just throwing out my opinion, but it seems almost like a Better Business Bureau issue when this many people are having to not only go through the hassle of replacing an expensive item, but paying for it too.

Wiggle it, just a little bit

Just when I thought it was safe to turn on Saturday morning television the Australians manage to not only surpass the craziness of the British Teletubbies but suck you in and force you to watch their calamity of a children's program at any age.

Ladies and gentlemen, The Village People are entertaining our children.

If you haven't been seen The Wiggles you are in for, well... an inner war between right and wrong.

It was bad enough when four asexual Teletubbies lived together and one carried a purse. That made me weary about children's programs and even the credibility of PBS. But, just like Jacko's first molestation case, I let the Teletubbies slide.

Now, we have four grown men living in a house, each with a corresponding color. In the episode I caught this morning, they were traveling train style to turn on a light because they are scared of the monsters they just saw on TV. I am shocked and appalled that Dubbya hasn't banned this show from television because of it's outright promotion of homosexuality.

Moving on in the episode, Captain Feathersword stops by. I know... I know! Laugh. I did. Captain Feathersword is my favorite character so I will refer to him lovingly as Cap'n. OHHHH Cap'n, my Cap'n.

Cap'n isn't alone when he stops by The Wiggles house of sinful love, he is joined by Dorothy The Dinosaur. You guessed it, Dorothy is female, but she's also a giant dinosaur with no bottom grill (that's jaw or teeth for all of you in suburbia). So the first impression we get of a female on this show is a cold blooded dinosaur with dental issues.

Between the skits that are The Wiggles, we get treated to a live performance by the clan. I only managed to sit through Quack, Quack, Quack, at least that's the only words I could comprehend, before I realized I had been watching the show just long enough to become lobotomized for the rest of my day.

Sigh...

Whatever happened to good Saturday morning shows like Eek! The Cat????

Everybody's gonna be happy...

Some lyricists promise to make a moment of sorrow teleport you to a moment of peace. But, it's all just an illusion - an alternative to reality.

Not unlike a drug... Which means all art is, in a way, a drug.

Where is the line between reality and the elements of reality that are used to escape it. Technically, when it provides it's own escape reality is nothing more than a giant loophole. Therefore, reality as humans define it is just a trick candle, that ignites itself over and over.

There is no escaping reality which is the genius behind it.

EVERYONE must use an escape and in doing so prove that reality has unbeatable AI. So those of you that play sports to escape the demands on your life are no better than junkies. We are all the practical joke of this reality we claim to have a grip on.

Million Dollar Question: Where does this leave God?

God is asleep on the couch while the TV plays infomercial and Girls Gone Wild censors, waiting for the alarm clock of humanity to become enlightened.

OR

He's facing the corner, afraid of the Blair Witch... just as the camera drops to the floor.

New York State of Mind living in Californication

There's something about Billy Joel that people from the northeastern U.S. are conditioned to love, honor and serve. Instead of a generic greatest hits collection it should be titled the Gospel: According to Billy.

From Piano Man to Big Shot to Goodnight Saigon to River of Dreams, we love him. If someone makes a negative remark, we will defend him as if he is a helpless younger sibling. We are not afraid to select ANY ditty he's penned (even the ones you know he must've written liquored up) from the jukebox in a dive bar full of bikers. We will sing Captain Jack in karaoke bars without flinching at the word masturbate.

We LOVE him. It's not about the actual scene he describes though. He conveys a feeling that anyone from that part of the world can understand. He reminds us of home, even when his imagery doesn't come close to our memories.

Which is why I found myself listening to New York State of Mind on a loop this weekend.

Alone, in my living room, I sit in Los Angeles wanting to be back wth my family more than I have in the past for years that I've lived here. Possibly more than I have in my life.

Then again, that could have been the beer...