Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

The view from Wendy's World

My cell phone has filed for divorce.

Apparently, theres a network of communication between cell phones and my new phone has heard details of the demise of some of the previous cell phones - including the dropped in the potty escapade that killed one of the phones. (It was safely on the side of the sink, but decided to do a swan dive - not my fault.)

Let me start by saying that I think cell phone manufacturers should make those phones more durable. After all, theyre meant to be mobile. That means theyre meant to go where we go.

And try as I might, Im just not a calm person who never puts the cell phone in danger.

That said, Ill admit that there are some things that Ive put phones through that are probably just going to kill the gadgets.

The car in Barstow, Calif., for instance. The phone fell off one of those little clasps and landed in the middle of a street when the traffic was reasonably heavy. We didnt remember it for about a half hour but when we went back and found it - its remains were in pieces.

Several pieces.

It was a camera phone and I was a bit surprised that there wasnt a photo of the offending vehicle.

I understand that the weight of a car - even a small car - is probably not good for the phones. But the most recent phone death in the family was actually run over by a mower. I think it might have survived the weight of the wheels, but the double blades were apparently too much for it. Believe it or not, the memory card was intact and actually worked in another phone - briefly.

I contend that manufacturers could foresee some of the problems and make the phones better. Water resistant, for example.

My daughter lost a phone outdoors and it didnt turn up for almost a month. When it did, it was in the dogs mouth. As it turns out, neither drool nor the storms that had flooded the front yard during the time the phone was MIA were enough to put it out of commission. With a few minutes on the charger, it fired up and worked fine.

Im not so fortunate. I dropped one into a small puddle and it was almost immediately dead.

Okay, it wasnt exactly a puddle. Okay, it was a lake, but we were in a relatively shallow spot. I did recover the phone but it never again offered even a peep from any caller.

Its amazing to me how attached we are to the cell phones. I was without one for almost a week and found myself reaching for it, wishing for it and berating the careless lawn mower the entire time.

As it turns out, the new phone is a bit more upscale, though I have no idea how to work all the gadgets. And Ive discovered the danger of having phone numbers stored only in my phone.

So if I didnt call you back last week, blame it on the fact that my phone was in several pieces in the front yard. And if you believe I should have your phone number, give me a call - because I dont.

Meanwhile, Im going to be working on a new phone model. I wonder where I can get that material they use to make the airplane black boxes. My new phone is demanding some protection.