Be Ye Without Cracked Screen Be The First To Throw A Stone (AKA-People With Glass On Their Smartphones Should Not Throw Judgement)

Little known fact: I judge people A LOT. Okay, maybe if you know me that fact isn't so much "little known." But here's the deal, I know it is not nice to judge people so I try to keep it in my head and do my best to overcome this vice. It is important to me to remember that I am not faultless and need to have more patience with people.

However, one thing that drives me up the wall is cracked phone screens. This is how my internal dialog goes:

"Didn't your parents teach you how to treat nice things? You should be ashamed of yourself! Phones aren't cheap. And how long have you been using that cracked screen? Have some pride and get that fixed. That is ridiculous. It looks stupid, and you could cut your hand and/or finger. You know what? Go ahead and cut up your hand! It would serve you right for your lack of appreciation of that phone."

And I never felt bad for thinking these things because every single iPhone I have ever owned since 2010 (I started with the 4) maintained a flawless screen. I always made sure I had a case and was careful where I would set the phone down or put it in my purse.

Then Wednesday the 23rd of September 2015 happened. The phone slid out of my bag when I got out of my car. I wasn't too concerned because that does happen from time to time which is why it is in a case. I picked it up and took it inside. About 10 minutes later I went to waste some time on the phone and realized that when held at a certain angle there was a teeny-tiny chink and hairline crack across the bottom. SCANDALOUS!

Calling Apple for help doesn't do anyone any good, and I knew I would have to pay $100 bucks minimum to get it replaced anyway so up to the Apple Store I went.

Turns out that the Apple Store isn't nearly as anxiety inducing on a Wednesday afternoon as it is on the weekend. The lovely employee told me that since the crack was so minimal and could only be seen at an angle there would not be a charge to replace the phone! I couldn't believe my luck! She said I would have to come back in about three hours before a tech could get me a new phone but that would give me enough time to back up my phone to either the Cloud or my computer. Hot dog!

I left feeling relieved that the $100 I planned to spend would remain in my bank account, and I felt that perhaps the no fee switch-a-roo of phones was my "reward" for always taking such great care of my previous iPhones.

With my new phone in hand, the hubby and I headed to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida early on Thursday morning.

Then Saturday morning's Spider-Man simulator ride at Islands of Adventure happened. If a ride was going to be too rough the employees would tell us to use a locker for our things. Since this didn't happen, I had my phone in my back pocket like usual. At one point in the ride Electro hooks up a nefarious device and jolts our seats with repeated volts of electricity. The end result? My phone shook out of my pocket and the screen was for real cracked every which way. EXTREMELY SCANDALOUS!

Here I was stuck in Florida with a BRAND NEW cracked iPhone. The thing was two days old! Not to mention we weren't leaving until Sunday, so I HAD TO USE MY PHONE WITH THE CRACKED SCREEN FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND. Two phones in three days with cracked screens. I had become the person I usually so viciously judged.

Because my husband loves me, we headed straight for the Apple Store after landing on Sunday. I talked my way past the gate-keeper and first line of technicians. It took an hour and definitely $100 the second time around, but I managed to get home with my second new phone. I immediately ordered a super-indestructo case.

Will I continue to judge people with cracked phones screens or keep in mind that sometimes very responsible people have bad days?

I think it is safe to say that karma is a bi&*h and lesson learned.

Putting "Fantasy" in Front Doesn't Mean I Should Take Up Sports

This new year has brought with it many new experiences including my first ever participation in a Fantasy Football League. My husband has been kickin' butt in this realm for many, many years. (Between you and me, I love how much he knows about the sport and crush pretty hard when he starts talkin' football.) However, using the term "fantasy" with me always meant a fictional trip through the pages of a book. Not to mention the only sport I know anything about is hockey, and I don't know enough about that to be a power house in any Fantasy Hockey Leagues.

So here I was getting ready for my first ever draft seeking advice from the hubs in hopes of not embarrassing myself. I had an absolute blast at the draft because the league is of all my co-workers many of whom have the same dearth of knowledge about the sport as I do. (Okay, perhaps they actually know more than I do. Seriously, all I know is hockey.) It was fun and exciting waiting for my turn to come to select my next player. I had all my lists ready. I marked off players already chosen. I pulled up the position tiers on my laptop in case I needed them. The casual on-looker might have been fooled into believing I was a pro when really I'm just an overachiever working hard to perform well.

I think at the end of the draft I was graded a B or B-. Hmmm...not my best but better than average! I figured if nothing else I could just adopt the mantra of a coach I knew once who had an under-performing team: JUST BEAT ONE!

Then the first week one of the season happened. And, well, I may have actually let that coach down. One of my players was injured and out before the end of the second quarter. One of my benched players had a remarkable game. My opponent will outscore me by 20 points easily, and I am no where close to being any higher than last place in my league.

Fortunately, I can step back and have a hearty chuckle at my first experience. I did learn a few things and better understand the rantings of my husband when he tracks his own players. I will continue to try my best the rest of the season even though I have a feeling it will follow in the same vein as week one.

In the end, I just need to come to terms with the fact my nose belongs in a book and no part of me belongs in sports.