Plugged in Again!

I've often made fun of those crazy people whose lives revolve around their cell phones and the information they can access through them. And now...I'm afraid that I've become one of those crazies!

After drowning mine, Verizon fixed me up with a loaner phone, which was....better than nothing. But because I lost all my contacts, the technician gave me Paul's list which included a few family numbers, so that helped ease my pain. But, little did I know that when I erased a contact on my new loaner phone, it disappeared off Paul's phone too because they were linked through HIS G-mail account. (Why don't they tell you those things?) And, let me tell you, I DELETED! I zapped out names of legislators, lawyers, lobbiests, teachers, neighbors, implement dealers, salesmen.......oops!

Long story short, I now have my new phone....and the genius technician was kind enough to save our marriage by retrieving Paul's contacts for him from an old phone. Whew!

I'm pleased to be plugged in again. And I made a promise and repeated it out loud to Floyd (my Droid). "On my honor, I will do my duty to be much more careful. I promise not to drop, lose, drowned or mistreat you."

Like my friend Lisa might say, "At least I know I'm crazy!"

Water, Water Everywhere!

Well...today's a new day and I'm not as cautious as I was a few days ago when I left my cell phone and my camera on shore as we launched the new canoe.

Today I drown my cell phone in the gentle cycle of my washing machine with a load of summer whites and Tide Mountain Spring.....

I tried Googling my problem:


"Your phone will probably not be too damaged if you take it out of the water right away. A longer period of immersion, such as being in the washing machine cycle, (oops!) will be cause for more alarm but it is still worth trying the following steps before giving up completely."


How to save a wet cell phone:

1. Remove the battery


2. Remove the SIM card


3. Remove all other peripherals and covers that can be removed.


4. Dry your phone. If there is even one drop of water left inside, it can ruin your phone by corroding it and making the wrong contact.


5. Use a vacuum cleaner if possible. If you want to try and suck the liquid out of the inner parts of the phone, try using a vacuum cleaner. Remove all residual moisture by drawing it away with a vacuum cleaner held over the affected areas for up to 20 minutes, in each accessible area (take it in turns with a friend). This is the fastest method and can completely dry out your phone and get it working in thirty minutes. However, unless the exposure to water was extremely short, it's not recommended to attempt to turn your phone on this soon. Be careful not to hold the vacuum too close to the phone, as a vacuum can create static electricity, which is even worse for the phone.


6. Contrary to common advice, it is not recommended that you use a hair dryer (not even on the "cold" mode) to dry out the phone. Using a hair dryer may force moisture further into the small components, deep inside the phone, as the air blows inward.
   Use a substance with a high affinity for water to help draw out moisture. Leave the phone in a bowl or bag of uncooked rice overnight. The rice would absorb any remaining moisture.


7. Let the phone sit on absorbent towels, napkin, or other paper.
   Test your phone. After you have waited at least 24 hours, or longer if possible, check to see that everything on and in your cell phone is clean and looks dry.

I'm hoping our top notch insurance policy will kick in and I'll have a phone soon.