Cds, downloads, vinyl records, mp3 players...

I'm sitting outside on a gorgeous afternoon and things seem pretty okay. I got my taxes done and made out alright. Nothing owed anyway, which is quite a relief when you wait until the last minute like I did. And as much as I hate that whole "free money" thing that the vast amount of Americas believe their tax returns to be, I can't help but want to buy something. Stimulate the economy. Reward myself for being a good citizen and doing my part to keep the roads paved and our children in schools.

The first thing that really comes to mind for me is stereo equipment. Or audio equipment. But do you really call it stereo equipment if it's not going to go anywhere near your stereo? I was thinking about getting the 160 gig iPod, which was discontinued and is getting hard to find, and finally putting ALL of my music on one tiny little device I could keep in my pocket. It would be great for road trips, and as a friend of mine pointed out, backup in case of a flood.

Then I talked to another friend of mine about vinyl records. They're making a bit of a comeback. Bands are increasingly offering a free download of the album with the purchase of a record. So you can add the title to your mp3 player, yet still have something tangible, and some would argue highly superior, to play. I do have a record player, but it's not that high quality of one. For me to really get into vinyl again I would need to update.

For the few years leading up to Napster and the widespread use of mp3s, I frequented used record stores to stock up on various albums that caught my eye. It was a great way to complete my collection without going broke at $15.99 a title. And I liked the warm sound too. Especially with albums that came out in the vinyl era. That was how they were supposed to sound.

It's been about 10 years since I've bought a vinyl record, and all but a few of my records are still boxed up from a move I made in 2002. Recently I helped a friend sell all of her cds. 1500+ titles. It felt like product to her, and I suppose it's starting to feel that way to me too. I guess I am at the crossroads a bit. Do I keep buying cds only to rip them immediately to iTunes and hardly ever pull them out again? Do I go completely digital? Switch to vinyl only? Or keep doing what I'm doing?

Right now I think I'll keep doing what I'm doing. The path of least resistance. Buying less cds each year and downloading more, but still careful to get as close to that audiophile sound as I can on a budget for the artists I care for most.

But I still don't know if I want to buy that iPod or not.