Tanqueray and Teens and iPhones

KCD --

How's that snow in Dallas?

You might not be calling me Sunshine had you been around here at wake-up time this a.m. Not that sunnily disposed.

You ask, I answer:

I have an iPhone. Santa or Baby Jesus in the manger brought it to me Christmas '08.

iPhone might not have been my first choice if I were doing the choosing, but I like it a lot. It was time for me to get off of the el cheapo pay as you go phones and I was thinking of the Google phone that was coming out about that time back then. Probably a good thing that Santa or Baby Jesus in the manger made the choice for me. iPhone is better. 

Apple is pricey but I like Apple. Yes I will be getting an iPad in March.

Santa JMax put me on her phone plan. Said my bill is $50.00 a month. I'm pretty sure she's subsidizing that by $20.00 'cos I find no fifty dollah plan on ATT web site. 

I'm no welfare cheat and I haven't scored any of those abundant Obama dollahs but more people should subsidize me in more ways for more things for more years is pretty much what I think about that. You helped to teach me that back when you subsidized me. Can you say Tanqueray London Dry Gin? C'mon people. Fork over.

I use iPhone more for the email and the internet than as a phone. Also use it to read books. Kindle app. 

But a young friend has been calling me a lot recently. Just saying. Is every day a lot? Just asking. It's a mentoring/advising thing. Like I'm a trusted father figure. Or like I'm the wise old goat and he's the kid. Hmmmm. That sounds kind of familiar, kind of like 1981. History does repeat. The alternative explanation is that he's trying to kill me by staring at me. Who can tell what's up these days?

How these things occur, how folk meet and work toward friendships, I have no idea; but it's fun and gets me outta the house in the evening, talking to a human across the table instead of to a dog at the feet or to an online ether-person through the interwebs. Reminds me of when we were all young and had real lives. Can you remember back that far? Cafe Society was us. Anyway, I almost always -- but not always -- pick up when his face appears on my in-coming screen. And you know I'm not a phone guy. Anyway, phone usage does occur. 

JMax just added 200 text messages a month to my plan because I roll that way these days. Five dollah for 200. 

iPhone is stuck with ATT right now. It is said it will be open to Verizon soon enough. Dunno. I'd look into that.

I have an Advisory in my other life. 10 kids I keep an eye on for four years. They're 10th graders now. I'm supposed to "advise" them about things. Personal, social, emotional, academic. We meet. We ignore the curriculum. We all pull out our iPhones. I call ours the iPhone Advisory. I do my email or play iPhone Yahtee. The kids watch stuff on YouTube. I offered them all my phone number. In case of an "emergency." You know the drill. I won't keep any secrets from your parents, but I will pick you up any where any time and get you home safely. Half took the number, half did not. By next year they'll all take it. It is to be hoped none of them use it. Some day administration may bust me for ignoring the important items I'm supposed to discuss with them. I doubt it. This is 2010 and around here like everywhere else if one hustles there is no reward, if one slacks there is no penalty. I say iPhone is our curriculum.

Coaching the basketball tonight. We're league champions with a 3-peat.

Though you are much older now than I was when you first began calling me this, I'm still:

Your Old Goat