iPod earbuds

I have a problem with the earbuds on my iPod. It's not that they hurt my ears--a complaint of some-- and definitely not that they don't provide good sound quality. Still it's a not uncommon problem since I've seen mention of it on ilounge née ipodlounge.

Miss Daisy and the earbuds
I wrote a story about my cat, Miss Daisy, for Crafty Cat Crimes, an anthology of 100 cat mysteries, in which she solved a mystery along with a fictionalized version of Christine and myself. That was called "Miss Daisy and the Rosary Pea." (As an interesting aside I wrote it in my hotel room the last time I was a guest at CoastCon. That was many ages ago.) The plan, even though I didn't pursue it, was to have her involved in a number of cat/horticulture mysteries. The rosary pea was just supposed to be one of many poisonous plants she'd encounter.

Besides the shameless plug, I mention all that because Miss Daisy actually created a brief mystery not long after I got the sidPod for Christmas. I listened to it before bedtime one night then just rolled over and tucked it under the edge of the bed rather than getting up to put it in a drawer.

Mysterious stretching
The next morning the earbuds trailed across the carpet like the eviscerated innards of a mouse, and the iPod was tugged from its hiding place.

The pod was undamaged and happily the earbuds and their cord were fine, but the little black fuzzy thingy covers for the buds were missing.

The usual suspects
Immediately there were two suspects, well three but I never really considered Christine. Those I liked most for the crime were:

1. Monty - my tomcat who has a criminal history. He was released from the pound into Christine's custody after his picture appeared in a local newspaper. He immediately viewed it as being released on his own recognizance.

2. Daisy - the good cat, who has a brief criminal history, but it was really a misunderstanding. When she was a kitten of about 10 ounces she strayed with her brother-Cleo- into a neighbor's yard while I was at work. Considerate human being that she was, the woman waited about 2 seconds to call the pound and have two tiny kittens picked up. The pound only charged me half the bail because Daisy and her brother were so tiny and defenseless they kept them in one cage.

Anyway, Monty with his roguish background, seemed a likely candidate, just as he did when we had gas logs installed and someone dug in the fake gravel in the fireplace. He was cleared when Miss Daisy strolled into the room with soot all over her face.

Unsolved
The case remained unsolved for a while. I put the second set of fuzzy black thingys on the buds and moved on with life, making sure the pod was stored before bedtime each night. Then one day I came home from the gym and put the pod on the dresser, a tall dresser usually only accessed by the cats if they suspect the Pounce container is up there even though their lack of opposing thumbs usually thwarts their efforts if they manage to steal the container.

I came home, plopped the pod on the dresser and proceeded to take a shower until Christine's shout drew me from the bathroom. Christine frequently prefers to shout and draw my attention to situations rather than deal with them directly, I guess because she believes they somehow have illustrative value.

When I strolled back into the bedroom I discovered:

Exhibit A: The iPod on the floor.

Exhibit B: The earbud cord trailed across the carpet like the eviscerated innards of a mouse.

Exhibit C: The black thingys were missing.

Exhibit D: Miss Daisy stood over the whole scene burping.

After Christine's lecture about taking better care of my toys she berated me for being outsmarted by the cat. I could only answer: "She hardly ever jumps up there any more."

I bought some more little black thingys from a helpful gentleman at Radio Shack. They really do have everything there except a replacement remote control for my old Robie Sr.

Since then Daisy has outwitted me a few more times. She continues her pursuit of eating little black fuzzy thingys every time my guard is down.

She's eaten them from a bowl on the coffee table and from a hiding place under the coffee table and a couple of other spots that escape. She has the uncanny ability to stay on point while I focus on other matters.

The problem I mentioned? My cat eats my iPod's black fuzzy thingys. Currently I'm without black fuzzy thingys on my earbuds and Miss Daisy has a little less fiber in her diet. Moral to this story? Even your good cat will eat the black thingys off your iPod I suppose.