Monday, February 14, 2011

Upgrading My Can Opener

Our laptop died this weekend.

Tragic, yes? Even more so when you know that our laptop was the most advanced piece of technological equipment that we owned. Before I tell you about our prehistoric ways, I am reminded of a friend from college.

Todd was going to be rooming with 3 other guys in an apartment come fall, so they had all been on the phone during the summer hashing out the details. Mike had a couch he could bring....Chris had access to a dining room table, etc.

Finally it came down to little things like who has a can opener? Todd said he did and he would gladly bring it in August when they moved in. Everyone was pleased until Todd showed up with something like this:


Picture source.
There was talk of violence among them is all I'm saying. ALL of the other 3 guys could have gotten their hands on an ELECTRIC can opener but no....they had trusted Todd. Todd and his sad, pathetic excuse for a can opener. (Never mind the part where I just got an electric can opener a few months ago.)

The point of the story is my cell phone. We paid for S to have a phone with data access because he was in leadership at our church and needed to have access to the e-mails that invariably go along with that even during the day. But I did not see the need to pay "all that money" for a nice data phone for myself. I mean...I'm home a lot. We have internet at home. What else do I need?

But let me tell you, whenever a group of homeschool moms would be sitting in a group visiting and someone would ask, "when is that conference?" and 14 moms pulled out their phones to check?

I felt sorta like Todd. But if you needed to know what time it was...I was your woman. MY phone proudly displayed the time in DIGITAL FORMAT 24/7.

I know!

So suffice it to say, we had already been talking about the need to upgrade our phones and then our laptop died. This got us to making an entire technology upgrade plan for our family. I mean, it's time to switch from cassette tape to CD's, you know? Figuratively speaking, of course.

And while we were at the phone store forking over the money, I told S this was a GREAT Valentine's Day gift. If he were smoother, he could have said, "I thought so too." But you could see the lightbulb go on over his head about what a great idea that was, so...OK...he still gets credit.

I love my Valentine's present honey!

One of the most delightful things to me, other than the fact that I will not have to drive around lost and call a friend to have them look up directions for me on the internet and call me back, is the typing. It's HORRIBLE. I cannot type on that phone to save my life. But even when I type in alien language like:

eana!  ael ;avn bnkldk!

My phone spits out:

Great! See you there!

This post sent to you from my desktop computer, which sports a slot for a 3.5 inch floppy disk.

8 comments:

  1. A practical gift.

    I love it! My phone is on its last leg. I'm holding out until it dies, LOL.

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  2. Welcome to the future, my friend. I balked for so long, but let me tell you, I am actually MORE productive at home because I'm not on the computer (not a laptop) hardly at all anymore. I read all my favorite blogs on my phone, email on my phone, and even read the bible on it (though that isn't at good as actually holding the book in my hand.)

    What phone did ya get? Have you entered into the world of apps? :)

    Oh, and I have a hand crank can opener. It's not so bad. :)

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  3. sweet! new phones always take a little while to get used to... then you wonder how you ever functioned without it. love the navigation on my phone, too. it has saved me many times! worth every penny.

    i said before... if it were not for my hubs, i would probably 'still' be in the days of hieroglyphics. thankfully, he keeps me up to date. :)

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  4. Karly...I think the reason me and my hand can opener did not get along is b/c I'm left handed.

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  5. lol, Brenda! I am still in the stone age with my phone - like your old one, it does awesomely at telling time and ringing when someone dials its number. DH, though, since he works for a major telecommunications company, you know, *has* to have the latest and greatest to keep up with work technology. So I get to play with his sometimes ;-) But we did just upgrade our desktop (it is 8 years old) last night! I had no idea "high speed" internet really WAS high speed until yesterday! Fun stuff!!

    Oh, and I hate electric can openers! Give me a traditional one any day. Maybe I'm weird, though.

    (are you going to get the motivated moms app? it looks awesome!) (Oh, and do I win something for longest comment ever?)

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  6. What's this "electric can opener" you speak of??

    We just upgraded to smartphones in December...I use mine to organize EVERYTHING -- calendars, grocery lists, budgeting envelopes, account information. Then hubby dropped MY phone on the tile floor last week...AGHHH!!!! Fortunately, while it looks awful, the touchscreen still works. And fortunately, my husband traded me his (identical) phone for my now-hideous phone.

    Our laptop needs upgrading soon too...baby boy grabbed at the keyboard last week and ripped off three keys. And wiping the laptop only makes it run smoothly for a couple of weeks...can't complain, since we got it for free five years ago...lol.

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  7. I hate a hand crank can opener...never even used one in my life until I got married, and my hubby insisted we had to have one. I have used the crank one for years, and cuss just about everytime I use it. I finally went to WM and paid $6.00 for an electric one. I told him hands off, it is MINE! You know what, he likes my new electric can opener!

    I loved your story, it made me LOL!

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  8. Officially jealous. I envy all my friends with 'cool mom' phones....one day....

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I don't get to talk to a lot of actual grown-ups during the day, so your comments make me really happy! :)