Saturday, February 23, 2008

Reach Out and Touch Someone

The Bag Lady has a new cell phone. The contract was up on the old phone, and the phone itself was starting to have issues. It was getting a little crotchety in its old age (rather like the Bag Lady herself) and didn’t always respond when you pushed its buttons (rather like the Bag Lady herself!) Of course, when the right person pushes the Bag Lady’s buttons… but that is perhaps too much information, and it didn’t seem to make a difference to the phone who was pushing the buttons!

Her new phone has a camera in it. She doesn’t need a camera in her phone, but you cannot get a cell phone now without one. At least, that is what the salesperson told her.

She went a little crazy and splurged on a new ‘bundle’. Not only will her phone allow her to talk to people, she can see who is calling and decide whether she wants to talk to them. She also has voicemail now, which she didn’t have before. And she has text messaging. She has no idea how to make that feature work, and she really doesn’t have anyone in her life to text message with, but if she ever wants to send a text message, she has the technology! Her nephew has text messaging, so perhaps she will enlist his help to teach her how to use it. Then she can text message him. He’ll be thrilled.

She really only wanted a basic phone. Something to take along in case she has trouble on the road. Of course, if she has trouble on the road, it’s practically a guarantee that she’ll be in a no-service area! Cell phones are handy come haying time, too. The Cowboy can call her when he needs something brought to him in the field. A few years ago, the Bag Lady bought him a new phone. He broke down in the field, so he called her to bring him some parts. When he was finished with the phone, he set it on the tractor tire. The Bag Lady brought him the parts he needed; he fixed whatever was wrong, and set off again. Yup, you guessed it. He forgot his brand-new phone was on the tractor tire, and he ran over it.

So the Bag Lady will try not to run over her new phone, and just as soon as she figures out how, she may send a text message to her nephew. And perhaps take a few shaky pictures. As soon as she figures out how. And she may even use it to call someone. As soon as she figures out how. She is really hoping no-one ever leaves her a message, because then she’d have to figure out how to retrieve it. She may have to take it over to the elementary school and have a first-grader show her. Of course, if she can't find a first-grader, and can't figure out how to use the phone, she just may be tempted to run over it...

12 comments:

Hilary said...

Well no wonder your old cell phone lost its zest for life. It was pining over its lost buddy out in the field. You should have never told it about that unfortunate tractor accident. Had your phone asked why its partner looked so listless, all you had to say was that it was "tired." It wouldn't have been a lie. ;)

Hope you enjoy your new techno-phone!

the Bag Lady said...

Hilary - you've done it again! You just crack me up.
This phone may actually have me beat. So far, anyway. Try as I might, I can't get it to send a text message. Sigh.

Reb said...

Sis, as soon as I figure out how to do it on mine, we can text each other!

the Bag Lady said...

Reb - how hard can it be?! I mean, really... sigh.

JavaChick said...

I have faith in you, you will figure it out!
Does it make you wonder what happened to the good old days when phones were for speaking and email was for sending text?

the Bag Lady said...

javachick - the Bag Lady can remember a time when phones were attached to the wall, had a rotary dial, and you could actually talk to a real, live operator! And cousin Leah can probably tell you all about listening in on your party line neighbours out in the country...
And the only mail we got was written on paper, put in envelopes and delivered to your house by a person on foot, rather than electronically! She knows that still happens, but it's usually correspondence from some large corporation, wanting money...

Perhaps that goes a long way to explaining why the Bag Lady is having so much difficulty learning how to send text messages!

JavaChick said...

I remember party lines; when the phone rang, two long rings meant it was for us! And it was a known fact that a certain neighbor liked to listen in on other people's conversations. It was a big deal when we got our own line.

I miss real letters! I used to be a big letter writer, and I was always so happy to get a letter in the mail. While I appreciate the speed of e-mail, it was nice to look forward to something other than bills in the mail.

Leah J. Utas said...

re: party lines: No comment.

dfBag Lady I don't have a cellphone so you're leaps and bounds ahead of me no matter what you think you don't know. I suppose at some point we'll have to drag ourselves kicking and screaming into the 1990s. We are currently still tickled that we've got an answering machine.

the Bag Lady said...

Javachick - I was always fascinated by the party line phone at the farm! And I miss real letters, too.

dfLeah - I know YOU never listened in on other people's conversatons, but I remember you showing me how to use the party line phone!
Cell phones are terrific for emergencies. And are handy when the Cowboy is gone for such long stretches. Don't know that I will ever NEED to know how to text, though. And the camera? Pfftt.

Geosomin said...

You sound like me...back wheen we were picketing I borrowed a friends cell phone for when I was out walking...and then realised I had no idea how to use it. I eventually tried to take som photos on the day we made soup on the picket line fire barrel...but I can't figure out how to get them off the phone.
I think it'll be a whole before I actually get one for myself. I had an old one many years ago when there were no options, and it would never work when I actually neded it, so I've never replaced it.
As for texting...I can text people's phones from my computer, but from another phone? No clue...:)

Geosomin said...

whole=while

the Bag Lady said...

Geosomin - you're one up on me - I have no idea how to text someone's phone from my computer!!
I'm pretty sure I won't be doing a whole lot of texting. As long as I can make a call when I need to, it will be serving it's purpose!