10 days.
That's how long it's taken me to rip my entire CD collection.
10 days of staring blankly at a monitor, 10 days of searching the net for the album art that dBpoweramp can't find, 10 days of "OMG, I can't believe I bought that!", but, as the last few digital notes of the "You And Me Song" by The Wannadies made their way to their new home, it was finally over, 6217 songs and over 187Gb worth of music.
It seems quite strange seeing my musical timeline laid out on my bedroom floor. I bought my first CD player in 1986 when CDs were all spangly and new, and my first CD was the U2 single "With or Without You". Along with "Don't Go" by The Hothouse Flowers and "Brothers In Arms" by Dire Straits, it was about the only music available on these strange silver discs that everyone thought you could use instead of toilet paper and they would still work.
As I've been ripping I've been "Rediscovering Music", to quote a catchphrase from the company I work for.
I'd forgotten all about "Megablast" by Bomb The Bass, "Muscle Deep" by Then Jerico or "Connection" by Elastica. Songs from my past that instantly take me back.
I'm thoroughly looking forward to having instant access to my new library, the ability to make playlists and browse my tracks through my PDA and to hear all this wonderful music better than it's ever sounded before.
Vive la digital revolution!
*PS - Bonus points for anyone who can correctly identify all the top CD's in the photo.
No prize, just glory . . . and my respect.
