Sync iPod to a new computer with matched library

Question

I have a large music library on my home desktop computer which I sync to a 160GB iPod Classic, and thorugh iTunes Match, to my work laptop and my iPhone.  I'm traveling over the holidays with my iPod and my laptop, and got some new CDs (thanks, Santa!) that I want to get onto my iPod.  My plan was to import the tracks to the iTunes library on my laptop, and then sync my iPod to the library on the laptop.  Technically, it's the same library as what's on my desktop, but obviously very few of the actual files from my music library are locally stored on my harddrive.  However, since my last sync to the desktop computer was very recent, the only new content that needs to be synched is the new stuff that's actually locally on the laptop, so my hope is that the general lack of physical music files on the laptop shouldn't matter.
When I plug the iPod to the computer, iTunes recognizes it and shows me all the content.  It doesn't complain that it's synched to a diferent library, but clicking the Sync button does nothing.
Is iTunes more or less trying to protect me from the possibility of having to download a crap-ton of music from iCloud (even though it wouldn't need to in my particular case), rendering my desired operation impossible, or am I missing something?  Should I be able to accomplish what I'm trying to do?  Or does iTunes only alow synching with the library from the 'primary' computer?
Any insight would be appreciated.
Thanks!
/Tom

Answer 1

Right after I submitted my question, I think I figured it out.
First, none of the "Sync" checkboxes were selected: for music, for movies, nothing.  When I checked the Synch Music button, it prompted me whether I wanted to erase whatever was currently on my iPod and replace it with what was in this library.  In my thinking, they should be the 'same' library.  But I realize now that they aren't.  I have a bunch of stuff on my library at home that's lossless or otherwise higher bitrate than 256k.  Even though I've downsampled to 256 on my iPod, the content on my home library and the content available to my laptop's library are in fact decidedly diferent content.  Also, many of my very long tracks, and any of my spoken word content that's sampled at a low bitrate aren't even visible to my laptop.
So, the only option relaly is to replace the iPod's library with the laptop's content.  I'm not even sure what that would do.  I suppose in attempting to put its library on the iPod it would download all the files from the cloud and then sync.  That's 127GB of dwonloading, so... no thanks.
Am I right in interpreting the issue, or does someone with more familiarity with this technology have a different take on the issue and whehter there's a way to accomplish what I'm looking to do here?