Farewell, Trusty Friend

I'm in a dilemma. I have to make a decision. Some decisions are easy but this one means I will have to let go of sentimentality.

It's my cell phone. I've had my old simple, basic cell phone for several years. It's the one that I accidentally dumped into the ocean while visiting Maui almost three years ago. I grabbed it out of the shallow water as quickly as I could and it began buzzing frantically due to the salt water shorting out its circuits. Fortunately I was smart enough to hastily remove the battery. Then I went online and googled (Ah! Another rescue by Google!) how to salvage my cell phone.

Here is a quick synopsis of how to save your cell phone if you drop it in water...just in case you are ever on the beaches of Maui and careless with your phone. (Or if you are elsewhere and drop your cell phone in the toilet -- or the kitchen sink -- or wherever)

1. Briefly rinse phone and battery under the kitchen faucet to remove any salt (or other crud). The idea is to remove salt but not to soak it further. This baby is already wet. Rinse it only long enough to remove the bad stuff. Be brief but thorough. Swish it quickly and go to Step Two. (If your phone has a memory card, remove and rinse it as well. And if you dropped it in plain, non-salty, CLEAN water, disregard this step.)
   
2. Dry with a kitchen towel. As thoroughly as possible, including any crevices and ports. Wick that moisture out with a corner of the fabric or a Q-tip!
3. Find a warm dry spot. (I turned on my oven for a short 30 seconds to warm it...the rack should be warm but not hot to the touch. Then I turned on the oven light to keep it warm. Warning! Do Not use a Hot Oven and Do Not Leave the Oven ON!) I've heard of people placing their phones on the dash of their car and letting solar energy provide the warmth to dry it but it would seem that might get a bit hot if you live in Death Valley or some such place...use some sense here.
   
4. Place the phone and its battery in this warm spot AT LEAST 24 hours before re-connecting the battery. Forty-eight is even better...if you can stand the suspense that long. If you re-connect while your phone still holds moisture you run the risk of shorting it out completely and your end result will be a dead phone.
   
5. In my case, I waited about 36 hours before placing the battery back on the phone and it worked fine.
   

My phone has been performing faithfully ever since. And part of me wants to keep it to see just how long it will continue to work. But my Hubby has provided me with a RAZR which has more features that bedazzle. It is with reluctance that I say "goo-bye" to my old trusty phone.

And now I'm going to read the instruction book on the RAZR. After all, I'm a woman, and women always do that. Read instructions. Don't they? Or am I the only one???
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