My ipod, 3rd generation and four to five years old has kicked the bucket, given up the ghost, bought the farm, knocked on the pearly gates, passed over, eaten the carpet. Eaten the carpet? Where did that come from? It just slid from my fingers. It sounds ridiculous . . . maybe it is a blending of Sesame Street talk with Senior Moments. But never mind that.

Slowly over the past year, the ipod had become erratic in responding to its little round buttons above the scroll touch wheel. Then it froze on menu. A couple of squeezes and it jumped to going rapidly through a list of songs and then back to menu. Then it went to the Apple and then to the folder with exclamation point and then to alternating between the two.

I studied information on my macbook and did surgery. It was surprisingly easy and it did not make things worse. Nor did it make them better. A little while later when I attached it to the macbook, it simply said disk use and when unattached, appled and foldered at me.

So, I suppose that is that. And I will, I suppose, pull the plug.