HELLLOOOOOOOoooooooo???!!!!

I don't think there is anyone who DOESN'T know how much we depend on our cell phones these days. Am I right?

I know I am right :)

Let me tell you a little story.

Last week, the rain in DC was epic. It evidently has been quite a few times this summer (CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL!). I had had an absolutely amazing visit with my kids and granddaughter (all the loves of my life!!!) so I was not paying much attention to what was happening here in the DC area, though my PHONE was continually keeping me updated.

I got back home and on Thursday evening (after some HUGE rainstorms) decided to throw in some laundry and BAM! What's this?!

Squishy, smelly, soaking wet carpet with some big puddles here and there in the basement!! Was I dreaming this? Maybe the kitty cats missed me so much they had an accident or two or three hundred?? Nope. Flooded basement. (The cats were well taken care of while I was away and would never do such a thing :)

Does anyone else know what to do in this situation? Like, is it a plumber problem or what?! I sent a notice to our neighborhood list serve (on my PHONE) and got some great suggestions and recommendations rolling in, but I also THANK THE LORD IN HEAVEN sent a text (by PHONE) to my dear, reliable, hardworking friend and maintenance person Marcos. Then I went to bed. I would deal with sorting through info and calls in the morning. The water had receded some, and the rain had stopped, so sleep seemed like a good option.

So in the MORNING I get down to the business of figuring out who to contact first, see if I can leave messages, get appointments, etc. and my PHONE keeps turning off. Like, black screen, no juice type of off. Then flashing back on for one second, then going blank. SO frustrating!!!! Wouldn't charge, wouldn't stop doing the on off thing!!!

WELLLLL I guess it's off to the Apple store to get this figured so I can deal with the basement situation.

THREE HOURS LATER still no phone!

Guys, I do not know my Apple ID password!!!!! I had recently changed it for some reason (it better have been a good reason!!) and I have no idea what I changed it to!! Told the guy I would go home and check on my computer (Windows, not an APPLE product) and I'd be back.

No dice.

But at least I had access on my laptop to email so they could send a confirmation code to reset my elusive password.

TWO MORE HOURS at the Apple store. No dice. AGAIN. And it would be AT LEAST 72 hours before they would send me an email with info in how to change my password. Don't even get me started on how many times they needed a PHONE number to send a code to so I could continue with the process.

DUDE!!!!! I DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A PHONE!!!!

I went to a movie. Since I was already at the mall and I did NOT want to go home. Got the popcorn WITH butter flavor and a coke. Superman movie. Ate the popcorn, drank the soda and left. I could not care LESS what happens in the Superman movie.

But here's the beautiful thing.

When Marcos could not reach me by phone or text after my initial message, he just showed up at my house!!!! Just as I was getting home, there he and his guys were in my driveway!

Like, how lucky am I ?!

He took one look in the basement and knew the carpet had to be ripped out, and some of the drywall was wet and cracked. They would bring a dumpster in the morning and haul everything away.

Well indeed they did. There was significant water damage that had been brewing for who knows how long behind the drywall and the 'fix' is going to be very involved. Inside AND outside digging, waterproofing, replacing floors, a wall, and who knows what else.

So here we are now, FIVE days later:

(*I took these pix with my CAMERA and uploaded them like an old fashioned photographer!*)

And GUESS WHAT. Still NO PHONE!

The isolation I have felt without a phone is rather staggering.

I was actually kind of hesitant to go out (but I have!) because what if I need to call for an emergency of some sort?! What if someone needs to know where I am? What if I need DIRECTIONS? What if I want to listen to my music?!?! What if somebody NEEDS ME?!?!

And so it goes. Latest estimate of when they will even let me KNOW when my account will be available to me is TWENTY MORE HOURS. And I only found THAT out by EMAILING my kids, hoping they see the message in time, they get an email with a code, then email it back to me before APPLE times out my request!!!!!!! UGH!!!!!!!!!

Silver Linings?

There are some of course.

I have accomplished a LOT of to-do list items that seemed overwhelming to me when I had my phone to play on, read on, talk on, waste significant amounts of time on.

I am going to start keeping in touch with friends and family in other ways. Like, I collect post cards wherever I go. I am going to start sending somebody one as often as I think of it. I love mail!!!!

ALWAYS tell someone else your iCloud password for heaven's sake!!!

GET YOUR friends' and loved ones' phone numbers AND WRITE THEM DOWN SOMEHWERE! Turns out, I only actually know two of those phone numbers, because I used to have to dial them. Remember having to dial a number?! My ex-husband, and one daughter. God bless them both for dealing with me in the email/text/code/email situations.

Do not minimalize loneliness. Connection is SO IMPORTANT. Do it however you can. Sometimes out-of-your-comfort zone type stuff.

Again, you never know when these seemingly insignificant encounters will be just the thing you need when you least expect it.

So now I wait some more.

WHEN I get my phone back, will I use it more wisely?

I hope so.

But for now.... can you shoot me an email?! Say hello?!

ANYTHING! PLEASE!!!

xo

Amy

amycutitout@gmail.com