Technology

It should really be illegal for me to own any technology. I have never been good with gadgets or electronic devices. Back when I owned a VCR, I never did figure out how to record programs from the television. I was usually doing good just to keep the clock from blinking.
Today was just another example of why I should not ever own technology. I went to use my phone and I noticed it wasn't working. The clock wasn't showing on the outside. When I flipped it open, there was nothing on the screen. I really wasn't sure what to do. I thought the battery was dead and so I put it on the charger in my car.
I met my friends Vickie and Patty for lunch today and then we went to Ikea. At lunch I asked them if they knew what I might do. Vickie suggested that I take the battery out and wipe it off and put it back in. When I got home, I tried this. When I took the back off, I discovered there was a lot of grit under the back cover. I thought that this might be the problem. I got my can of air out and blew a bunch of that gunk out of there and cleaned the battery off and put it back in. Then - nothing. The phone still didn't seem to be working.
So, I went online to the Verizon website to check out how much a new phone might cost. I really don't have the money right now to buy a new phone but I have a credit on my account that I could put towards a new phone. What I realized is that since I bought my current phone nearly five years ago, phones have really changed. I've seen all of those smart phones that people have and they overwhelm me a bit. I also don't even want to think about the monthly service charges for me. I don't even have a texting plan on my phone. I don't text and I don't like to get texts because they cost me money. If I was going to have to get a new phone, I just wanted one like the one I already had. I just wanted to make calls on it. I did find a basic phone online that looked like it would do the job.
So, I headed out to my local Verizon store. The salesman who was assigned to me asked me how he could help me. I held out my phone and said that I couldn't get it to work. He took the phone from me and asked; "You can't get it to power on?" I said; "It doesn't seem to work." He flipped the phone open and pushed the power button. It was at that moment I realized that I had not bothered to try this. I always have my phone on so I just assumed the battery was dead or the phone was broken. I really don't even know if I've ever turned off my phone. I have put it on silent mode but I don't think I ever turned it off. I guess I must have hit the power button and turned the thing off. "Oh," I said to the Verizon employee. "I guess I didn't try that."
I wanted to run out of the store as fast as possible, get into my car, change my name and address and hope that this incident didn't get posted on some Verizon stupid customer blog. So, instead, I'm posting it on this blog.
The Verizon salesman was very polite and spent some time talking to me about upgrading my phone. I'm sure he was ready to laugh me out of the store but he never showed it. While I'm still attached to my old, outdated phone, I know the day will come when I have to part with it.
I really do like technology when it works and does what I want it to do. However, they should just make these things more simple. Who knew that you could accidentally turn your phone off? Obviously I didn't.
Oh well, I'd better get off my computer before it blows. Thanks for being a part of my journey!