On Thursday night I walked with flinching delicacy toward the garage to confirm the fate of my beloved 3rd generation iPod touch. The iPodslaughter was carried out with horrifying efficiency by the washing machine while the poor, helpless Jobsian was trapped in my pants pocket, leaking micro-volts into the surrounding water and slowly winking out of electronic existence.

So. I'm experiencing what Merlin Mann would call a true first world problem. Now that the iPhone 4 has been released, I know what the next generation of the iPod will look like, with several non-trivial upgrades (mainly to the resolution of the display). Now, of course, I don't want to buy a replacement iPod touch while I know what the next generation will look like. The next generation iPod is usually released around the September/October timeframe. At the same time, I'm used to having my entire music library with me at all times, and regularly use it.

I could:

1. Do nothing; giving up podcasts, audiobooks, and portable access to my formidable music library until sometime in September/October
2. Buy the cheapest possible iPod (the 2GB shuffle) to bide my time until the next generation iPod touch comes out
3. Buy the cheapest possible iPod with a screen (the 8GB iPod nano) to hurt a little bit less until the next generation iPod touch comes out
4. Sell my current smartphone, swap phone numbers with my wife, swap Verizon for AT&T, and get an iPhone 4

As I said, a true first-world problem. What would you do?

After listening to the track again (which is no less amazing, by the way, you should totally get it right now), I visited Andrew's site again and noticed a little "Mint Green. Get it." call-out link that looked very nice.

Then, I thought, the typography was a little off. Why have "it" wrap to the second line? It feels just a little awkward and leaves some unbalanced white space at the bottom right of the box.

At that point something deep down in my brain rang the deja-vu bell. I'd had that exact thought before. On my site. When I originally wrote the blog post recommending the piece.

A moment later I realized that my little blockquote call-out link graphic had been screen-captured and used on the artists' site as the primary link to download this track! I've never been so happily plagiarized.

And Andrew, if you're reading, can I get a signed copy of the album? I'll pay the postage :)

Finale of the Rose by Karen Marie Garrett

I just got an invitation this evening from a newly launched service called TypeKit, which is basically a font subscription service for use in embedding high-quality fonts in web pages in a way that is both very attractive and standards compliant. As far as I know, it's the very first service of this kind.

It took me less than 15 minutes to setup a free trial account. I designated the domain that would be using the service (doodlemonger.com, of course), inserted two lines of javascript into my template headers, and built a simple font "kit" using a nice sans-serif font for my post headers and a serif font for my pull-quotes and targeted them at the CSS selectors to which I wanted to apply the fonts (in my case, I used the M+ 1c and Vollkorn font faces on with the doodlemonger.com #main_body h2 and #main_body .entry .entry_pullquote CSS selectors, respectively). It worked perfectly on the first try and the results are very compelling.

I'm very excited about this service! Typekit finally makes using high-quality fonts on the web viable, highly compatible, standards-based, and simple!

I really hope this company does well. It's a laser-focused service on a niche that they're flat-out pioneering as a business model.

They're not 100% open to the public yet, but you can put in your email address at typekit.com to (hopefully) get a trial account as I did. Unfortunately, I don't have any invites to give out!

Get it.

Try to control your excitement.

Music: Monday by Ludovico Einaudi

• See the Photos!
• See the video of Isaac meeting Ella for the first time!

She weighed 8 lbs, 2.4 oz and measured a leggy 20" long. Within seconds, she let us know (in shrill tones) just what sort of injustice this cold, bright, loud new world had rendered.

Our experience at the Birth Day Place at Feather River Hospital was exceptional. The facility itself was large, clean, and well laid out to evoke a feeling of spacious health (the opposite of most hospitals). The nursing staff was friendly, caring, and professional, as well as very capable and knowledgeable. Even the food was great! When was the last time you heard of a hospital with delectable dishes?

Going into this labor, we were very concerned about Tina's hip/pelvis/nerve injury (a leftover from Isaac's delivery in December, 2006). Isaac's was a very difficult birth, with a great deal of pain associated with walking (or even moving) due to nerve injuries from complications during delivery in 2006.

As luck (or God, or destiny) would have it, Ella's birth was a much less harrowing process that didn't cause (or aggravate) Tina's injuries from Isaac's birth. Afterward, the nerve pain that had been afflicting Tina throughout Ella's pregnancy had subsided significantly and she was able to walk and move about as expected after a normal delivery. Needless to say, we both breathed a huge sigh of relief and were thankful for the wonderfully contrasting positive delivery experience.

We were discharged yesterday afternoon (June 3rd) and came home to get to know Ella a little bit better. She and Tina are doing very well and we're all moving gracefully into the newborn routine. Big brother Isaac is enchanted with his new "cute baby mister" (he can't quite say "sister" just yet) and constantly wants to hold her.

We want to thank everyone for their kind wishes, love and support!

Vox Veritas Vita.

