Farewell compact disc, I shall miss thee...

For most girls things like purses, shoes, and other such items hold a very special place in their hearts. Some like these items probably way more than they should even to the point where it might not be healthy (trust me, I've seen it before.) Well, I'm not like most girls. Don't get me wrong I count purses and jewelry as some of my vices. But there's one item in this world I can say I'm truly addicted to. It's a little piece of technology we like to call a compact disc. It all started when I was around eight. In fact, I can tell you the first cd I ever got my hands on: SWV's debut album. To say I was amazed is an understatement. After spending my few years dealing with tapes (remember those?!), I had grown tired of all the rewinding and fast forwarding involved. It was just a hassle. So when cds came into my life I felt like I was really doing something. The ability to skip to your favorite track with one push of the button you are freaking kidding me?! This is better than sliced bread!

This amazement quickly progressed into a full blown addiction. When something new came out, whether I really wanted it or not, I had to have it. Not just eventually, but the same day it came out. Hell, for the most part it's still like that. My mom was kind enough (or that much of an enabler) to take me to the music store anytime I wanted to go before I could drive. Once I got that license though it was over with. I went to great lengths to expand my cd collection and even surrounded myself with other addicts. Our lovely podcast contributor Candice has often accompanied me on these trips. Like me, she too has a problem. A prime example of how bad things got is how I came to own Kanye West's Late Registration. This release happened to coincide with one of the worst natural disasters in history: Hurricane Katrina. While the damage pales in comparison to that of New Orleans, Birmingham got its ass handed to it. Well, after coming to school only to find that classes were canceled (which for UAB can be compared to an Elvis sighting) Candice and I decided this was the perfect time to cop that new Kanye. So we traveled all the way to the other side of town through downed power lines and no working traffic lights till we found an open music store. We might have been in danger and so what we didn't have electricity at the house. We had some good music to listen to when the lights came back on!

We've even been known to scheme to get cds including lying to the people at Walmart about traveling from another city to pick up a copy of Beyonce's Bday at 2 a.m. Don't judge us because it worked (both times)! My love affair with the compact disc has been one wild and crazy ride. So you can imagine my sadness now that it's dying.

Yeah I know folks have been saying that for a while but I've been in denial. That was until I got my hands on the devil's instrument: the iPod. Now don't get me wrong, I love my slice of mp3 heaven. It gives one great freedom to know their entire music collection is available at any time and anywhere. But this invention is slowly fading out my beloved cds and that's not cool. There's a sort of ritual that comes with buying cds. First, there is the anticipation involved in waiting on it to hit the shelves. Then, there's the liner notes. I love being able to read who produced the track, where it was recorded, what it samples and the thank you notes. Its one of my favorite things about owning cds. My major gripe with iTunes and other online music stores is that you lose that. Even with the drawbacks, I find myself relying on iTunes to fulfill my music buying needs. It's certainly more convenient than waiting on a store to open up and driving there to pick it up. They never sell out which is a big plus. But it still makes me sad because I feel like I'm losing an old friend or something. But I guess everything changes with the times. It's going to feel mighty funny trying to explain to my future children what a cd was.