Wow!  What great responses you all gave me for my less-than-scientific survey Monday about whether Tom is the ONLY ONE in the “whole wide world” who does not (yet?) own an iPod of one sort or another.

There was just one slight problem with the statistics, though.  They seemed to be heavily skewed toward Tom “needing” to get one, and that just cannot be right, can it?  I mean, the percentage of owners/users of iPods, plus the number each owner/user possesses, adding in family members who have them, in addition to Tom’s family members/friends comes out way too close to 99% or so for me to even consider calculating.

I’m in deep enough trouble as it is.  I very subtly asked Tom if he’d had time to read my posts lately and, thank goodness, he said he had not.  But, as subtle as my question was, he immediately seemed to hone in on something being up by demanding, “What have you written about me now?!”

“Nothing,” I said, with a perfectly innocent expression on my face.  “I’ve been writing about Christmas.”

“Yeah, right,” he says.

Well, thanks, guys.  I just got the call.  He’s read it, including all the comments and thought that not only was it one of the best posts I’ve written in ages, but that the comments were highly intelligent, thoughtful, practical, charming and insightful.  His kind of blogging and commenters.

But, I have my defenses (and so you’ll know I’m really not a mean person, but sweet, loving, generous, understanding, thoughtful, funny . . . you get the picture).  You have not yet heard the REST of the story, see.  So, here it is.

See . . . he had a newer computer than I have (mine’s a late 2003 HP we had built just for us at Best Buy, Tom’s second home, with a “mortgage” there nearly as big).  He had a refurbished Dell that was a piece of junk from the time we got it.  (To be nice – that’s not the first word that came to mind.)

Finally bit the dust.  Completely.  Months & months ago.  Being someone who has worked with both PCs & Macs for years and years (in his job as newspaper ad director, then publisher), he was devastated.  He began his campaign for a new computer, thinking at first he wanted a nice laptop.

Then he switched to laptop with big screen.  Then a nicer PC.  Then, he started looking at iMacs and dreaming.  He spent hours in Best Buy dreaming.  They are expensive.  Don’t go on sale.  He wanted the 24″ screen iMac, but priced the 21″.   Fast forward to November – the new models came out.  Only two “old” 24″ iMacs were left.  Floor model, one other.  Marked down.  Less than the 21″ iMacs we’d (he had) been pricing.

Best Buy also had an 18 month, no interest deal doing on any purchases over $250.

See where this is going, right?!

Guess again.

A couple of hours later, we walked out of Best Buy with one box holding a brand new 27″ iMac loaded with Snow Leopard, one terabyte (TB?) hard drive, really neat small wireless keyboard and wireless “magic” mouse.  Gagunda screen, I’m tellin’ ya.  And, it was all $100 less than the “last year’s” 24″ model he’d so dreamed of having.

He – has – been – on- cloud – nine – ever – since.

He’s moved his nice desk into the living room behind the sofa where he can “compute,” watch football, join in “family” activities, listen to his music on the fantastic sound system built into the “screen,” (which, for you PC users, encases the “entire” computer, I kid you not).  We have one cord – ONE - running from the screen, behind the desk, under the sofa to a hidden plug in.

Here comes the catch.

He’s an avid music lover and for the past month has been studiously and steadily cataloging his music since he’s gotten his iMac.  He’s downloading all of his CDs, making them MP3s and putting them in folders, one of each album.   It’s a very elegant system, he’s using, I have to admit.

He’s only about 1/2 way through his entire collection and has lots of music, already.  (He’s barely even touched my mere stash of CDs, which he so generously thought he would work on after his, thoughtful guy that he is, seeing as how I’m the one who “bought” him the computer.)

But, now he insists he needs an iPod so he can enjoy his music in the car (which is equipped to play it all), etc.

After the scientific survey I’ve taken, I agree that an iPod of some kind would be quite useful to him.  I concede.

AND he has some Christmas money/cards (from Best Buy, no less).   But, here’s the challenge.

So far, having copied only 1/2 his collection and relatively none of mine, he has – at last count Sunday – 16,972 songs, 65.2 gigabytes worth, I don’t know how many folders/albums, and could listen – non-stop, 24 hours a day, 43.7 days – to his music without hearing the same song twice.  For real.

The sole question my mom had for me when I told her these facts Sunday was “Where do you fit into his life?”

I won’t even dignify his answer, which had to do with bringing him food and sustenance from the now nearby kitchen, making sure he was warm and comfortable,  etc.  (He’s even “borrowed” my good computer chair with the high back you can lie back against, side arms, swinging, adjustable seat.  “At least until football season is over.”)

So, what say ye now?  An iPod or no?  If so, what size and kind would he most use/enjoy.  He’s thinking the original iPod Classic, since he wants it for the car and to hook up to our house sound system.  He can’t use earbuds because he has two hearing aids and doesn’t work out (except the mouse hand work and occasionally short jaunts around the corner to the kitchen.)

Oh yeah – and he tried an iPhone, but we don’t get reception out here in the country near Picayune, Mississippi.  (He was quite upset.)  He has a new Blackberry Storm 2, instead.

Let me hear from all y’all on this.  This will decide the matter, and I’ll defer to your collective judgments.

Cheers!  And good tidings for a New Year!  Dee

P. S.  I’ll be back here Friday, so stay tuned because I’m sure there’s more to come from over here at Finding Direction as we see how the saga of Tom and his “need” for an iPod goes. 

Some of you are journalists, some attorneys, some ministers (or ex-Revs, as in the case of Greg England & Ben Overby), some teachers, some eloquent bloggers, but all are certainly educated enough and literate enough to be good spellers, right.  Or, are you?

Let’s see.

 According to "BusinessWriting.com," the test is composed of the 25 most commonly misspelled words among American businessmen (and women, of course).  Over a good many years, this list hasn’t changed.

I’ll be the first to admit that I – the chief among sinners when it comes to thinking I’m an excellent wordsmith and speller – got only 19 out of 27 (the test added 2 words to see how well you can determine the favored British spelling of those 2 words, which I correctly did), or 70%.  And, I’m the one whose every career (I’ve had several in my lifetime, as you know, unlike most people) involved being an expert in the spelling and usage of words.  Besides, it really irks me when someone misuses a word or misspells it.  In fact, Greg & I have had on-going debates – er, discussions – the past several years about the correct usage of words.   

However . . . the test scorer (whoever that guy is sitting online grading the results as you go through the 27 words) told me afterward that 70% was considered a "GOOD" score.  And, believe me, after agonizing over some of the words (you get 4 choices for each word, so they help you out), I was happy with that result.  Although, after reading the correct spelling of some of the words, I was mad at myself because they were words I know well (or should have known well), but missed.

This is a valid test.  No gimmicks.  Just spelling.  It’s found at here at "businesswriting.com" and I want you to take it to see if you can beat me.  After you’ve all taken the test, I’ll share with you which words I missed and why I think I did.  You can defend your wrong choices all you want, too.  After all, this is a fair competitive battle involving moi, the honest and above-board lawyer, and everybody else.

Actuallly, this is just fun and very interesting to do.  I was surprised at the most commonly misspelled words and at my own reaction to trying to spell them correctly.  I’ve got doctors appointments lined up every day this week, so need some fun diversions.  Y’all he’p me out, ya hear?!  See how well you spell.

Y’all have a very blessed day today!  Dee