The Apple Store

Have you ever been to one?

What a place. It's clean, every Apple computer screen is lit up with gorgeous color, and there is space to think and look without being overwhelmed by technology. I wanted to move in.

Yesterday, we made the pilgrimage. Jon went with us (who can resist a chance to see the G5 with the 30" screen? Makes me all shivery just remembering it). Jon and I love Apple. I have my cute little iBook ever ready on my little table that I call my work station. But being in that store made me want the new G5 that has no big computer box - just a big flat screen and keyboard. Just gorgeous. I mentioned this idle interest to Jon who immediately started calculating how we could pay for it. (You see why I love this man? We would never go into that kind of conversation over couches or kitchen appliances... but a new Apple computer? We must need one and by golly, we can afford it!)

Anyway, back to the main and plain of this story. We entered the Apple store neatly tucked between Pottery Barn and some other inane mall shop.

Our mission? Adding to Steve Job's pockets with more of our hard earned cash.

Jacob bought the new iPod with video. I was skeptical. He already has an iPod (he's bought them both with his own money by selling cookies to neighbors... seriously - makes us question the origin of his genes, but we're not complaining!).

He upgraded to the new (and blacker) iPod. (He opted for badass black over lily white.)

Let's just say it totally rocks. Totally. Like, now I want one and I don't even watch music videos. But he seduced me by hooking me up with Sting's "Desert Rose." The sound quality, first of all, blew my doors off. As my mom's husband said to me once about the Sony walkman they gave me in 1984 "It's a musical orgasm." I don't know if the pictures helped... but hey! It was Sting on the screen. Uber cool.

The little screen is clearer than our TV. The Pixar short "The Birds" popped with life and color.

But aside from movies and videos, what really got me is that Jacob has all 1000 photos from Italy on his iPod now and has created slide shows to music that he can pull out at any time to share with other people. I can't believe how totally cool that is.

Creative Memories? Sayonara! I am going Apple. (You can do the same thing on your Apple computers and if you get the big screens, you can even use their little universal remote that looks like the shuffle to control music, photos, and desktop from a distance. Conceivably, you could set up your screen, click on slide show of your last hay ride and let it play in the background while entertaining guests!)

See, we do need that bigger screen. Wonder how many cookies I'd have to sell...