Well, it must have seemed like I was never going to write another post. But the writer's itch is always there in the background, so I'm ready to scratch again. And I've been busy. Hopefully you'll understand the reason for the delay. I've been out getting a new job, finding a very special boyfriend I highly esteem, and acquiring a new smart phone (not necessarily in that order). Ah, and a new crown on molar number three. In fact, postponed body maintenance in general has been underway since I last wrote. All this, it would seem, would be just the way to get some much needed new material.
I can just see you rubbing your greedy hands together saying, "Details, details, let's get to the details!" (You know who you are). But as Joyce Maynard learned the hard way, divulging the wrong details, especially about a relationship, can be the death knell of said relationship. Likewise with the new job. I would be more than happy to divulge details about my new crown, (thank you Dr. Bo), but that, I'm sure, would not be nearly as interesting. So that just leaves the smart phone. I'll see if I can make that sexy enough to keep you reading.
Having postponed as long as humanly possible... well that's a little dramatic, let's say my old phone was, a.) so old it had no camera and, b.) was virtually impossible to text on. So about three years old... ancient, I decided to get a new phone. Walking into a phone store at the start of my quest nearly blew me over with a blast of new terminology and options. Choices of providers, choices of plans, choices of phones (many, many phones), and a daunting list of everything each phone allows you to do. I hoped there was a phone that would cook me dinner, but that is still in the works. I'm sure there'll be one soon.
Just going in the store was enough for the first foray into the world of what I now know as "smart phones". I think they're called that because you have to have a PhD to use one. For a minute I went to that place that occasionally tells me my brain is too old for this. But then I remembered the only way to keep my brain from actually being too old for anything is to use it. I took a break, bought myself a nice Starbuck's Frappucino, something you only need a master's degree to order, and renewed my resolve for the challenge.
A few days later, I hit Costco. I heard they sell phones and plans. At Costco I learned there are three options, a smart phone, a regular phone, and something in between. Now we're getting somewhere. But still it was almost completely overwhelming, so I backed away from the kiosk and stopped for a frozen yogurt sundae, leaving the store empty handed, except for the sundae, but slightly less daunted. I also learned Costco can't sell iPhones for some reason. Those still sounded super cool to me, so I pressed on to find a place I could get one. It's part of the "just buy the coolest sounding thing and go with it" approach that sometimes works.
Here on the island, there are really only two highly functional carriers, AT&T and Verizon. I'd heard early on that only AT&T has the iPhone, but Verizon is the carrier of choice here. So I thought, Hmmm... maybe I can live without an iPhone, those Droid things sound pretty good. Feeling proud I'd learned the word Droid, I headed out to find a Verizon store. That was easy. After picking one by spinning around and throwing the rest of my frozen yogurt sundae with my eyes closed, it was there I met a nice young salesman who explained to me the one million combinations there are of phones and plans. My eyes glazed over at number two hundred. I stumbled from the store, and after wiping the blood dripping from my ears, went next door to Subway, to order a turkey sandwich, which only requires a bachelors degree to order. Yes, I'll admit it, I was on the mainland.
Back at home, late one night, armed with a whole new vocabulary, "iPhone", "Droid", "smartphone", "data package", I decided it was time to go online. And it was there, finally, in the quiet of the night I took the plunge. Make it easy and I will do it. And it was pretty easy. I'd narrowed it down to which carrier, which narrowed down my choice of phone, which told me which plans to buy, and, most importantly, I was able to get a local number online. That's really all there was to it. That and a little thing called a credit card. They make that super easy too. They've figured me out.
So, now, here I am, my earbuds in, listening to my favorite music for free (less the cost of the phone, or "device" to use the proper terminology, and the plans of course, gulp). But hey, we only go round once that I know of, so why not? Besides it's a bargain when you get a local-to-Friday-Harbor smart phone number and get rid of your land line. I know, I know, that's a stretch, but if we want to stay smart, we have to get smart... phones that is. And that's all there is to say about that. What, still no details about the boyfriend? Well, if you know me or if you know anyone in Friday Harbor, you'll know soon enough. And if I'm really smart, that's all I'm going to say.
