Have you lost your cell phone before?

I never had a cell phone until I was in college. I didn’t think I really needed it. Who’s gonna call me? How important can I be?

I lost my cell phone this week (fortunately, someone turned it in to the lost and found department. Maybe because my cell phone is so basic who would want to steal it? Although, they could have used it to make ridiculous phone calls from all over the world – don’t get any ideas! Well, I’ll find that out later when I get my phone bill). Even worse, I haven’t had internet connection at home. No communication with the outside world!

So what have I learned or experienced in the past few years of having a cell phone and internet:

- if you’ve forgotten your house keys or car keys, a friend is just a phone call away to let you in or pick you up
- if you’ve lost signal for a few hours (or people cannot get a hold of you), its good to let them know you’re ok
- if you cannot get a hold of someone, its good to receive a message on your phone that they are ok
- in an emergency situation, just dial 911 / 000
- if someone is stalking you at the train station for about a year, a phone can be handy (yes, it has happened to me)
- credit card bills that’s almost due…online payment!!!
- free phone calls on the internet to anywhere in the world just to hear your family and friends’ voices
- a happy birthday phone call is always nice
- a message that says, “I’m pregnant with my third child and I’m turning 40! What was I thinking?”
- counting down until the new year comes with someone who’s halfway around the world
- calling someone who has the same birthday as me and waking them up early in the morning forgetting the time difference between Australia and the US
- stock trading on the net (although its always 15 minutes delayed)
- blogging and reading family and friends’ blogs
- paying bills in the US while living in Australia
- chatting with dear friends from all over the world
- receiving and sending unexpected messages just to say hello
- downloading music in less than 3 minutes – I don’t think I can live without music!
- online shopping…how can I forget!!!!
- checking out your pictures on kodakgallery, snapfish, walgreens, or Costco
- three-way, four-way, conference calls with friends from different parts of the world…and its FREE!!!!
- text messages about them being late! Ugh!!!!
- making sure you have enough $$ in the bank

I’ve also realized after losing my phone, to make sure you save all the phone numbers separately somewhere else. Like today when I called my lost phone. I needed someone to pick up my phone before the lost and found department closes at 4pm (that’s just impossible for me!!!). Good thing I have my friend, Bart, who works nearby. Unfortunately, I didn’t have his number anywhere else. So I had to ask the lost and found department to go through my address book. Well, I didn’t exactly know Bart’s last name either so I had put him on my address book as “Bart Simpson”. I don’t know if the guy on the other line gave out a chuckle. But now I know Bart’s last name (I had to give his full name so he can be ID’d when he picks up my phone). But I think I’ll keep “Bart Simpson” or maybe I can hyphenate it. What do you think?

I don’t think I can go back being without a cellphone or the internet. But just make sure you make a life outside of it, too!