One small step backwards for man, one gigantic reverse leap for me

Plop, plop, fizzle, crash. Over a week ago I bumped into a bucket of water with my cell phone dutifully hanging on to my back pocket. Well, the phone didn’t hang on quite long enough. The phone case’s clip slipped off my back side and straight down into the icy water. I spent the next two days trying to resuscitate the annoying companion. Its seemingly constant cry was finally silenced. No more would I run across the room at this particular phone’s beck and call.

As I came to accept the fact that this phone is no more (it is fast becoming a post-phone, one that wasn’t coming back to full health), I starting looking for a replacement. This led me to a Blackberry phone which allowed me to use a cordless Bluetooth headset with it. Pretty slick. It also allowed me to store all of my Outlook phone numbers and addresses as well as lots of other goodies. BUT this new phone would not work with my old calling plan. My old calling plan which I’ve had for almost 10 years still includes first minute free and per second billing! I just couldn’t give this up. So I said good-bye to my new Blackberry pal.

Caught in the dilemma of wanting this new phone (but not wanting to loose my old plan) and not wanting to commit myself to a lesser new phone with a one- or two-year contract, I starting rummaging through my closet. And what did I find but a twentieth century phone, an old reliable Nokia with a (heaven forbid) monochrome screen, no polyphonic rings, no flashing lights, a plain tan cover, and no key-lock feature. Wow, how spoiled I’ve become. It’s so basic, so utilitarian.

It’s definitely not a phone I can carry around in public, especially if teen-agers are present.

So now I’m caught in limbo, waiting for a newer Blackberry type phone that will allow me to use my old plan. (I hear there’s one coming.) While at the same time I’m using this ancient phone from a previous century. But I guess the good news is that I have survived. I can still be bothered by all those curious about my whereabouts.

I suppose I should be thankful that I still had it (since I never throw anything away.) And I am grateful that at least it’s not rotary.