FROZEN

I love my iPod. Except when it quits working on me, which it has done on numerous occasions since Thanksgiving. Like a good little iPod owner, I checked the online support option and found this is somewhat of a common occurrence, and that it is easily fixed by "rebooting" the device.

But my iPod won't reboot. To get it to work again, I have to let the battery run down and then hook it up to my computer and then all is well.

Until it freezes up again.

Since I'm on vacation this week, I took the opportunity to call Apple technical support. The tech guy who was obviously sitting at a desk in the Phillipines determined that my device is broken and scheduled an appointment for me with a "Genius" at my local Apple Store. Seriously. The tech guys at the Apples Stores are called "Geniuses".

Genius Chris happily informed me that my iPod works. I told him that it freezes up. He happily showed me how to "reboot it", which is done by simultaneously pushing down on the "menu" area and the "select" area of the wheel. I happily told him I'd done that repeatedly all day, with no luck.

He rebooted, then handed it to me to try.

I failed.

He rebooted, then handed it to me again to try.

I failed.

Rinse. Repeat.

It was determined that my nails get in the way. Genius Chris told me something I had not read in any of the Apple FAQ's or message boards; my fingers have to touch the wheel to get it to work properly. Anything nonhuman will not work due to-- um-- a fancy word I SWORE I would not forget, but apparently have. It's a word that starts out like "capacity", but in the middle of the word, vears off and ends up as a different word. Which I can't remember.

Anyway, my nails interfere with the capaciwhateverness of the wheel. So I used my knuckles to reboot.

It worked.

It looked awkward and silly, but it worked.

I left the Apple Store a happy woman. Until I realized, I still don't know why my iPod freezes up. I just know that now I can get it to knuckle under and reboot.

Baby steps.