I like the Starbucks salted caramel mocha very much—but I like about HALF of one. Which makes me unhappy when it’s a four-dollar drink. BUT: this last time, I discovered it KEEPS beautifully. I put it in the fridge when I got home, and later when it was cold I sipped some. Delicious like a milkshake. I also tried mixing some about 50-50 with plain coffee and microwaving it, and that was really good too: less rich, of course, but sometimes that’s what you want. (Stir the leftover first, because the chocolate sinks to the bottom.)
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While everyone was playing Candy Crush, I didn’t realize I was playing the Webkinz version of the same game: Goober’s Atomic Adventure. So if you’re thinking about getting a Webkinz AND you love Candy Crush, there’s another point in the Yes Do It column.
The way I finally found out about Candy Crush is that we finally got smart phones. You know how at some point, you almost HAVE to join in with something? Like, you don’t HAVE-TO-have-to: I remember my grandparents refusing to get a computer because they didn’t see the point of it and couldn’t think of anything they’d do with it, and they never did get one. So you CAN be like that. It’s ALLOWED.
But when the rest of society is connecting in a certain way, refusing to participate comes with consequences. My grandparents missed out on email from their grandchildren who no longer wrote letters, and they missed out on digital photos, and they missed out on the fun of online research. In my case, we had cell phones that could sort of text, but there was a length-limit so most texts got broken up into several (and we pay per text), and it was a gigantic pain to SEND texts: you had to use the number pad, pressing each number enough times to get the letter you wanted. Meanwhile, texting was so common that other people assumed we had texting even if we told them we didn’t really use it, so we’d miss important information (Brownies meeting canceled, for example) because we weren’t checking our phones—or we’d get the information, but it was an enormous hassle to access it, and to respond in kind. And we couldn’t take photos, or play games, or use apps.
For awhile, that was fine: sure, it would be nice to have those things, but it would also be nice to have lots of other things we don’t have, and that isn’t a reason to automatically acquire them. When a certain percentage of the population crossed over, however, I started having flashbacks to how I felt about my grandparents acting as if it was pointless and silly and overly-expensive to have a computer. Psh, our horse and carriage works just FINE! What do we need to go spend money on an AUTOMOBILE for? We never go farther than into town anyway!
But my cell phone cost less than $7 a month, and I wasn’t willing to pay what I’d heard was the monthly cost of a smart phone (times two, since Paul would want one as well), so there we were: willing to participate, but also not willing.
Then several things happened at once. First, we got to the point where it would be more convenient for US if Rob had a cell phone—but our $7/month plan is olllllld (we got it when I was pregnant with William, when it was $5/month) and not available for new phones, and we were NOT going to buy him a better phone/plan than we had, especially when we don’t know yet if he’ll be responsible with a phone. And second, Paul’s boss mentioned he had a non-iPhone plan that cost in the $10-30/month range, and that he was happy with it.
So we signed up, got ourselves smartphones, and gave Rob my old cell phone that only costs $7/month and limits his texting. (We give Paul’s old phone to William when he needs one.) Now I can play Candy Crush while waiting for the kids to be done with karate, and I can take a photo of something at Target, and Rob can text me that math club is over early and I can come get him. It’s nice to feel caught up with other people again.
Complete non sequitur: I am reading The Writing Class and I love it. I loved it instantly (“this is a woman who does not give a rat’s ass”), and it’s different and fun in exactly the way you described. I had never heard of Jincy Willett before, and I’m so glad you reviewed those books so I could discover her!
Where the heck are you finding such cheap cell phone service?! Lead me to it!
I asked Paul for the link: https://www.pagepluscellular.com/plans/
Which phones did you get? Because we will soon be driven to smartphones as well.
I asked Paul, and he replied: “Short answer: Older Android phones
Long answer: HTC Incredible 2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTC_Incredible_2)”
I have that phone too! I keep saying I’ll upgrade it or get an iPhone, but I really like it and now that I know how to use it, I really don’t want to learn to use another phone. The camera is pretty good too and the screen is slightly bigger than the iPhone.
Last Christmas I found the Startbucks Slated Caramel Mocha instant packets at my grocery store and gave those out as office gifts. I am not a Starbucks fan (too bitter and burnt-tasting for me) but I only heard good things about the instant ones. Perhaps those will be a tasty as the fresh one from Starbucks, but you can make just half at a time?
Anywho.
My Verizon contract ends in three weeks!!!! I am so excited. We live on the moon and therefore typically have access to one, maybe two different service providers of any sort. So, we’ve been stuck with super-expensive (but admittedly, very dependable) Verizon forever. I am trying to decide if I want to continue month-to-month with them or switch to a less expensive company – but that requires I buy a new phone.
