It looks like my iPod really is kaput. It’s ok though, because I have a plan. Let me break this down for you. The new 8gb Nanos retail for $275.00 in Korea (they’re slightly more expensive here than in the states.) The cigarettes I used to buy cost $2.50 a pack. Are you with me so far? When I’ve been smoke free for 110 days, I’ll have “saved” exactly $275.00 on packs of cigarettes that I haven’t bought. I think that’ll be about the right time to give myself a nice little reward.

You know, if I really wanted to I could go right down to the Apple store in Myeong-dong and get me a new Nano, lickity-split, but I hear this delayed gratification thing is pretty cool, so I guess I’ll give it a try for once in my life.

* * *

About a week ago, at the Gwanghwamun subway station, I stopped to look at a table of DVDs for sale outside the Kyobo bookstore. They were mostly older movies, documentaries, and music videos. All legal, but none of it A-list stuff. They did have a copy of David Lynch’s Eraserhead on the table however. I had never seen it (I’d never seen any David Lynch film in its entirety in fact), so I picked up a copy, along with Tirez sur le pianiste, and The King and I.

On Sunday night a friend came over for dinner and we watched it. Up to that point the most fucked-up movie I’d ever seen was Brazil. Brazil is Mary Friggin’ Poppins compared to this. It’s been three days and I’m still creeped out over it. Next time I think my life sucks I’m going to remind myself that at least I’m not the guy from Eraserhead.

Labels: iPod, movies, quitting smoking