My 20GB iPod is for sale on eBay, now through Sunday morning.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5794523189

I’ve had my new iPod for about four days now, and I absolutely love knowing I have 40GB of space yet to fill with songs and photos.

Speaking of photos, having photos on the iPod is a wonderful feature. I love looking a photos on my iPod rather than my cell phone.

A busy weekend ahead: Parties tonight, Saturday night and Sunday night. I hope I find time to wrap up a Wedding Dresses article, as well as read more of “The Drawing of the Three,” the second of Stephen King’s “Dark Tower” series, this weekend. I also have the latest issue of Oprah’s magazine sitting on my shelf, as well as countless issues of The New Yorker.

It looks like it could rain today. It wouldn’t be all that bad to have a few showers pass over Omaha.

There are several reasons why I’m awake and at my Macintosh at this hour.

One, I purchased Apple’s new 60GB color iPod this evening. Hooray! I’m so geeked up over the color screen and triple the hard drive, I can’t sleep. I’m just watching the songs slowly transfer to my new beauty.

Two, Matthew and I visited Caribou Coffee for the first time this evening. I ordered some kind of s’mores-inspired coffee drink. It was delicious. And caffeine after 7 p.m. can occasionally keep me from slumber.

Three, I’m deep into “The Dark Tower” series and want to read the whole night through. But I can’t, you see, because I have to work at 8 tomorrow morning.

After my PowerBook transfers my 3,800 songs to my iPod — and I have sufficient time to play around with my new love — I’ll post my thoughts.

My bosses are taking me and the rest of the staff to an Omaha Royals baseball game this afternoon. They decided we deserved an afternoon away from the office, based on the busy summer we’ve had. I’m hearing it will be close to 100 degrees today, but how can the summer heat ruin an afternoon away from work?

I’m halfway through “The Gunslinger,” Stephen King’s first of seven books in his “Dark Tower” series. I am officially sucked into this work of fiction.

Matthew and I joined Netflix, thanks to a suggestion and free trial from Shannon, my Bend friend. Our first movie arrived yesterday, and we watched it last night.

So I receive this “exclusive” letter from Nebraska Furniture Mart today about a “members-only” special: 18 months interest-free on purchases $299 or more.

You see, NFM sells iPods, and I’m getting ready for a new one.

Do I need a new iPod?

No.

Do I want a new iPod?

Absolutely.

I mean, a color screen iPod for the same price I paid for my black-and-white iPod?

The past few weeks I have submersed myself in All Things Culture, from books and movies to music. Summer is certainly a time to try something new.

Today, I began a seven-novel path to discovery when I cracked the binding of Matthew’s paperback copy of “The Gunslinger” by Stephen King. (For those of you who don’t know, it’s part of King’s “The Dark Tower” series.) Twenty pages in and I am hooked. It’s good to know I have six other books lined up to read. I’ve been having poorer luck than usual selecting books. This may be the corner where I’ll turn.

Yesterday I saw “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” with Matthew. Good stuff. The music was fantastic and odd at the same time. I downed one too many Dots and fruit flavored Tootsie Rolls in the theater, yet remained wet-mouthed for even the smallest sliver of dark chocolate. In recent weeks, we also watched “The Notebook,” “War of the Worlds,” “Be Cool” and “Friday Night Lights.” I’m hearing good things about “Wedding Crashers” and may have to feed that guilty pleasure of bad summer movies.

The more I listen to Tilly and the Wall, the more I find myself ready to dance.

I’m looking forward to Jenny Lewis’ solo album, due out later this year on Conor Oberst’s Team Love record label.

And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t planning on borrowing/buying the upcoming Saddle Creek DVD documentary.

We’re nearing the two week anniversary of this year’s Fourth of July celebration and I’m just getting around to posting some of my favorite photos. The site was the Crosby-Kunold-Burket-Swanson-Golden Funeral Home in downtown Omaha.

Our host: Brian Leimbach, Crosby employee and Matt’s friend since preschool.

Enjoy.

Early in the day, with the annual Photo in Front of the Sign.

Brian Leimbach, our host.

Matt sending a bottle rocket to the moon.

Matt sending yet another bottle rocket to the moon.

Ignoring the funeral home’s parking sign.

Cock fighting at its finest.

The sound of silence does little for me in terms of motivation when I’m running on the treadmill two (sometimes three) mornings a week at the YMCA. I bring along my iPod but am consistently left clueless as to what should pound in my ears when I run.

I often find myself wasting precious running time in the locker room, giving my thumb a workout (instead of my legs and heart) as I scroll through my collection of 3,683 songs.

Help!

Here and now, I launch the proverbial gauntlet and encourage you, gentle reader, to help me create the ultimate workout playlist for my iPod, based on my music library.

In exchange for your detailed and diligent work, I will provide you with the mp3 files you arrange for this much-needed playlist.

Fin.

Three of Saturday’s events are heartily awarded my gold stamp of approval, based on activities earlier in the day:

• “First Ladies: Political Role and Public Image” at the Durham Western Heritage Museum.

• Delicious deli sandwiches for Matthew and me at Spirit World.

• A loaf of onion-dill-rye bread from Great Harvest Bread Company.

Omaha author Timothy Schaffert, my former editor at The Reader, has organized the first-ever (downtown) Omaha Lit Fest later this summer.

P.S. Timothy’s new book, “The Singing and Dancing Daughters of God,” will be published later this year by Unbridled Books.