New Phone, Who Dis?

The screen on my phone cracked the other day.  It's the first phone I've had that happen to. *KNOCK WOOD but who are we kidding?*   To be fair, it wasn't even in my possession.  I left it on the back of the station wagon with the mail and it slowly slid off onto the gravel drive.  Well done, me.

I was trying to justify getting a new one by thinking that I needed a new phone anyway. Mine is relatively old, slow and tired.  The memory is full of hundreds of photos, videos, and downloaded songs.  It's way time for a replacement.  But phone upgrades are never free and that annoys me.

I'm having separation anxiety; because like I wrote previously, a phone isn't just a simple phone anymore.  It has my life on it.

Samsung has an app that transfers nearly everything, with the exception of texts, from one phone to another. I used it last time but was disapponted to lose texts.  Sigh.  I use texts to remind myself of things. I like looking back through them.  It's the modern day letter writing, on a much smaller scale

And photos.  I have eleventy hundred photos on my phone.  Sure, I take a lot for the Insta (Kellwynn93, if you dig pretty pictures) but I have photos of the family, from racing, of Lucy.  I even  have a photo file to remind me of stuff like which toothbrush or oil to buy.  Culling through those (Even Though they are backed up to Google Photos) is just not even something I want to do, like, ever.

For example...this weekend I had a little over 1400 photos on my phone.  I KNOW, I have issues. We were thinking about going racing so I deleted some to make room.  Now there is "only" 964 in the MAIN album.  Yes, of course I have my photos organized in albums on my phone.  It's like you don't know me.

It seems silly to transfer everything to a shiny new phone because I'm having issues letting go of things.  But I'm totally probably going to do just that.

And this is most definitely First World Problems that I have no right to be whining about. I realize.
But that isn't going to stop me. It's exhausting setting up a new phone, even with the easy peasy app.  Passwords...those are my nemesis; especially since requirements are increasing.  Downloading apps and setting backgrounds and font sizes so I can see it, and choosing a ringtone again and...and...and...

Luckily, the crack isn't super visible or inconvenient.  I can ignore it for a while longer until I gear myself up to go get a new phone.  (and we're ignoring the cost, thank you)

*PAUSE*

Kevin convinced me to get a phone.  He knows I've been a whole mood and hoping this maybe might help.  Shiny, new things usually do.  I now have a brand new google phone.  As if the universe heard my whining anxieties, everything will transfer easy peasy, including texts.  Contented sigh.

Oh, mind you, I'm still pissy and resentful about installing apps and remembering passwords. But I'm doing it while holding a shiny new toy so that improves my attitude.  And I'm not pissy and resentful enough to Write Down said passwords for future use. That's just silly talk right there.

And I bet Kevin I wouldn't ask for IT assistance from the store so I will win, regardless of the cost, snot, and/or tears. A bet is a bet.

It didn't take long, relatively, and with minimal cursing.  Any mistakes were due to my impatience and short attention span.  In fact in preparation for this project, I put on Sirius  and tried to concentrate only on the phone but that didn't last long.  I had to start dinner, which made me think of laundry, and the soap dispenser was empty, and and and.  While doing this, I also discovered that the WiFi box needs replacing BECAUSE OF COURSE IT DOES.

So far, I am not in love with my phone, only in like. One like: I discovered that the music and speakers makes my old phone sound like it was playing from a tin can with a string.  Like AND Dislike: it is more simple so just that is panic inducing: where is the? oh, here it is.

It has a fingerprint lock that takes some getting used to. The funny thing is that I set it up with my left hand so it's fine if I'm just living my life.  But if I'm in the car...and yes, I know that you're not supposed to use your phone but LIFE HAPPENS...I can't operate my phone at all because I can't unlock it.  I have to think it's the universe protecting me from being a knucklehead.

If you need me, I will be frowning and lightly muttering at my phone until I get it figured out.  And maybe deleting some photos. Maybe. Don't push.

Epilogue:

So I just traded in my new phone for a new phone.  This is where I FULLY ACKNOWLEDGE my privilege.

I hate the photo management on the google phone and it's non-cooperation with the camera.  I will get my nerd on for just a second: instead of having a photo gallery on my phone and built-in photo editing app, google puts everything into the cloud and...well, that's kinda it.  Photo editing is some ethereal thing that I could find but then it saved the photo...somewhere?...not in the cloud, that is for sure.  Photos are stored on the cloud so dependent upon internet connection, which is inconsistent where I live and in Canada. So no bueno.

A person can download an app to fix this problem but you pay for the app AND the add-ons or you have ad-based apps which aren't worth it, to me.  So, yes, I paid significantly more for something that was kind of solvable by downloading an app.  I did the research first, trust me.  And oh: shush.

HOWEVER, and I don't know how to explain this: the phone just didn't feel right. It didn't fit right in my hand.  I think partially because I've had a samsung phone since forever and maybe that feeling would have waned.  My old phone felt sturdy and this one constantly felt like I was going to drop it or fold it in half or something.

I had decided to just pout my way though my problems...because that always works.  But when Kevin put on his patient, "stop being stubborn" tone, I decided to listen.  I do so much with my camera and to not have it perfect was just not worth it to me.  And yes, the salesperson was a little befuddled with my decision.  As he should be.

And my karma was that I had to wait for a long time for everything to transfer because I STILL haven't culled my photos.

Oh, and one more thing: on the samsung  a certain emoji looks like a cute, coy smile but on the google phone it looks like an eye-roll. Yikes. So that made for an awkward text clarifying that I wasn't eyerolling someone.  I'm rubbish at texting, as evidence shows.

So, now we can move on with your lives. My first world problems have been solved and we can continue on.  Thank you for taking this journey with me.

Gratuitous beautiful photo from my old phone

*Not an endorsement of Samsung or Google.  You do you, boo