Entry for 18th December, 2008 - They Hold All the Cards

I have been considering buying an iPod dock for my car. You would have thought that this might be a relatively simple process.
You would have thought wrong.
For one thing, my car was built in 2000. That was before MP3s were even a glint in the eye of Mr Apple. Back in 2000, if you wanted in-car entertainment, then you had to pay for a tiny brass band to sit in the ash tray. Do you remember them? The tiny little Salvation Army people with their itsy bitsy euphoniums and tamborines. I miss them. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer an elfin brass ensemble to a Bang and Olafsen surround sound system.
If you go into Halfords and tell them you want an iPod system for a car built in 2000, then they laugh at you. “They” here are the spotty young men in white short sleeved shirts. Normally, I would look down upon them, and view my life as superior. But, here – here in the world of Halfords – they reign supreme. They are young Gods, and I am but a passing pilgrim.
In short, they hold all the cards. And so, I must endure their derision, whilst they search in vain for a system that is compatible with your antediluvian mode of transport.