Lost connection

Our relationship begun in December 2011. Things were going smooth from the start. Recently I had started to look at a younger model, but I wasn't yet ready to let go. I thought we had at least weeks, if not months to go. Then some unexpected things happened.

I'm talking about my four and half years old iPhone 4s. It's battery was giving up and it didn't quite have what it takes to run the latest iOS or the updated apps. I mean yes, it was still working, but it was sluggish and sometimes prone to crashes. I had to charge it often twice a day, depending on the usage. Periscope didn't let me update my profile text, because the app was designed for a taller screen (sorry everyone with smaller screens, Periscope isn't that interested about you). I knew I would have to make the switch soon. Just not this soon.

Last thursday we headed to celebrate Juhannus, the Finnish midsummer festivities, to a cabin somewhere on an island in a middle of a lake. At some point I went to the dock to take a photo for my Instagram photo series/Fat Mum Slim Photo A Day challenge. That's when things didn't go as planned. After taking some photos with the assistance of a selfie stick, I walked back towards the solid land. On the way I tried to push the selfie stick to a shorter position, when a plastic part holding my phone snapped and the phone took a plunge to the lake. I swore loudly and froze. It was a surreal feeling, seeing my phone under the water. The home screen had flashed on during the accident. I could see the time, but still couldn't move. Someone else moved faster and retrieved the phone. There was panic. There were questions that made me anxious. There were lots of desperate tries to save the phone. But eventually it died, probably just a drop of water entering somewhere it shouldn't have.

Through the weekend I was then without a phone and mostly without any connection. I did "borrow" a hot spot a few times to use with my laptop. At first I was pretty broken about the whole thing. I felt stupid, such a silly mistake. There was also a funny feeling of freedom. Knowing that nobody could send me texts or call made me quite happy. I didn't have to read emails, check on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and others, since I really couldn't. Suddenly there was no obligation. I didn't have a clue of the time, nor I knew the date. I didn't have to be connected, the connection was lost.

Today I got a new iPhone SE. The one I had been eyeing since it was announced in March. I haven't been interested in the bigger iPhone models, but SE sounded like a plausible upgrade for a 4S loyalist. Being forced to make the upgrade... Not very pleasant, but at least this made me to do it. Sometimes I need a bit of a kick. Happily I had a pretty recent iCloud backup, so I could restore the important stuff, and even most of the photos. The photos I took at the dock were lost, but they weren't that good. Of course my selfie stick is now broken. I've got to think what I'll do about it. My Instagram photo series has been on a hold for the past days. Plus the new phone obviously wasn't exactly free nor cheap. I didn't really have the budget for it at the moment, so it was a surprising expenditure. Now I just need a case for it. Perhaps another custom Case-Mate. The one I made for the 4S was very sturdy. It was the only case I ever had. Thus the expenditures don't end with buying the phone.

If there was anything to learn from this, it was what to do and what not to do with a wet phone (shut it down immediately) and to make sure you have the most important stuff backed up. And of course always to remember that stuff is stuff and there are worse things in life than breaking an old iPhone. Then again, as someone on Twitter put it, it was a tragic end to the old warhorse. I was hoping to make use of the 4S even after switching to the new one. Well, I've got the new one now. Best not to throw it into a lake.

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