So I got caught in a drenching storm in Austin yesterday afternoon. Was actually playing disc golf with a few work friends at a course out by the airport.
Midway through, the rain came, a little at first, then more and more, until we were out in the open fields, maybe a mile from the parking lot. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed all around us. We slipped and slid in increasingly thick mud, but for some reason decided to finish the game anyway (none of us wanted to be the first to say Uncle).
Anyway, it was an adventure. Once we got back to the parking lot, I spent 20-30 minutes defrosting the car and trying to get to a place where I could see enough to drive home.
BUT the reason I’m writing this is because my brand new phone got soaked (first, in my pocket, then in the case where I hold my discs). I turned it off in the car, but it kept flashing and making weird noises like it was shorting out.
When I got home I took the battery out (should have done that sooner!) and tried to dry it off in front of a box fan.
Then a couple of friends suggested that I put it in a bag or box of uncooked rice, which might draw some of the moisture away.
I don’t know why I’d never heard of this trick before, but now the phone is buried in rice and I’m waiting the recommended 24-48 hours to see if it can be revived.
So for now I have no phone. Which in some ways is nice, because I don’t feel that urge to look at it every 5 seconds for updates.
But it’s also disconcerting because I have loved ones who are vulnerable and I worry about missing a call to let me know something bad has happened.
So I’m struggling a bit with ideas of risk and danger, and the fact that ten (or fifteen?) years ago we didn’t carry these connected devices everywhere we went.
I’m reminded of this article my friend Tom linked to on facebook whose message is basically that we worry too much about emergencies and danger in an increasingly safe environment. Plus everyone I love has others who can help them if needed.
Still, it feels odd, and I’m curious to see how it goes.
If the phone doesn’t come back to life this weekend, it could be another week or so before I have a phone. How will that go?
My guess: pretty well. I still have the internet and a car; and most people are connected enough that I may not even need a phone (at least for stretches at a time).
Isn’t that crazy??
