Don't Bother Me, I'm Singing

I keep thinking about that Ray Bradbury short story, "The Veldt." Have you read it? It's a futuristic piece about family life in the year 20++ where technology basically takes care of everything. The two children in the story have this amazingly life-like video projection of life an African field projected on their playroom walls--so real that you can see the lions breath and hear the sounds of the birds in the sky, feel the heat from the sun, etc. I keep thinking about it because it feels like we're not far away from that--these alternate realities in video games and the computer world and then there's this iPod thing that I now own which allows me to listen to any song I want in the entire world. I spent most of Saturday and Sunday afternoon in the coffee shop downloading music. I added pretty much every song I could think of and I still have half the space left. I walked around on both days listening to the songs on shuffle and I can tell you that the ads for iPod are right on--the ones where person is rocking out and not paying attention to the world around him/her--it's amazing how music can make you more introspective and less self-conscious. Since I can't really hear myself, it doesn't bother me to sing along in public. Plus, I feel it's somewhat beneficial to appear a little crazy on the streets so as to detract from potential iPod muggers.

I'll try to write more later. I worked out this whole essay in my head about how there are certain songs that trigger very particular memories for me every time I listen to them.