Pandora

The other day I broke down and bought an iphone because I have a dog who loves to escape at inconvenient times and makes me late for appointments and exercise classes, etc.  I Googled dog-finding applications and devices and found two which sounded promising.  The first was designed for hunting dogs which go far afield in search of racoons, boars, etc.  This system has two components:  a collar with two antennae and a radio receiver which communicates with the collar via satellite.  I liked the way this one sounded because it was rugged and my dog loves to go into the back country of Jupiter Farms.  So I went to Gander Mountain, a big NRA outlet, and bought the $500 system, after being assured I could return it if I didn't like it.

The Red Dog tolerated the ridiculous collar quite well and didn't seem to mind that everyone who saw him laughed at him.  I was able to find him when he went on the lam although it required a bit of compass learning on my part.  The problem with this elaborate system was that the batteries on the collar and radio receiver ran down rather quickly meaning that the Red Dog could go missing at any time even wearing the My Favorite Martian collar.  So, I decided to try another device, the Tagg collar, which works with the iphone.  That meant buying an iphone which I had resisted for years just because. Fortunately, I was due for an upgrade and AT&T sold me the 4s for $99 (plus an exorbitant fee for this that and the other).

It took a few days for the dog tracker and the iphone to learn to love each other, but in the meantime, I discovered itunes and then, the love of my life:  Pandora.  I am totally addicted to my Bluegrass and Country stations.  My earbuds are always in place and I no longer speak to anyone.  This is a blessing and a curse because I find people to be distracting even though I crave conversation and connection.

What I am discovering is how much great music there is out there that I do not have to work to enjoy.  Life is good.