My phone, that is. I spent last night down in the Valley, and had fun visiting friends and shopping and spending the night at the casino, free for the room but very not free once I gambled. I got a call while on the way home this afternoon, which I safely answered, and it was Mom's doctor calling my number (backup contact) by mistake. I knew I had the phone at that point. I stopped and got water at the water kiosk as I came through town. Once I unloaded the car I started to call Mom to verify that the doctor had called her. No phone.
A neighbor called my phone while I listened in the car and in the RV. Silence. I drove back to the strip mall where I got water, no broken phone where I had parked. I asked in the closest stores. No one had turned it in. I did get lots of sympathy. I honestly could not remember if I had locked the car while at the water kiosk, and the phone was on the seat in the busy parking lot.
I drove to Mom's house to let her know I was unable to be reached via my phone. I called Consumer Cellular from her phone as we are both on the same account. The customer service rep was very sympathetic and suspended my account so that it could be reactivated if I found the phone. He also arranged to send me a new sim card as I have a couple of older phones I can use until I figure out what I want long term.
Once that was done, I started thinking about what all I had lost. All the pictures from my trips, all the many pictures of the elk around here. My games, since I don't log into facebook to keep track of my progress anyplace other than my phone. I've played some of them for 3 years. I don't buy any extras or pay any money for the games. Google Play has no record of any of my credit cards, good for a lost phone but no way to track ownership. sigh.
I used to work on computers. I know how hardware can just stop working, get lost or stolen or just break. I preach backups, constantly. I just don't listen myself.
I also started thinking about the financial websites I have set up to remember my logins from my phone, as well as two email accounts of my own and also Mom's. The phone was locked, but I used to run around with computer hackers. I know that nothing is un-hackable.
I came home and started changing passwords from my computer. Once site wasn't playing nice. I started looking for my other laptop to log in to see if I'd changed the password or not. I turned around and saw my phone on the counter, black phone on a black stove cover.
I will still change many passwords. I may even start logging my games into facebook. I will definitely back up the pictures, and continue to do so on a regular basis.
And, I may fix myself a drink.