Over a barrel!
YUM. I hadn’t seen the packets, but now will look for them!
I know you can’t be too specific, but the cell phone thing made me wonder what sort of job Paul has that he could get along w/0 a smart phone for so many years. My husband and I are both in non tech industry jobs and literally couldn’t work without ours but I guess it depends on how much/how quickly you need to connect with coworkers/clients
Tech industry! He’s not even allowed to have a cell phone at work: there’s a little cubbyhole set-up where you can leave your phone if you forgot to leave it in the car.
I resisted getting a cell phone at all for years and years and years. Then I was in a car accident and had to make several calls immediately (husband, insurance, tow truck, police, etc.). For some reason, no one else at the scene either had a phone or would let me use one, so I wound up walking (sobbing all the way) to the lone gas station half a mile up the road that still had a pay phone.
Luckily, I wasn’t hurt at all, but that was the moment when I realized I’d have to get with the new program and get a cell phone. Even though the towers kill migratory birds and I think cell phones in general have contributed to the death of manners.
I still do not have a smartphone of my own (I have one through work, but I only use it for personal stuff if it’s dire — like, needing a walk-in clinic when my kid gets sick on vacation). My phone is very very old and I am hoping it holds on until my oldest’s contract is up and we can move to a company with a better family plan. And then I will have a phone like the cool kids do. (Only I still won’t be cool.)
I finally got a smart phone a couple of months ago. I still haven’t adjusted to certain things–like, the phone’s browser is really slow, so I don’t really enjoy using twitter or facebook on the phone, but I have the option if I want to check something, or I’m bored. Plus I have Google Maps with GPS so I don’t get lost, and I can play Angry Birds and Candy Crush when I’m in a long check out line or otherwise waiting. I can’t stand the thought of paying a huge amount of money, or the thought of being in a contract, so I use a prepaid phone through virgin mobile. It’s an android, (kyocera rise) and it costs 35 bucks a month–that’s for unlimited text and data, and 300 talk minutes. I like it.
i have an iphone. i sometimes worry that i am TOO i n love with it and have started to sometimes force myself to leave it at home when i walk the dog or something (though that often fails since my music is all on it…) but it is also SO HANDY for looking things up and checking my bank balance and tweeting and emailing and googling doc-ing and taking photos to post to instagram/facebook even though everyone has already seen my dog!
I just got a smartphone in September for the same reason. I remember about 10 years ago when people didn’t have email and it was so irritating. I had become one ofbthose people with my old phone. Practices were cancelled or fields were changed once we were already out and about…by text…so it was getting really inconvenient. But I am already carefully modelling how I want it used…never using it during meals or in the car. I really don’t want to become a family that always has their nose in their phones.
I absolutely LOVE my android! Hubby thought I was ridiculous. Until he started this job and they gave him an iPhone…now he’s in love. Although, Verizon IS dependable and we’ve been with them forever I think if we can outlast our contracts I will be looking elsewhere for cheaper service next time – so I’m filing away this link you’ve shared for future reference. (Now, if someone could just remind me in about 3 years that I’ve filed away that link, I’ll be golden).
Oh! And I had to come back to say this….I LOVE your comments section; because I accidentally clicked the “Notify Me of follow up comments by email” button and rather than just sending me all the follow up comments, it actually sent me a note asking me to confirm. That is a cool feature!
Someone– International Delight?– makes a salted caramel mocha creamer and I love it when I can find it, but haven’t been able to find it recently. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. The two big things going for it are that it’s WAY cheaper than getting coffee out, and it’s lactose free.
We’ve had the barely-texts-doesn’t-do-pictures phone for the longest time too. I finally got a smart phone right before the move and it SAVED ME to be able to stay connected with people during the upheaval of the regular phone/internet being turned off at the old place, driving for nearly a week, and then not having everything hooked up and working when we got to the new place.
Now I am loving the phone because it’s so easy to take pictures to quickly text to the people we just left who want to see the new house or see how the children are growing. Or take a picture at the store and tweet it to someone. Or catch up on Twitter while I’m waiting (and waiting and waiting) for a doctor’s appointment. And: TEXTING! Being able to type a lovely little message INSTEAD OF NEEDING TO CALL SOMEONE AND TALK ON THE PHONE!
I am a big fan of the smart phone. Although we do struggle sometimes with getting lost in it and not being able to leave work behind. Ahem. But, as a friend of a friend said recently, it really is a mini computer that you sometimes make phone calls on. My current stage of life is such that I am not able to be on a computer much at all, but do everything ( including comment!) on my phone.
And Kindle app! It isn’t a book book, but I am often reading on my phone.