Cellular

I just got my first cell phone. Most folks here in Seattle have had these for years. I'm a Slow Adopter.

I feel like someone who just got new contact lenses, but doesn't have the routine down. I don't yet get when to leave it on and when to turn it off. I plugged the charger in by my toothbrush, so at least I'll remember a couple times a day. The best tip was from the salesman: "If you carry it in your pocket, keep the glass side toward your leg so it doesn't break."

2005 is the year -- in my circles anyway -- when cell phones morphed from optional, to expected. Suddenly you were the one out of step if you couldn't call for directions as you were driving, announce your arrival 10 minutes away, inquire from within the building which hall to take to the rehearsal room, or say you were locked out of the theatre. Now it's part of the flow. If you don't have one, you're slowing everything down.

Cell phones have reached Phase 2.

Any new technology goes through three phases. In Phase 1, it emulates a known technology -- in this case, the regular phone. In Phase 2, it starts to evolve into doing things ONLY it can do. In Phase 3, it has become a distinct entity entirely. No one now thinks of a computer as a calculator anymore.

Jenni and Holly are my phone models. They're fast, they're fabulous, and they make it look easy. They're who I want to be like, when I grow cellularly up.

Plus I have to admit... I feel that thrill of techno-cool emanating from it. SO sleek. SO designed. And able to take pictures? ... hmmm... does Wacom make a little tiny stylus for it?

-----------------------
[14 minutes later]

Hey!! My phone just rang! Vibrated, I mean. I about jumped out of my skin, trying to get away from my coat. My first thought was that there was a garter snake in my coat; my second thought was no, maybe a salamander, it was a faster wiggler. Talk about OLD associations from childhood.

Well, I read in the user's manual this morning, while I was brushing my teeth, how to turn the phone off ("Press END"). That seemed a cool battery saver, so I did. But I finished brushing before I got to the part about how to turn it back on.