Pay Phones Don't Exist Anymore

You never stop to think about them, because you never have a need for them.  But when your 1 year old drops your iPhone from the top of a very high second floor and you're too cheap to buy or fix the existing phone and have to meet your husband at a ballgame in the afternoon... you quickly learn that pay phones don't exist anymore.

As we walked yesterday afternoon to the Metro stop to go towards Georgetown to the Apple Store, I realized having no phone was kind of liberating.  I felt like a rebel.  An outsider in today's social media driven world.  It felt really good to have nothing to distract me from my kids, and I was all in.  The downside was I couldn't take any photos, but I also couldn't waste any time looking at other people's photos.  It was just me, the kids, and the walk from Foggy Bottom to Georgetown.  I observed the people around me.  I watched my kids.  I thought about how I was going to get to the ballpark before the rush. I took in the scenery around me.  I noticed a lot of white and black bricks, perfect for a photo, one I could not take as I was sans phone.  Jordan had a long conversation with me while we were walking.  It's not like I'm some kind of phone freak, but I do get easily distracted looking at the weather, my Instagram account, Facebook, email, etc. and nothing is really that important or time sensitive, I just like to pretend I'm important and have to check my email for work every now and then.  I actually really like to tell my kids outloud, "Mommy has to go home and take a work call later," because it makes me feel good about being more than just a stay at home mom, because those 8 hours really mean a LOT at the end of the day (NOT).  Haha.  I know, I'm weird like that, but I'm a human too! 

I actually almost bought a $500 phone.  I figured I could expense it for some consulting stuff I'm doing on the side to offset my self employment tax.  Turns out I'm one cheap person.  When they quoted me $500, that seemed okay, but then it turned out to be $799 and that was too much, even for me. So I decided I won't have a phone for a week before my in-laws come since my FIL just got a new phone, my MIL got his old one and her old one is still around.  Way better solution!  In the meantime, I'm pondering a computer purchase to expense... or some nice office supplies or office decorations.  Maybe an upgrade to my existing stereo system so I can take work calls while driving...? 

I might not have my phone, but when we're home, I have my text messages available via ichat (with iPhone users), so there's that!