March 15: A Swim with My Cell Phone

Those of you with children know how hectic the process is for organizing and executing vacation activities with kids. Even the smallest of venues can be a major event if you don't plan accordingly. Swimming, for example. Yes, swimming. That minor task of getting the kids in their suits, lathering them up in sunscreen and ensuring no one drowns. Sounds easy, right? Not always. And, unfortunately, today was one of those days. While on vacation, our daily process is typically the beach first, swimming second. Usually, I don't carry my cell phone with me during this exercise, as (a) anyone who would call me in the first place likely knows I'm on vacation, and (b) I'm on vacation! This time around, however, we were awaiting a specific call and, therefore, needed the phone to be easily accessible. And, what better place to have it handy than the pocket of my swim trunks. Problem is, amidst the lobbying for a poolside spot and getting the kids ready to roll, I made one big mistake. You can already see it coming, but I'll go ahead and spell it out. After moving from the beach to the pool deck, washing the sand from feet and toes, and finding a spot for the pails and shells, I forgot to....wait for it.....remove my cell phone from my pocket before wading into the pool. About 2 minutes into "motor boat, motor boat" with my son, I realized what I had done. Or, better yet, what I hadn't done! I will tell you, though, that if this should happen to you at some point in the future, all hope is not lost. I, too, immediately began calculating the cost of replacing my current model in my head, but luckily my wife suggested we research how to manage this situation on the Internet. We came across this article first, tried it and, by golly, my phone is still kicking. I have noticed a bit of a drain in my battery and one of my keys is no longer functional, but, otherwise, the phone still works fine to make and take calls. In the end, not only did I experience a dip with my cell phone for the first time, but I also learned that rice can do so much more than just taste good with some chicken and a bunch of veggies!