Rose by Ludovico Einaudi

The Story So Far

1. It begins with a revelation.
   • Monday by Ludovico Einaudi (Day 1)
2. Everything has changed. The Journey begins.
   • Questa Notte by Ludovico Einaudi (Day 2)
3. The search continues with greater intensity. And desperation.
   • Prelude, Fugue & Variation, Op. 18: III. Variation by Cesar Franck (Day 3)
4. An unsuccessful outcome.
   • Letter from Elise by Elise Lebec (Day 4)
5. Wandering without purpose.
   • Everyday by Carly Comando (Day 5)
6. New faces. New perspectives. Cautious hope.
   • Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor by Frederic Chopin (Day 6)
7. Acceptance. Looking forward.
   • Where Are You Now by George Winston (Day 7)
8. A Moment of Reflection.
   • Inside Out by Liz Story (Day 8)
9. Clouds in the Distance.
   • Prelude in D-flat Major, Op. 28, No. 15 "Raindrop" by Frederic Chopin (Day 9)
10. And then, rain.
    • Cloudburst by George Winston (Day 10)
11. The Storm unleashes its fury.
    • Etude in C minor, Op. 10, No. 12 "Revolutionary" by Frederic Chopin (Day 11)
12. Unease in the moments between dark and dawn.
    • Lights In The Sky by George Winston (Day 12)
13. Dawn breaks.
    • Montana Half-Light by Philip Aaberg (Day 13)
14. What Now?
    • True Love Waits by Radiohead (Day 14)
15. Building resolve.
    • Prelude Op. 22, No. 1 in G-Sharp Minor by Alexander Scriabin (Day 15)
16. Needles in the wind of an ancient pine forest.
    • Tamarack Pines by George Winston (Day 16)
17. An empty, aging home.
    • Il vecchio castello (The Old Castle) by Modest Mussorgsky (Day 17)
18. Old promises fulfilled.
    • Fake Plastic Trees by Radiohead (Day 18)
19. In the moonlight.
    • Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy (Day 19)
20. Walking.
    • Promenade from Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky (played by Vladimir Horowitz) (Day 20)
21. The first day of spring.
    • Hummingbird by George Winston (Day 21)
22. Respite.
    • II. Adagio Cantabile from Sonata No. 8 in C Minor for Piano, Op. 13 "Pathetique" by Beethoven (Day 22)
23. An unexpected pleasure.
    • Before Barbed Wire by George Winston (Day 23)
24. The journey begins anew.
    • As For Us by Fernando Ortega (Day 24)
25. An intriguing detour.
    • Nocturne No. 1 In B Flat Minor, Op. 9/1 by Frederic Chopin (Day 25)
26. An hour with the ocean.
    • Le Onde by Ludovico Einaudi (Day 26)
27. Walking through the sand and fog.
    • Knives Out by Radiohead (played by Christopher O'Riley) (Day 27)
28. A choice.
    • Etude in C-Sharp Minor Op. 2 No. 1 by Alexander Scriabin (played by Vladimir Horowitz) (Day 28)
29. Every choice has consequences.
    • Loreta And Desireé's Bouquet - Part 2 by George Winston (Day 29)
30. Parting.
    • Etude No. 5 by Philip Glass

Parting.

Etude No. 5 by Philip Glass

The Story So Far

1. It begins with a revelation.
   • Monday by Ludovico Einaudi (Day 1)
2. Everything has changed. The Journey begins.
   • Questa Notte by Ludovico Einaudi (Day 2)
3. The search continues with greater intensity. And desperation.
   • Prelude, Fugue & Variation, Op. 18: III. Variation by Cesar Franck (Day 3)
4. An unsuccessful outcome.
   • Letter from Elise by Elise Lebec (Day 4)
5. Wandering without purpose.
   • Everyday by Carly Comando (Day 5)
6. New faces. New perspectives. Cautious hope.
   • Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor by Frederic Chopin (Day 6)
7. Acceptance. Looking forward.
   • Where Are You Now by George Winston (Day 7)
8. A Moment of Reflection.
   • Inside Out by Liz Story (Day 8)
9. Clouds in the Distance.
   • Prelude in D-flat Major, Op. 28, No. 15 "Raindrop" by Frederic Chopin (Day 9)
10. And then, rain.
    • Cloudburst by George Winston (Day 10)
11. The Storm unleashes its fury.
    • Etude in C minor, Op. 10, No. 12 "Revolutionary" by Frederic Chopin (Day 11)
12. Unease in the moments between dark and dawn.
    • Lights In The Sky by George Winston (Day 12)
13. Dawn breaks.
    • Montana Half-Light by Philip Aaberg (Day 13)
14. What Now?
    • True Love Waits by Radiohead (Day 14)
15. Building resolve.
    • Prelude Op. 22, No. 1 in G-Sharp Minor by Alexander Scriabin (Day 15)
16. Needles in the wind of an ancient pine forest.
    • Tamarack Pines by George Winston (Day 16)
17. An empty, aging home.
    • Il vecchio castello (The Old Castle) by Modest Mussorgsky (Day 17)
18. Old promises fulfilled.
    • Fake Plastic Trees by Radiohead (Day 18)
19. In the moonlight.
    • Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy (Day 19)
20. Walking.
    • Promenade from Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky (played by Vladimir Horowitz) (Day 20)
21. The first day of spring.
    • Hummingbird by George Winston (Day 21)
22. Respite.
    • II. Adagio Cantabile from Sonata No. 8 in C Minor for Piano, Op. 13 "Pathetique" by Beethoven (Day 22)
23. An unexpected pleasure.
    • Before Barbed Wire by George Winston (Day 23)
24. The journey begins anew.
    • As For Us by Fernando Ortega (Day 24)
25. An intriguing detour.
    • Nocturne No. 1 In B Flat Minor, Op. 9/1 by Frederic Chopin (Day 25)
26. An hour with the ocean.
    • Le Onde by Ludovico Einaudi (Day 26)
27. Walking through the sand and fog.
    • Knives Out by Radiohead (played by Christopher O'Riley) (Day 27)
28. A choice.
    • Etude in C-Sharp Minor Op. 2 No. 1 by Alexander Scriabin (played by Vladimir Horowitz) (Day 28)
29. Every choice has consequences.
    • Loreta And Desireé's Bouquet - Part 2 by George Winston (Day 29)