Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Born to shine, or past my prime?

My phone made its last call this weekend and slipped away some time Monday without so much as a final vibration.  I'd only had it a few years but that didn't keep the shoddy workmanship from shining through, no sir.  Nor did it keep the nice saleslady from mocking my "ancient sim card" when she whipped the back off of my lifeless companion and dug out the tiny fingernail sized chip under the battery.  She managed to retrieve the old info pretty as you please and copy them over to my 2009 model so that was just swell. 
 I thought as they waited to have me pay until the end of the process, that it might be a funny joke to painstakingly choose a new celly after quizzing all workers and shoppers on each phone's specific differences, get everything transferred over and all the new contract bits approved  and then say "Yeah, like, this is cool and all but I think I'll shop around a bit before actually deciding on my new phone."  But, sometimes my joke thoughts are really not very funny at all and this was one such time.  

So, after a quick blank stare to wander that mental rabbit trail, I whipped out my debit card and swiped the thing to get my new phone paid for and myself back from that day long communication hiatus. (Can you even imagine the isolation of only having a home phone and internet? Why, anything could have happened!)

My shopping trip took no more than 15 minutes. And I thought I had handled all of this electronic decision making pretty well considering it usually takes me longer than that to pick out the right lip balm.  Normally when buying cell phones and such, I use my phone-a-friend option and call Jamey for some in-depth research and decision help. But I had this thing in the bag! I knew that my phone needs were completely basic and that I would not require any huge roll out key pads or touch screens.  I thought if this particular phone was Born to Shine then that sounded like a motto I could get behind as well!! 

And then she showed me how to put a picture of my "grandkids" on the main screen.  

Apparently some of us are born to shine and others of us merely shine with a light coating of age-defying facial creme.  I understand.  Do you suppose Jennifer Aniston gets this when she goes out shopping? Hmph.  I think I'm starting to feel like a two year old cell phone.

17 comments:

sarah cool said...

i think you are adorable and YOUNG looking and that salesgirl is obviously a moron.

Was that mean? Sorry. True.

BAM!

Katie said...

You hardly look old enough to have kids, much less grandkids! I agree with Sarah - that salesgirl was an idiot. At least you got a new phone and didn't land in jail for battery. Way to go!

dive said...

Hee hee hee, Shan!
I was getting ready to rant about mobile phones (something that will never be part of my life) when the "grandkids" thing left me helpless with laughter.
Oh, my.
You really bought a phone off someone as totally dumb as that?
Sheesh!
You are young and beautiful and about as far from "grandmotherly" as it is possible to get (Jamey, back me up on this one, dude).

Tally said...

Oh the howling!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That really caught me off guard!!! I think I even scared the possum under my house. I'm SO SURE!! Grandkids. Well, if that's a sign of the times, I should be looking forward to an erroneous "pregnant" comment soon!!! Baaahahahahaha!

Shan said...

I, for one, love that this has particularly stricken 4 single commenters who don't even have kids yet. :D The reality is that I actually AM old enough to be a grandparent. Though I am officially still in my thirties.

But just as one should never ask a woman if she is pregnant when the size of her stomach suggests she could be pregnant OR she might have just eaten lunch; one should never assume someone with NO CHILDREN OR BABIES AROUND is a grandmother!!! Mama Mia!!

Do you suppose she saw the photo on my Sam's card because that would explain a lot. ;)

Mom Keena said...

There are a lot of blind people out there servicing our consumer needs. Once I walked into the Siloam McDonald's, and at the ripe age of 40 was offered a Senior's Coffee. It's not you, trust me, it's them. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

Missy said...

What the ??? Grandkids? I don't think I would have handled that very gracefully. I mean, I don't normally go around attacking sales people and all, but I'm afraid my inner Ms. Attitude would have jumped into action and started cursing and saying mean things and gesturing wildly, frightening both customers and sales people alike. And then later I would have felt horrible, of course. Wow. I'm so offended for you.

So how do you like the Shine? I'm going to get a new phone in a few months and I'm actually considering that one.

Shan said...

I was really too stunned to be offended at the time. I'm not really easily offended and I still just think it's pretty funny considering how young I feel mentally. Total denial. I'll be more surprised than anyone when I turn 40 in July. :D

Missy, so far I think it's great and it got a big thumbs up on sturdiness and "amount of metal" from Jamey so that's good. Baha.
It looks really cool as well (trust me, I know). I couldn't manage to answer it the first three times it rang because I wasn't sliding up the top right. I kept hanging up on G-boy. Heeheehee (cool=me)

Cheltenhamdailyphoto said...

She said WHAT???? Take the phone back immediately. She obviously doesn't know what she's talking about.

You look so young, Shan! I am absolutely shocked to the core. Name and shame that store right now. lol. xxxx

Mom Keena said...

OK, I'm back. Just had to share this with someone. Tonight I bought some white wine, and as I was checking out, the sweet-little-thing asked to see my ID. I reiterate from my previous comment on this post "There are a lot of blind people out there servicing our consumer needs." But I did leave the store with a spring in my step.

Cheltenhamdailyphoto said...

I hope every time I buy alcohol they'll ask me for ID...;( hasn't happened in years.

savannah said...

forget her, sugar! does the phone do what you need? ;) xoxox

(thanks for the kind words)

AfricaBleu said...

This post was just as funny as the live version you gave me. I will repeat: I think she was dared to do it. That, or she is just hopelessly stupid.

RoverHaus said...

You have to be makin' that up!

Cell phones are way overrated. Lip balm? Not there is something to talk about!

dean r said...

she did NOT say grankids! I refuse to believe it. but I wish I could have been present to laugh. ha ha ha.... soooorrrryyy... later.

MmeBenaut said...

40 in July? Wonderful. I keep forgetting what a spring chicken you really are. Loved this story Shan, you are so full of humour that it does my soul a lot of good to stop by and read you.

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