February Photos, Days Fifteen & Sixteen: Phone, and Something New

Yeah, I totally forgot about this yesterday.  Instead of blogging, I was out with my best friend.  We saw Safe House and then went to Texas Roadhouse and drank margaritas and tried to forget Safe House.  I have no idea who Ryan Reynolds is, but I know he has only one expression.  Still, it wasn't a bad movie for what it was--a simpleminded action film with vague pretensions to relevance.  And hey, Denzel.  He's my generation's Sean Connery.

Anyhow, I forgot about the February Photo Challenge until I was at home, slightly tipsy, and caring for a sick husband.  I did indeed abandon a sick husband to go watch a movie and drink, but he got prime rib out of it when he came to pick me & Mark up, and in my defense as far as either of us knew he wasn't sick when we went out.  So last night slipped by me.

I did get a good picture earlier this afternoon, though, and another for today as well.  So I'm going to play catch up and try to keep up with it better.

Marie is at that age where she loves phones.  I am at that age where I loathe them.  I do not actually own a phone right now.  Erik has a smartphone that he got for free by extending his T-Mobile contract.  My mother has a cheapie flip phone from Cricket, which is what Rie is playing with in this photo.  I have nothing, and I am happy with it that way.

I actually am old enough to remember when not only were cell phones not ubiquitous, but home phones themselves weren't.  I strongly suspect that po' folks dragged this latter happenstance out for the rest of society, but I remember well the uncertain nature of paying relatives a visit when no one had a phone to call anyone else.  Would they be there, or would a long bus ride be for naught?

As an adult, I rather enjoy the feckless nature of not having a cell phone.  I am an introvert, so I feel no need to be constantly connected to my fellows.  I rather resented that expectation when I did have a cell phone, in fact.  I have said for years, and I stand by it, that unless you are a doctor or a drug dealer, you really don't need to be reachable twenty-four hours a day.

And even most drug dealers sleep.

 Well, this is not 100% new, but it is new to me, so it counts.  "It", by the way, is the diaper Miss Marie is wearing.  I bought a dozen embellished, snap-added prefolds for her from a woman on DiaperSwappers.  Eighteen dollars!  That's a bargain for what it is, believe me.  I almost feel guilty for paying so little for these, but I paid exactly what was asked; I didn't try talking her down any.  I paid what they were worth to her, even though I can see now they're worth more than that to me.  Not that I intend to sell them.  I want more kids; the whole point of cloth diapers to me is that you can use them for more than one child.  Marie is the second child to have these, which makes the cost per item even lower when you stop to think about it.

(And no, I have no qualms buying used cloth diapers.  I see it as no different than cloth diapers I buy new--they get adequately cleaned and sanitized in the wash.  This way, no new resources are used and I don't have to waste water and effort prepping them for first use.)