A Little Bad, a Little Good

So... on the rare occasion I get a raise it's on the order of 2, maybe 3%.

But, when there's a pay cut, it's 10%; double digits.

There is a pain between my ears.

On a lighter note, I still have a job. Of lesser note - my Amarylis is kicking on all cylinders.

I buy Amaryllis bulbs just after Christmas when the prices plummet. This one cost $5 for bulb, pot, soil; the works. I bought two but the second one, a Red Lion, isn't doing a thing. I think it wants to wait until the Apple Blossom does it's thing - you know, so as not to have to share the spotlight. It'll be interesting to see how long the Red Lion, which has barely begun to send up a few leaves, takes to bloom.

The Apple Blossom flowers are each 7 inches across

The Holy Grail (and the Teensiest of Details)

Oh Joy of Joys! Called AT&T yesterday. A super friendly lady told me that I do not have to lose my cell phone number just because I lost the cell phone. Hurrah! AT&T nuked out the SIM card on the old phone so a new phone can take over my trusty old phone number.

So, chock full of this knowledge, after work I raced to the AT&T store. Oh though bright and shiny toys! Blackberries, flip-tops, slide-access dials and... the HOLY GRAIL of cells - The iPHONE (all hail the iPhone, drop to your knees knave!)

There was no way I was not going to get one I suppose, short of stuffing my fingers in my ears, shutting my eyes and shouting 'La, la, la, la. la...' when the sales clerk mentioned the things.

HOLY GRAIL

See? This is why we all want to grow up; so we can use our failings as an excuse to reward ourselves. Lost my cell phone? I get a new one. I WIN!

Before I complete this little tale - an important note: I own 2 pair of brown slacks. We continue...

This morning I rose, chipper & cheeky. I pulled at a pair of brown slacks in my bedroom closet. A loud clatter sounded as something dropped from the slacks' pocket.

Yes. It was.

Aw shut up. I said I had two pair of brown slacks. Apparently, in an unusual bit of tidiness, when I got home yesterday night, I hung up the pair I was wearing. Later when the I realized my cell phone was missing, I checked the brown pair of slacks that was lying on the chair outside of the closet, which I had not been wearing. Duh.

You know it could have happened to you too. Aw, shut up.

Claire's 5 Stages of Techno Grief

Friday, Jan 23: Claire arrives home from work, only to notice - NO cell phone! Where EFF is it? Claire freaks. Decides must have left the thing at office. No biggie. <----DENIAL

Saturday Jan 24: Drives all the way downtown to office. Ignore security guard and get onto elevator, up to 10th floor and my desk. NO CELL PHONE! <--- ANGER

Sunday, Jan 25: Claire fretting, as well as packing bags for work trip to L.A., flight leaving at 2:10PM.

Barbara Via email offers the obvious suggestion that Claire was to freaked to think of: email phone company OR get ready to shell out $100,000 for phone calls to Istanbul.

Claire cancels cell service. Is upset. Wants blankie & bottle (a good '49 merlot) <----GRIEF

Claire flies to Los Angeles. Picks up rental car. Finds hotel, an Omni; a HUMONGOUS hotel. In room Claire is mesmerized by key locked, in-room snack bar containing food, only affordable if Obama names Claire as U.S. ambassador to Japan. Claire chews her own limbs rather than spend $4.75 on .o24 oz of gourmet gum drops.

The sun sets. Claire decides to listen to some podcasts. NO iPOD! (Repeat previous 3 stages of Grief, i.e., Denial, Anger, etc.). Last place iPod was relished was at Sacto Airport. Claire concludes, gods are livid & her electronic toys are being brutally taken from her.

Claire, tucked in HUMONGOUS Omni bed. Promises to stop pissing on gods lesser electronics if only errant techno toys return.<---- BARGAINING

As Claire mopes, here is nighttime scene from hotel room window.

Night view of Walt Disney Concert Hall
Fancy Shmancy restaurant below

Next morning. Bright and early Claire arises to mope while looking at daytime view out of window. Claire concludes, 'Oh well! Who needs a cell phone anyway. And now that the iPod turned up missing to, maybe I'll just go ahead and get that iPhone I've been wanting. <--ACCEPTANCE

Sun is up on the Disney Concert Hall
Museum of Contemporary Art is in the foreground
Fancy Shmancy restaurant by daylight
Time to go to work! Claire goes to court with Lawyer. Defendant is a no-show. Whole court scene is intimate - only the judge, a court reporter, the lawyer and Claire. Claire takes the witness stand and manages to give testimony with no outrageous mistakes or flubs. The gods, for now, are pleased.

Case over quickly and Claire is back at hotel checking out by 11:00. She gets rental car back. What is on the floor of the car, sticking out its virtual tongue? iPOD! Joy of joys, what was lost is now found. Now where the eff is the damned cell phone?Oh well. For now the ancient gods of techno geeks are pleased.