Internal Dialogue

I've decided to get myself an iPod Touch for my birthday. I didn't used to get myself presents, especially not ones which cost money like this, because I thought that sort of thing could wait until I was older, richer, maybe more deserving, but while the first is definitely happening I've decided not to wait for the other two.

My birthday is still two months off, so this has sparked an internal dialogue.

You could just go ahead and get it now.

No, you (i.e., I) should wait until the right time.

My Shuffle's packed up and I can't fix it because I've lost the disk. I need the Touch now in case I have to go on a train journey.

You have no train journeys scheduled for the foreseeable future.

But I really want it now.

But if you get it now, it won't seem like a birthday present.

I don't care. There are lots of things I want to do with it now. And there will be more things I will be able to do with it then because new apps are being added all the time. You could use Spotify on it. Have you seen Spotify? It's absolutely amazing. (I understand that theoretically Spotify isn't available in the US, but some people seem to be able to access it so give it a try. You don't actually need an invitation like it says.)

Yes, but you can use Spotify on your home pc. In fact, you do, quite a lot.

Yes, but I could use it on a tiny gadget with earphones and that has to be better.

You don't even know if you would be able to use it at home because you don't have a wireless connection any more; you got rid of it when you upgraded because it slowed things down too much. You don't know where your nearest hotspot is. You might have to go out in order to use it to access the Web.

Don't care.

Short pause.

But I could use it for other things now. I could play Solitaire without getting a numb arm.

That's not really a convincing argument. You could just play less Solitaire. And while we're on the subject, less Mahjong Titans.

I coud get iSteam, the app which makes it look as if the Touch screen is steamed up.

Sigh.

You could get organised about Skype and Fring and use the Touch as a phone.

But I already have a perfectly good deal with Virginmedia which allows me to call anywhere in the UK for free (it depends on how you define free, but we needn't go into that here).

I could get into jailbreaking.

You probably shouldn't invalidate the guarantee. Let's face it, you're more the sort of person who gets an extra year's warranty than the sort who hacks things.

I could watch movies.

Yes, on a tiny screen while you're sitting in front of the television.

I could read ebooks.

Your flat is full of real books, which you can read any time you want.

Yes, but I could read them on a tiny gadget. I might get round to re-reading all sorts of things. I could get my cousin in Indiana to give me his credit card number so that I could download the Kindle app.

Anyway, those are just reasons for getting it, not for getting it now.

But I want it now.

You should really wait until your birthday, or at least a bit nearer it; say, one month before.

What about two months? Next Thursday?


And meanwhile, I can knit little covers for it.