I think this current dearth is attributable to Thing Three. I got a new phone, a smart phone -- also known as a smartphone -- and I'm so busy employing it to make my life better that my life is currently all about it. As shall be this post. Abandon me now, all ye who care not about this crap and all ye who already know 100x more than me about this crap.
Hello? Anyone? Seems that covered just about everyone. Blogging to myself again...
It's an adorable little HTC Hero from Credo Mobile, this new phone of mine. The greatest downside to it is that my kids are SO JEALOUS they can't even begin to be happy about their new phones, which are very fine phones as well in which I, like the kids, take no interest. Their phones just aren't as smart. And we all know there's nothing as sexy as smartness. By sexy, I mean distractingly appealing. But smartness costs $25 a month extra, and I'm not forking it over for a twelve-year-old, sorry. I'd consider it for the 15-year-old if she had a demonstrated academic need for it, but so far she doesn't. And not even that much interest. It's really the poor little 12-y-o who runs technological circles around the rest of us. But it's not need, it's interest. I'm spending her portion of the family fortune on school and lessons and food. Not digital signals. For now.
BACK TO MY HERO -- it's so adorable. It's my first touchscreen anything, I think. I spend quite a bit of time just screwing up the typing. I don't know why this doesn't enrage me, but so far I just find it amusing and keep struggling. Also, the first call I got, I hung up on. And then once we did connect, and finish the conversation, and I tried to hang up, I called them back instead. There's a bit of a curve, learning/adapting-wise with this thing. I think I mainly just love it cuz it fits easily in the palm of my hand and my whole world is right there. My calendar, emails, texts, files, tweets, everything. Especially the calendar. I can make an appointment for the orthodontist and know if it conflicts with the karate lessons, even if the lessons changed from 3:30 to 3:45 two weeks ago -- I don't have to count on myself to have raced through the calendar pages erasing all the :30s and changing them to :45s. The same calendar that I see on my computer at home is right there in my purse with me. I heart it. I feel it gives me half a chance to not look stupid half the time. These are not chances I feel I have all the time.
I also like that it's Credo. They are also "Working Assets," remember them? The groovy credit card company. They openly commit to making a portion of what we pay them into contributions for liberal causes. Since AT&T and Verizon clandestinely make portions of what we pay them into contributions to right-wing causes, I'd just as soon not give them my money. Especially when their service is CRAP. If I'm going to pay for crap, at least let it not conflict with my core values for pete's sake. It's bad enough to be reduced to a simpering puddle of impotent fury by a "customer service" encounter of any kind; add to that the knowledge that they are also taking the (amazingly large) profits generated by my dependence on them and using it to undermine liberty and justice for all, well, if you think about it too much, it could give you an aneurysm. I don't want to think about that. I said to heck with it and switched. It helped quite a bit that Credo was willing to buy out my existing contract (up to $200 for up to three lines -- bingo! that's us). "Buying out" seems to mean they give me credit toward my bill equal to what I pay my old carrier in contract termination fees, but that's still money. I'm okay with it. I was so disappointed in Verizon from the get-go that I am just happy to be able to say so long!
My next step in the project is to get rid of our land line. I'm a bit intimidated by this step. We have our phone and Internet service through AT&T U-Verse cable, which I'm far less than happy with. Our phone calls have sounded scratchy ever since we made the change and it drives our answering machine nuts, recording the dial tone after every call. And our internet connection has been herky-jerky. Honestly, I am TOTALLY dreading calling AT&T and talking to them about what my options are. The nightmare web of "press or say..." and "please hold while we transfer you" and "thank you for holding, your call is important to us" awaits me and I am full of dread.
