Do the (iPod) Shuffle!

Day 5 Challenge - Put your iPod on shuffle and record the first 10 songs...

Let me first take a moment and recognize the great technology of our time we are able to benefit from, the technology brought forth by the incredibly innovative and most successful company of our generation: Apple, Inc.

When I was a kid, I had a Walkman. How cool -- a device that could allow you to listen to the radio (as long as you got a good signal) or to cassette tapes anytime, anywhere. And it was just barely smaller than an actual radio, so instead of carrying your enormous boom box on your shoulder to jam out, why not have a miniature one to clip on your belt? Plus, with the giant headphones plugged into it, you didn't have to worry about anyone else hearing what embarrassing tunes you may have been listening to (i.e. "mix tapes" I used to make for myself that included an array of Hanson and other such artists).

Then, holy shit, compact discs were invented! How amazing that if you wanted to skip a song, you wouldn't have to fast forward through it and most likely through half of the next song as well; with the press of one button, viola! Like fucking magic, there was the next song, no hassle, no waiting. So why not have CD Walkmans? Except it was a little tricky... they were a little large and clunky, unable to be clipped to a belt, and if you had it in your backpack or what have you and walked too quickly, the song would skip all over the place. Kind of a bummer.

The Christmas when I was 16, my big gift was a CD player for my Camaro. I was top shit then, for sure, being able to play my Celine Dion and Shania Twain discs while cruising around with the windows down. Bad-azz. But man, bumpy roads and potholes were pretty much enough to ruin the fun when "I Feel Like a Woman" would come on.

Jesus Lord, then a breakthrough occurred when we first heard the term "iPod," an unbelievably tiny device that could fit in your fucking pocket, wouldn't skip, and could hold thousands of your favorite songs. The world was truly changed forever.

In summary, let me just say that I wouldn't trade my childhood for anything. I'm actually glad I'm not a kid in this day and age; I actually played outside, went to the park, drew my own pictures and created imaginary places in my head. It was all done without computers or video games. When I was 14, I didn't have an iPhone or a laptop or a Facebook profile. I was just a regular old kid, unaware of email or the internet but in love with my bicycle and Legos. It was pretty sweet.

While I'm someone who works with technology every day and depends on things like email and computers, I'm thankful for the evolving world that we're living in. But I'm still the kind of gal who believes it's a bit frightening how dependent we've all become on it. Like if someone forgets their cell phone at home, it's like forgetting a limb -- how can you function without it?

As for my two cents, I just hope that everyone can still enjoy things in life that don't have a power switch. If I could be stranded on a desert island for a week without it all, I'd probably jump at the opportunity. Now on to the actual point of this post (I think it got lost somewhere around paragraph two...)

A look into the musical world of "JMP Jams:"

"I Like the Way" (Radio Edit) - The Bodyrockers


"The Beginning of Anne" - Fay Wolf


"Believer" (featuring Wynter Gordon) - Freemasons


"Another You" - Cascada


"Have You Ever" - Brandi Carlile


"Dance 2Night" - Madonna


"Little House" - Amanda Seyfried


"Evacuate the Dance Floor" (Radio Edit) - Cascada


"Push" - Sarah McLachlan


"Dance in the Dark" - Lady Gaga