When we last convened, my BPhF Nexy (Best Phone Forever, LG Nexus 7) was hooked up to life support on the back counter of the Sprint store over in Bill-Paying Town. Go-Getter Gal, the apparent boss of the office, was tending to him intermittently, while helping me set up an account for my new used iPhone 8.
GGG would step back and pick up Nexy tenderly. Then squeeze the bejeebers out of his power button, and jam the charging connector up his nether region.
"I think you might have a bad charger connection. Or a bad battery. You could go up to Interstate Battery. They might have something you can use. Wait!"
I saw it with my own two eyes! The screen came on, with all my colorful apps! But as soon as we exclaimed our joy, it disappeared. Back to black. Never to be seen again.
"Well. I DID notice that when it was on, it was in SAFE MODE. It just wouldn't stay on long enough for me to take it OUT of safe mode. And the battery showed it was charged to 97 percent. So that's not it. You might have a bad screen. I just don't think I can help you with it, but we'll plug it back in and try again later."
She was very helpful, that cheerful GGG. She got my account set up, doing it for me, to save time with my single-finger typing. Got my security questions. Wrote down my answers on a notepad for me to take along. THEN TOOK A PICTURE OF IT!
"Wait. Why are you doing that?"
"To store it in your phone. People are always forgetting. Then we can't help them when they come in. So you'll always have it, in the pictures on your phone."
Um. That did not set well with me, but I let it go. Also, she didn't capitalize any of the answers, like a pet name or street name.
"Okay, so when you put them in, you didn't capitalize them?"
"No. Why would I do that? It's just awkward to capitalize stuff."
Huh. Maybe THAT'S why people can't get into their phones! They're capitalizing those names that GGG entered sans capitalization! Just a theory. Nothing proven. Young adults these days...
GGG even found the app I needed for The Pony's remote financial deposits, and downloaded that for me. She was pleasant and helpful, while NotBoot sat there, having done his part by selling me the phone after saying he didn't have one, and trying to overcharge me with an unwanted protection plan. He was pleasant enough. Made small talk with Hick about his grandpa's tractor.
After about an hour, standing the whole time, I was more than ready to get out of there with my new used too-heavy too-small too-slippery iPhone 8. I thanked GGG profusely for her assistance. Hick said, "You oughta buy her lunch for all the help she gave you!"
"You have the money," I said. Picking up my purse that was bursting with my unspent Stay-At-Home-Down week's cash allowance.
"Here!" said Hick. Tossing a wad of bills across the counter to Go-Getter Gal. "Have lunch on us."
All the while, NotBoot sat there forlornly behind his recently booted computer.
"Well, that's not fair! He helped us too!"
"I don't have no more money. Nine dollars was all I had!"
"Oh. I guess you'll have to share, then! Get something you both can eat."
I bet those two were never so happy as when Hick and I finally pulled out of the parking space, and they were certain that we would not be coming back.
We never did get Nexy to wake up. I'll pack him in a cardboard box and mail him to Genius, who loves to get elbow-deep in a torn-open cell phone. Nexy cannot be popped open, like my old phone, which would spill its guts every time I dropped it on the garage floor, battery shooting one way, back cover the other. Which I guess was a good thing, because he never broke, what with the exploding parts absorbing the force.
Genius doesn't remember if Nexy has a SIM card. There's nothing around his perimeter that would suggest he has one. He's sealed up tighter than Fort Knox. Maybe tighter, if my conspiracies are true...
Anyhoo...for the sake of time and your eye health, the story of Genius's Val and iPhone Boot Camp will have to wait until SUNDAY. At least you'll have some weekend entertainment.
As soon as we enter the AT&T store, I say, "We're seniors, bear with us." I see the eye ball rolling all around the room. Oh you know what I mean. Glad you're up and running.
ReplyDeleteI know EXACTLY what you mean! I don't disappoint them.
DeleteHowever, I remain smug in my knowledge that if all electronic gewgaws go down, I can tell the time for those young whippersnappers on an analog clock! And tell them, "You're welcome," even if they don't say, "Thanks."
The AT+T store around us has always been helpful.
ReplyDeleteI thought all cellphones had a sim card. I just don't know what a sim card is.
That's great! I own AT&T stock. Sing their praises from your condo window!
DeleteRemember those 5.25 inch floppy disks, and then the 3.5 inch smaller version? The SIM cards remind me of a teeny-tiny version of those, for phones. I know Genius used to slide them in and out when working on phones for his friends. I think there's an internal version that didn't fall out of my old phone when I dropped it. Not that I know the phone entrails like I know internal human anatomy...
joeh; the SIM card is the tiny little white bit with gold centre that gets installed under the battery when you first buy the phone. It's about the size of a thumbnail and hold ALL the information. If I could find my spare one I'd take a photo.
DeleteTownhome window!
DeleteI'll sing At+t praise (I think I own some too) if you stop bad mouthing Waste Management.
I actually know what a sim card is...sort of.
Oh, I guess you want me to hop in my Wayback Machine to exonerate Waste Management? I haven't bad-mouthed them in at least 18 months, because I've had a wonderful new trash service since then!
DeleteWhich reminds me, now that you mention it, that the new trash company does not overcharge me, and only inform me of that fact when I try to discontinue 20 loyal years of service.
I now picture you safe from germy society behind your townhome window, smug in your SIM card knowledge, writing a love letter to Waste Management, while only gently humming AT&T's praises to thumb your nose at me...
Of course Nexy has a SIM card, they don't operate without one to my knowledge, but she certainly seems sturdily built. I had a phone where the back was almost impossible to get off too, I think kit was the old Nokia, slightly coffin shaped style, before all the I-phones and android copycats began appearing.
ReplyDeleteIt's possible I had a Nokia. I remember the disappointment when I got a new phone after that one, because it did not have a number pad that I could feel and dial without looking at it. I hate change, even though it's supposed to make my life easier!
Delete