Friday, March 20, 2009

The One That Was Completely Blërgen

The cell phone bill came today. It was so big that it filled up the whole mailbox and made everything else all squished and bent. It is approximately one inch thick. We’re talking some major deforestation here. In fact, the metered postage on the bill was $2.53. You know you need to be worried when your bill is so large that it takes $2.53 to mail it! No, I haven’t opened it. No way. Heads are going to roll.

But not mine. I have been good this month. I try to only need to talk to people after 9:00 p.m., and as we have an unlimited text messaging plan, I have whole conversations via text message. Now, I really don’t like to complain, but I have to vent just a little bit here. DK noticed last week that his phone was not receiving good reception. So he swapped out the card from his phone into my phone, and took mine to work. My phone is already what I would maybe call “second generation.” In the same sense that Cain and Abel were second generation…namely, they came after the very first generation. Ever. So when I say that my cell phone is second generation, what I mean is, it is from the generation of cell phone right after the brick phones…the kind where you had to wear a back pack that contained a power generator and a three-foot antenna. And yet it still works better than DK’s phone, which actually quit entirely while I was at the courthouse on Tuesday.

When it quit, I began rummaging through the house for another cell phone in which to house the “spirit” of my deceased one. Dillon found me Casey’s old phone. It started out to be a good phone, but once a couple of Christmases ago, one of the kids (who prefers to remain anonymous) threw up in the car on the way to Grandma’s. Said vomit got all over Dillon’s jacket, and when we reached Grandma’s, we tossed the jacket into the washer. Unfortunately, the cell phone was stowed away in the pocket. Miraculously, the phone still works. But it makes me sound like I am underwater. And not in an endearing, Spongebob Squarepants sort of way, either.

But let me just say…I don’t ask for much when it comes to a cell phone. I am willing to endure the aquatic sound quality. I am even willing to carry around the “second generation.” Mostly what I care about is the texting. I teach the 16-18-year-old girls at church, and texting and Facebook are my primary methods of communication. So I decided I could just make do with the old Casey phone. Until today, when I realized that the phone, which Casey bought from a European seller on eBay, has Swedish as its native language, and all the predictive spelling is in Swedish. Instead of “Wow, that’s awesome!” I get “Rädda barnen!” (Save the children!) “I’m here to pick you up from track” turns into “Jag är snyggare naken.” (I am better-looking naked.) You can see why at this point one might lapse into uncomfortable texting silence.

I did figure out how to type in the word “yes,” however. So when one of my “girls” texted today, it went something like this:

“So, Sis. McD., do you think I am old enough to date a returned missionary?”

I had no option here. “Yes.”

“Cool! I’ll tell my mom you said that. He is really cute. I want to bring him over so you can meet him. You can make us some cookies!”

Me: “Yes.”

“Wow…you’re sure talkative today.” ☺

“Yes.”

In the words of my cell phone, “hjälp!”

15 comments:

Tyler said...

You can switch me if you want. That sounds like way too much fun.

also... Jag kommer att ta din telefon även om det inte kan texten. Det sätt som du inte skickar lagrarna för gamla män.

Victoria said...

I wasn't trying to make it sound fun. I was trying to make it sound pathetic, so your dad would give me back my 2nd gen phone. Blërgen! And I need a translation for your comment...my phone is being secretive, and won't tell me.

Tyler said...

http://translate.google.com/translate_t

choose swedish to english

KMac said...

Tyler: Det var en utmärkt kommentar. Jag håller med både känsla och med dina meddelanden svaret på svenska.

Victoria said...

Ni är döda mig. Blërgen!

Och jag har fortfarande en telefon från stenåldern.

Dylan said...

Victoria, that cell bill is insane...I save $230 annually off my Verizon bill through www.fixmycellbill.com. You might want to check them out...

Nan said...

There are some experiences in life that I am happy to learn from others...I will tell you, in hopes to make you feel a little better, that a friend of mine with five sons had the family cell phone bill delivered in a box and the cost was close to $1000...Have you opened it yet?

Victoria said...

LOL... yes, we opened it. There were no overages or anything. The bill was so enormous because they listed every single text message, incoming and outgoing. They suppress all the call listings, but kill trees to show us 8,000 text messages? Really?

Oh, and the way it breaks down:
Ethan was in first, with 6,000
I came in second with just over 600
Then Dillon, 580
Tyler, about 550
DK, 180.

I think Dillon felt slighted somehow that I had more text messages than he did... I'm sure he'll up the ante this month.

Jan said...

I am laughing at your 8000 tree comment. Busting up.

That is so funny. Every single text mentioned huh. Good grief.

RSM Text Factor Gurus said...

i am relieved that it wasn't a bill. It must be nice to read all of those messages. If they are like Sam or Allie's they are like:
"hey"
"hey"
"cool"
"Grool"
"come outside"
"k"
etc...on and on and on

Nan said...

Oh high school...the text message frenzy is ubiquitous at high schools...it is almost humorous to see students go through withdrawals if they can't at least touch their cell phones during a 50 minute class....on those few occasions when I actually catch students with their hands on their cell phone during class and I take it away, students are almost in tears at the thought of spending the balance of the school day separated from their cell phone.
Hooray for there being no correlation between the thickeness of the package and the amount of the bill.

Victoria said...

Yes, and we all picked up a little Swedish on the way...

Hemsk!

alpinekleins said...

hee hee hee :) One of the greatest cell phone adventures ever! We may all have to pick up a little Swedish just to keep up with your phone - ha!

Kristin

alpinekleins said...

What no adjustment to 357 degrees in your oven. Crazy:)

Kristin

Victoria said...

No, Kristin... but the muffins, surprisingly, turned out delicious ANYWAY.

Mmm mmm banana muffins:
http://alpinekleinbunch.blogspot.com/2009/03/its-whats-for-breakfast.html