a technical Tuesday

 I bought a new refurbished Mini #13 iPhone from Amazon (I know, sorry) because my old #8 would not accept some apps I need in my everyday life. Luis the Mac computer guy and I spent a sometimes tense few hours transferring everything over to the new phone yesterday. Everything works. Success. Exhausting. We both worried that Consumer Cellular would be difficult, but they weren't. Yay!

it was beyond time for a change

 Thanks to Terri I was able to successfully switch from Verizon to Consumer Cellular. Despite being a Verizon customer for 28 years (!) my monthly bill was more than $75 and from now on it will be under $30. A very smart young woman tech at Target helped me with the final step yesterday and I'm pleased with the customer service which had been lacking lately at Verizon. So once again, women conquer technology. 

a moment of peace

This is an iPhone photo contest winner. Sunrise in Spain. We so need this...

well, Picture This!

The Great Plotnik introduced me to this very cool iPhone app and I
have been using it on my daily walks. What is that flower? That plant?
Snap a photo and in an instant you have the answer. Plus all sorts
of information, if one so desires.

from a 6 to an 8

This blogger needed a reward after visiting her dentist yesterday and
hearing about future tooth work. Argh. So my iPhone 6 was acting
up and my Apple friends said that after eight faithful years, this
happens. Software issues. I bought the iPhone 8 and the transfer has
been done, or so I believe. I'm still working out a few things, but
this was a good decision, all in all. Last year it was a new iPad and
soon I will need work done on this MsMacBook Air laptop. Beats
teeth trouble.

oh, so very nice

My technical advisor (the Blogmaid) encouraged me to get the larger iPhone6
and I did that very thing on Wednesday. I think of it as a mini-mini-iPad
and yes, I LOVE it. Verizon transferred many of my phone numbers, but
a few key ones were inexplicably left off, so I have been busy making sure
I have those and also downloading apps and appreciating the fact that I
can read everything so much easier now.

I'm a Round Robin this week

YESTERDAY AFTERNOON (the prompt)

I did it. I left my iPhone at home and made it through the entire day without
panic or despondency yesterday. It was purely accidental, but by the time
the situation presented itself to me I was too far from home to turn around
and go back. The little electronic wonder rested on our bed all day
Wednesday and was none the worse for wear. My husband said that
it called out to him often during the day, but there was nothing he could
do because I had Ken, our sad old Toyota, and bus trips to the Legion
of Honor are very difficult.

Who would think that I have somehow turned into this iPhone addict? I
used to make fun of people like me. You know the clumps of folks at
bus stops, all staring into their silly phones. People who pat their pockets,
frantically searching inside their purses and backpacks for their phones.

But alas, I have. My phone is an extension of me and I now need it to
feel complete. Maybe I can leave the little monster for an hour or so
when I'm down here in my office on my computer, but that's about
the limit for me. Until yesterday. And what did I miss when I came home
to obsessively check the screen? Absolutely nothing. All clear.

a huge change...

We are giving up our land line (415/282-XXXX) and it sure feels weird.
It only rings when folks want money, usually at dinner time, or so it seems.
Our iPhones are always in our pockets or on the kitchen table now and after
the painters unplugged the main phone and answering machine, we found
we didn't miss our old faithful for one minute. All our friends know that we
lack phone personalities, to say the least, so this makes financial and emotional
sense to us. But still, it has been OUR number since before we were married.

got sling shot?

Who knew that killing pigs could be so satisfying? As usual, I'm a few
years late discovering the Angry Birds iPhone app, but it turns out
that once I figured out some strange concepts like trajectory and
force, I'm pretty damn good at it. An addicting game, of course.

We got Rita home yesterday after many hospital delays and now we
await further instructions. Turns out she has a really nice neighbor
named Joe who helped her up ALL those stairs. Who ever said city
folk are cold and uncaring? She was exhausted, but delighted to be
in her own beautiful little home.

