I know I am the last person that I personally know to do this. Who knows? I may be the last person in the United States. It feels like, due to all my travels, that I could even be the last person in the whole world. Kicking and screaming, I finally bought a smartphone.
I'm not a fan. I see the damage they cause everywhere I go. Nobody talks to anyone else in public, in the car, or even in the privacy of the dinner table. And, it may be against the culture today, but I am thoroughly convinced that a smartphone has no place near anyone who is eating. I'm a firm believer, and I know I'm right, that when you sit down to eat with friends or family for twenty or thirty minutes, they should be the most important people in your life for that brief period. Listen to what they have to say. Communicate. That's who you should speak to at that moment in time. But, when I go to a restaurant, it appears nobody believes me.
I'm still right.
When I first heard that texting and driving was a problem, I thought that couldn't possibly be true. Who could be that stupid? Well, there are a lot of teenagers - as you might suppose - who fit the adjective, but I see so many adults on their phones as I drive around Columbus. And, the heart of Buckeye Nation can't be that much different than any other place.
Of course, I have taken my antique flip phone with me as I paint my murals. It has been mocked, even in one inner city school that I visited. As I said, everybody else has smartphones. And, at that particular school, the phones were used by students in their classrooms as they ignored anything and everything they were supposed to learn. Don't get me started on that conversation.
My antique flip phone didn't work when I traveled overseas with my murals. My biggest problems with that happened on a very bad day in Fiji. And, how is it be possible to have a bad day in paradise? Let me tell you. The previous day, I was told to be at the airport at 4:30. Nobody bothered to tell me A.M. or P.M. and I assumed the afternoon. I was wrong and missed my flight because nobody could contact me.
Plane tickets were changed and I headed to the airport for an afternoon flight. I was there in plenty of time. But, I missed the flight. Without my phone, I couldn't call for help in time of need. I waited in lines, three of them, for help that never came as the clock ticked away. I can tell you, with complete certainty, the embassy staff was not impressed with me. Ever since that disaster I knew what I needed to buy.
I still resisted.
At home I relied on a computer phone service. I probably shouldn't name it, but there was nothing magic about the service. It had been giving me problems for months. Sometimes it worked perfectly, but then you can guess about the other times. I often didn't receive calls, about as often as I couldn't place them.
It was maddening.
This past week, I waited two hours for on-line help from their lack-of-service department. The person I chatted with actually got the dang phone to work for one telephone call. When I tried the second time, no go. No dice. No call. No luck. And, certainly, no patience. So, the following day, I was online with a representative for FOUR, count 'em, FOUR hours. Of course, the phone worked when we were done. And, of course, it didn't work the next day. It hasn't worked since.
I had to give up. There was no other choice. It was time for that dreaded smartphone.
The actual purchasing process was awful. I should have been nurtured and soothed into the device. That didn't happen. I waited over a half hour for a surly sales clerk to return from lunch. I am always happy after eating. He wasn't. He showed no interest in helping me. He mumbled questions and really didn't like it when I needed him to repeat himself. And at one point in the transaction, one of his co-workers stopped by. I didn't need to hear the vulgar conversation that transpired. I did my research. There was only one place locally to get the service I wanted. I was there. Otherwise, I would have left immediately.
Another one of my reasons for hesitation with the modern world is the lack of privacy. I've watched enough television shows to know your movements can be traced on a smartphone. Why else would they require my driver's license and social security number during the transaction? On top of that, ads pop up when you near certain restaurants and shops. No, I can't say I'm happy about this. But, it was a necessary trade-off.
I must have communication. That's obvious. I knew it was something I needed, especially for international mural projects. So, come on, Universe. I'm now prepared and ready to go. And, once I figure it out, there is a handy dandy app that translates words - both written and oral - into English. That'll rock my traveling world like no other convenience I know. Yep, I can't wait to find that app. In the meantime, I guess I better learn how to actually place a phone call on my new smartphone.
I haven't done that yet.
I'm not a fan. I see the damage they cause everywhere I go. Nobody talks to anyone else in public, in the car, or even in the privacy of the dinner table. And, it may be against the culture today, but I am thoroughly convinced that a smartphone has no place near anyone who is eating. I'm a firm believer, and I know I'm right, that when you sit down to eat with friends or family for twenty or thirty minutes, they should be the most important people in your life for that brief period. Listen to what they have to say. Communicate. That's who you should speak to at that moment in time. But, when I go to a restaurant, it appears nobody believes me.
I'm still right.
When I first heard that texting and driving was a problem, I thought that couldn't possibly be true. Who could be that stupid? Well, there are a lot of teenagers - as you might suppose - who fit the adjective, but I see so many adults on their phones as I drive around Columbus. And, the heart of Buckeye Nation can't be that much different than any other place.
Of course, I have taken my antique flip phone with me as I paint my murals. It has been mocked, even in one inner city school that I visited. As I said, everybody else has smartphones. And, at that particular school, the phones were used by students in their classrooms as they ignored anything and everything they were supposed to learn. Don't get me started on that conversation.
My antique flip phone didn't work when I traveled overseas with my murals. My biggest problems with that happened on a very bad day in Fiji. And, how is it be possible to have a bad day in paradise? Let me tell you. The previous day, I was told to be at the airport at 4:30. Nobody bothered to tell me A.M. or P.M. and I assumed the afternoon. I was wrong and missed my flight because nobody could contact me.
Plane tickets were changed and I headed to the airport for an afternoon flight. I was there in plenty of time. But, I missed the flight. Without my phone, I couldn't call for help in time of need. I waited in lines, three of them, for help that never came as the clock ticked away. I can tell you, with complete certainty, the embassy staff was not impressed with me. Ever since that disaster I knew what I needed to buy.
I still resisted.
At home I relied on a computer phone service. I probably shouldn't name it, but there was nothing magic about the service. It had been giving me problems for months. Sometimes it worked perfectly, but then you can guess about the other times. I often didn't receive calls, about as often as I couldn't place them.
It was maddening.
This past week, I waited two hours for on-line help from their lack-of-service department. The person I chatted with actually got the dang phone to work for one telephone call. When I tried the second time, no go. No dice. No call. No luck. And, certainly, no patience. So, the following day, I was online with a representative for FOUR, count 'em, FOUR hours. Of course, the phone worked when we were done. And, of course, it didn't work the next day. It hasn't worked since.
I had to give up. There was no other choice. It was time for that dreaded smartphone.
The actual purchasing process was awful. I should have been nurtured and soothed into the device. That didn't happen. I waited over a half hour for a surly sales clerk to return from lunch. I am always happy after eating. He wasn't. He showed no interest in helping me. He mumbled questions and really didn't like it when I needed him to repeat himself. And at one point in the transaction, one of his co-workers stopped by. I didn't need to hear the vulgar conversation that transpired. I did my research. There was only one place locally to get the service I wanted. I was there. Otherwise, I would have left immediately.
Another one of my reasons for hesitation with the modern world is the lack of privacy. I've watched enough television shows to know your movements can be traced on a smartphone. Why else would they require my driver's license and social security number during the transaction? On top of that, ads pop up when you near certain restaurants and shops. No, I can't say I'm happy about this. But, it was a necessary trade-off.
I must have communication. That's obvious. I knew it was something I needed, especially for international mural projects. So, come on, Universe. I'm now prepared and ready to go. And, once I figure it out, there is a handy dandy app that translates words - both written and oral - into English. That'll rock my traveling world like no other convenience I know. Yep, I can't wait to find that app. In the meantime, I guess I better learn how to actually place a phone call on my new smartphone.
I haven't done that yet.
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