It’s not uncommon to see a family of deer in our neighborhood. Usually four – a mom, dad, and two fawns. They wander about in back yards, a local graveyard, grassy areas surrounding evening walkabouts, and an elementary playgrond. During this particular evening, an after dinner stroll was, apparently, necessary near our high school. The “kids” were playing with each other as mom and dad paid particular attention to slow moving dusk traffic. I was part of that as my Mitsubishi took a u-turn up a block to make a return trip. A wooden fence provided just enough of a photo distraction between my parked car and these cervid creatures to avoid any nervous movement from them for a few seconds. Within a minute, it was time for another family adventure across the way … and they were gone.

Like I mentioned, this encounter isn’t unique for our neighborhood. Within a four block radius (+/-), deer are spotted on the regular. Sometimes there can be an octet of brown beast-ettes roaming lawns, minding their lives. Nobody really pays a bother. Once in a while, a garden takes notice as one of its vegetable or flower residents is, unfortunately, relieved of its residency. Such goes the “neighborhood”.

What do we expect when eighty years ago one lonely house stood alone four blocks away? This deer family’s ancestry had free, unobstructed reign over acres of land. Before two schools and dozens upon dozens of houses were built, this area was, yes, a bit swampy … but it was their home. Now they are still free, yes; however, dodging hundreds of over the speed-limit cars, skirting over paved roads, and avoiding as much human interaction as possible…

… even those pesky Mutsubishi pull-overs who insist on that one “please hold still” picture. The comment, “They’re so little, little”,… came across from my passenger side. I laughed. A much needed smile.

Why bother mentioning, right? Well, I needed it. Sorry, cute deer family. You were needed.

Seven hours of unnecessary, frustrating, aggravating, over-the top technological indignation precipitated this deer, oh so dear, encounter.

My phone died during lunch while I finished off a left-over Subway sub from the day before. It just went blank. No warning. No. “Hey, Doug .. guess what? I’d like the rest of my life off now. Please make sure you have everything in order. Let me know when it’s a good time for you and then I’ll sign off…”. Yeah, no.

You’d think a trip to the phone store – in the middle of an already $%*&^ busy three days – would be easy?

“Hey, my phone decided to check out…ideas?”…

“There’s one customer ahead of you now. Would you mind waiting?” I’ve had no issues before, so, no. Twenty minutes later, they don’t recognize my pin number I’ve AWLAYS used to reach my accout. I, obviously need a new phone. (Data storage – or some such conflagrational contraption corruption is the issue) … They can’t access my account. One more attempt, I’m toast. So off to a corporate store to use picture ID.

Corporate. Wait forty-five minutes to be told ID can’t access a business phone. Yeah, me!! They need to call another corporate line for voice authorization. The representative was kind, however, her tablet had spinny circle unkind issues going on and couldn’t connect IN AN INTERNET PHONE STORE (to add emphasis to my rising blood pressure issue at this particular time). In the mean time, two older church ladies in line behind me – who waited just as long – were anxious to get to a church function. I graciously allowed them to take my spot because God didn’t want me to stay in this situation any more… I am very sure of this.

So, back to store #1. Stuck.Suggested I go back home to my PC email. That I do. Second floor, through the garage up the steps. My sales rep. wanted to send an email verification to that email, but IT wanted to send a verification code to my PHONE. Why? Because at this most unfortunate of times, my email decided to log out. In order to log in, of course, it wanted to send a two-step verification code to my freakin’ PHONE! Locked out of email. Locked out of my phone.

Locked out of any sense of sanity.

Oh, and everytime I come into the house now, I have to take off my shoes because there’s new carpet. This is a separate issue. Never mnd.

George Gobel once said, on the Tonight Show, “Did you ever get the feeling the world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?”. I felt that way in the middle of all this yesterday. Unconnected with the world. No cell. No email. No help. No texting…. And, this is sad, angry, and kinda upsetting at the same time. Something for all of us to look into. So connected to our electronics. Ugh.

Anyway.

I had to navigate through a zero-sum gain for over seven hours. Tried an office computer away from the house where, apparently, they changed the password?… No luck. It was an afternoon where an additional cell phone “could” have helped to coordinate codes, but it was tied up at, ironically, a funeral. I finally got into my email through another cell phone four hours later, called store #1 to re-send an access approval code, and walked out with a new phone. That process was an hour.

Another battle has ensued since with all downloads, password changes, email configurations, and just old guy problems with new technology. Yesterday was ridiculous. I know it became necessary. A pin number couldn’t open my account. Four simple little digits turned into multiple trips and a stir pot of frustrated stew. I, truly, had better things to do yesterday. Unfortunately, this is where all of us are. Technology in our hands. I need a phone.

These phones are getting better and faster. My new one has twice the memory. Couldn’t get a trade value for the old one. Not sure why? At this point, don’t really care. Has little, little value to me now. After all, it is dead to me.

It isn’t possible to write every detail from yesterday. I am fortunate no medical team was necessary to assist in my hours-long ordeal. I, truly, didn’t know we had so many masons capable of building that many brick walls so quickly in our small community. Gives me hope for the trades around here.

They’re so little, little in the long run. These problems. At the time, boy do they seem monumental. I guess this is the lesson from yesterday. Seeing that family – and the comment which followed – forced me to think. Was I over-reacting? Probably. Yet, the situation required frustration. I could only stay patient for so long. I don’t yell at anyone who is trying to help. That’s completely unnecessary. When it comes to technology, I guess they are only doing what they can do. If a button says, “do this”… that’s all they can do. Step A has to happen before step B?

My multiple car-alone conversations yesterday, however, …well. Let’s say they weren’t sermon material and leave it go at that. I do hope my church ladies made it to their event and the little, little ones had a pleasant evening with their family.

As for me, I hope to the deer, dear heavens I don’t need another new phone any time soon. If I do, hide all the bricks, please.