iPod Anxiety

Chances are you probably spent a solid week on that playlist.  The one for the big pre-game party you're hosting, or that college football road trip you're cramming in a car for.  You probably envisioned yourself right there in the moment, and hand selected every track to create just the right mood.  While there may have been a couple more tracks you could have added for time security, it's ready to go live.  Then the Pod gets the hookup with the speaks.  Your playlist, over everyone else's, has been selected.  It's a triumphant moment, until reality sets in.  Will everyone understand the nostalgic humor of the Spice Girls selection(s)?  Is Mayer Hawthorne a little too niche?  Is that one hit wonder just simply going to leave the crowd wondering?  Is Elton John really a perennial cool?  And how on earth am I going to play off that Tony Bennett song I left on there?  When iPod anxiety hits, it can be rather aggressive.  It can forever alter the way your friends perceive you.  In some cases it can even leave chronic paranoia when listening to your personal Pandora stations and Spotify library at work.  If in fact though all goes well, and often times it does, the lasting impact is invaluable.  We're talking first dibs and priority playlist invites for the next big bash.  Most importantly though you can have the satisfaction in knowing that you and Ben Folds are just as cool neat as you were in high school.

{Image Credit: "Chorus Member in Special Position' by Frances Stark}