Today I BART to Berkeley to take a Writing Salon class on How To
Plot a Novel. Remember Ellen? I barely do. Christ.

goldbugs

This is an update on my new iPhone which is almost a month
old now. I'm gradually getting used to it and already it is
worth $150 because one night I sent a text to my friend
Linda and I closed with "goodnight." My fat, slow finger(s)
typed "goldbugs" and she was confused. Imagine.

What do I love most about this wee computer? I love being
in touch with everyone throughout the day. I can read
emails and send texts and every once in awhile I use the
very easy phone feature. By now you know that I dislike
the phone intensely, so texts and emails are my lifeline.
My youngest stepson was in hospital recently and we
could text throughout the day and I didn't worry about him.

I have so much to learn and one day I'll actually download
an app. But no rush, I'm happy with the basics.

I need me some downtown time

First stop yesterday was the magnificent Charlotte Salomon
exhibit at the Jewish Contemporary Museum. Do not miss
this chronicle of the life of a very talented woman who died
at age 26 in Auschwitz. I'll be going back next week. Husbando
met me here and then I had to dash off to my eye doc (all
fine there) while Hbo studied all 300 paintings.
This is my first DECENT photo using my iPhone. I have about
5 of various sidewalks about town. You can see the round
SFMoma yonder ~ I'm sitting in front of the JCM at this
point. Note blue sky.

After the eye doc (who chatters on and on) I had a latte and
did a Macy's run-through. Then I went back to catch the
Muybridge exhibit at SFMoma. The huge panorama of SF
from California Street in 1878 makes the whole show
worthwhile. Lots of people like the moving horse movie
thing (an entire room!), but that's not my shtick. The
talented photographer was a whack job, it appears, changing
his name about 4 times in his life. Closes June 7th.

What a great day I had in Frisco, how I needed that!

on the way!

I ordered this from the ex-enemy Amazon yesterday. There
is an online manual, but I don't care to use $467 dollars
worth of ink and my printer groans and stalls when it
prints a simple daily write. For this kind of thing I like a
book that I can highlight, mark up and attach a bunch of
post-its. It should arrive in a day or two...

iPhone update

Here is what I have accomplished, with a little help from
my friends:

1) Chris put the little plastic shield on the glass.
2) I tried and tried to text - to no avail. Grrrrrrrrrrr.
3) Walked to Verizon® store yesterday and they
confirmed that "someone" forgot to unblock the
texting feature. Unclick. Unblock.
4) Actually answered and spoke on the phone.
Thank you, Linda. For two "I hate phone"
people we were amazing.
5) Rushed to coffee after the unblocking moment
and texted Linda and the Blogmaid. They both
texted back with sentences. I'm not there yet.
6) Heard the ping of a text during dinner and
managed to stay seated and not rush to see
what that sound was.
7) Linda said to plug the iPhone into the MsBook
which I did. I follow some instructions.

Of course I'm still in Stage One of learning, but
I am in love. iLove, as Linda said. Thanks for all
the help, dear (ahem) friends!

information, please...

Yesterday afternoon I went for a long walk. This is from one of my
favorite view spots because you can see the streets running up the
hill like white ribbons. I walked over there by Mission Street, I
think it's Rutledge Street, by name. Glorious sunny day.

So I decided to stop by the Verizon® store which was actually
very far out of the way. I wanted to gather some information
on the iPhone® because I plan to purchase one in the next
few months. The joint was jumping and the usual polite and
knowledgeable young man pointed out how much money I
would save on the beauty that you see below. It was, of course,
on sale and all in all, was less than a traffic ticket which I
haven't received in a long time. It's so wonderful how my
little mind can rationalize anything, isn't it?

The Blogmaid said that Linda helped her and I will be
reaching out today asking dumb questions because the
iPhone manual is tiny. There is information online, but
I prefer talking to friends so I can hear their stories.

In the meantime, who couldn't love this? (oooops, I
forgot to straighten the photo, forgive me)

Feel free to send me helpful hints!