Hi folks,
I'm officially giving up on Live Journal today after encountering a full-page ad before I could even log in. The old blog address is
http://refwhiz.livejournal.com/To start, here is my favorite post from the LiveJournal blog:
Yesterday morning it was sunny and clear and chilly
At home I put my ruby-red LG VX8350 cell phone in the front pocket of my pack
I left our house about 8 am
Walking to work
I left the front pocket of my pack unzipped by mistake
I ran through Collegetown
Just for fun
Somewhere in Collegetown
My cell phone bounced out of the front pocket of my pack
Onto the sidewalk
Or into the street
I didn't notice
I was listening to Morning Edition on my Sony Walkman AM/FM radio
When I got to work, no cell phone
I called Jane from my office phone
I asked her if I had left my cell phone at home
Jane offered to call my cell phone from her cell phone
If my phone was somewhere at home, she would hear it ringing
Instead someone answered her call
Someone had found my cell phone
But they wouldn't speak
Jane hung up and called again
Someone said they would leave my phone at the front desk of the Hotel Library
Jane called my office phone to tell me this
I ran to the Hotel Library
I went to the front desk
I described my cell phone
The woman behind the desk gave me my cell phone
Here's what my cell phone looked like:
The battery cover was missing
I could see the black battery on the back side of the phone
The screen was broken
It showed a multicolored abstract pattern, mostly white
The case was deeply scratched in many places
The front window had cracks radiating like a star burst
The case, the keys, everything was covered with a powdery film of white road salt
The woman behind the desk told me the name of the person who found my phone
He was a librarian I know
I went to his office and thanked him
He looked at me in an odd way
I left the Hotel Library with my cell phone
I walked back to my office in Olin Library
On the way I tried using my cell phone
I pressed 2, the number for Jane's cell phone on my speed dial, and send
It worked
I walked to a training session in Mann Library
I told my cell phone story to a colleague
That afternoon, I called 611 on my cell phone
I talked to a woman somewhere at Verizon Wireless
She said she could mail me a new phone just like my broken one for $99.99
If I wanted
Just say the word
It would arrive in 2 or 3 days
I got an email from my friend
He offered me a 2-year-old Razr phone
He had to check with his brother first
I called the local Verizon Wireless kiosk-store at Pyramid Mall where I bought my cell phone
The phone rang several times
No person answered
A message told me that the staff was currently helping other customers
I called again a few minutes later
Same result
And again
Same result
The fourth time, an hour later, a woman answered
She told me to take the phone to a Verizon Wireless store near WalMart
They have repair technicians there, she said
They might repair my phone or give me a new phone for $50
Maybe
She couldn't guarantee it
I thought about this
I decided to go to that store
At 2:15 I ran to the bus stop by Anabel Taylor Hall
The weather was still sunny and clear
It was warmer
I waited 5 minutes for the bus
The 30 bus arrived at 2:20
I rode the 30 bus downtown
I got off at the Cayuga Street stop
I ran and walked to the Verizon Wireless store near WalMart
I walked into the store and registered at the front desk
They asked me my name
I said Michael Engle
They said, spell your last name
I did
They sent me to the back of the store to wait
Two technicians behind a counter in the back of the store were helping other Verizon Wireless customers
Another person behind the counter was not a repair technician
later I figured out that he was a customer service representative
A big TV near the ceiling listed the customers waiting for help
There were three queues displayed on the screen: Sales, Customer Service, Technical Support
My name was displayed thusly: MIKE E
I was in the Technical Support queue
The other queues were empty
I waited about 15 minutes
While I waited I
Logged on to our Verizon Wireless account on a kiosk and looked at the minutes we used in this billing cycle
Looked at the phones and hardware displayed near by
Practiced deep breathing
Turned on my Sony walkman AM/FM radio
There was strong radio interference on the FM band
I could hear only a loud hiss on the radio
I turned the radio off
One of the technicians, the red-haired one, told me they would help me soon
A few minutes later, the other technician, a round-faced, plump young man, called me forward
He carefully explained my choices
If I owned another cell phone I could use that
The technicians would program it for me
Or
He could sell me a new phone just like my old one
If they had one available
It would cost $54
He would put my old battery in the new phone
He would look to see if they had a battery cover
He went into the back of the store
Through the door labelled "Authorized Personnel Only"
He came back with a matching battery cover
The letters ILY were written on the cover seven times in different colors of fingernail polish
In different directions
I said I would pay the $54 for the new phone with my old battery and the ILY battery cover
He said the phone would be ready at 3:55, 40 minutes later
I decided to go back to work and pick up the phone after work
The customer service person told me that the Verizon Wireless store closes at 9 pm
I could pick up the phone any time before 9
They lock the door exactly at 9
If I came one minute after 9, they would not let me in, he said
I ran back to the bus stop on Green Street
By the Tompkins County Public Library
I arrived at 3:26
The 30 bus arrived at 3:28
I rode the bus up to Cornell
I got off at the Carpenter Hall stop
I walked back to my office
I walked home after work
I drove to the Verizon Wireless store
I waited a few minutes
The red-haired repair technician came through the Authorized Personnel Only door
I showed my receipt
He programmed my new phone using a computer
He complained that it wasn't working
Then it did
He tested it by calling the store public address system and saying my name
He asked if I wanted to pay the $54 in our next bill or by credit card
Credit card, I said
At 6:15 pm, I had my new phone
I drove home
I thought about what ILY might stand for
Ivania Lubovich Yurishenko
Or
Idiot Like You
Later I thought it meant
I Love You
