My Wet Cell Phone

What to do?

Mobile phones are a convenience, but the more you use the thing, the more you depend upon it. Ergo: The more you depend upon it, the more trouble it will cause when it fails. It will fail.

The Kansas Woman and I had identical mobile phones. We thought it would be useful if we both knew something independently, that the combined encyclopedia would be beneficial.

It didn't quite work that way, but we want nothing to do with the brand of cell where you have to purchase everything and can't make your own ringtones, edit your music and all that. We use android phones. So there.

We were down playing in the river with the kids when I stepped in a hole. My boots filled with water and I took a tumble with my cell in the bib pocket of my overalls.

Following the advice of a kid who should know, I immediately removed the cover and battery, put the phone in a plastic box full of rice, closed it tight, and put it in a sunny spot.

Being cell-less for a spell of time nearly got me through withdrawal. The cheap phone was worth what I paid for it, and the list of things that phone won't do is substantial, but it taught me something.

I can't depend upon a cell phone.

We have family photographs well over a hundred years old. Some are paper, some are from the middle 1800's before paper pictures. With care they'll last well beyond their half-life.

What will become of the millions of images walking around in cell phones? Digital files are fragile. I'm guilty of storing cell photos on my computer and that is “backed up” somewhere every night, but still they are digital images.

In any public event scores of folks watch the event via the screen on their phone. What are they going to do with it?

People are missing the excitement of the moment by watching it on their tiny phone screen.

My old cell was sealed up in rice for nine months, but when I plugged it in to check for a pulse, it was dead.

Having nothing to lose, I opened the cell case and removed the battery, then inserted the battery from the KW's identical phone.

The thing fired up.

I ordered a new battery and we'll see tomorrow whether to say a few words over the phone and toss it or make it my number one friend again.

A wise woman once told me, “You can't depend upon a man.”

That applies to mobile phones as well.

joenphillips@yahoo.com