I also have a DJ & an iPod.
I was also an Apple hater but my wife got an iPod last year. Because she is not a computerist, I had to manage her iPod (with iTunes).
So... I have Roxio, the Dell DJ Explorer, iTunes, & Duebox installed on the one computer I use to manage this stuff. All very happily co-exist with one another.
I got an iPod for myself last November. Now that I use iTunes alot more, I am really starting to like it more than the other software(s). Takes getting used to but once you use it and start to know your way around, I think you will start to like using it.
I like you, buy the CD and rip it into mp3's. iTunes does a nice job keeping your collection organized. It even keeps the tracks in order when you play them even though they are sorted by track name. That was one thing I always struggled with using other software.
Don't be scared