Falling Into the Technological Future While Hitting Every Branch on the Way Down.

Yesterday I partook of something I had never partaken of before.  Black Friday.

But not the "trample-your-grandmother-when-she-tries-to-go-for-the-same-ipod-you-want" kind of Black Friday.   It was more the, let everyone else go crazy first, and then show up at the stores at 9:30 with the other sane people.

We're up in Montana visiting my Brother's family.  They wanted to head out to Billings in order to catch a few of the Black Friday deals so I went along for the ride.  We stopped at Lowe's first so that Marcus and Tiffany could pick up a grill; then we headed over to Cost Plus World Market where I found probably my most prized find-

They're Russian Doll Measuring Cups!

Amazing, right?  I know they are.  Well after that, we headed to the Mall and I somehow stumbled into the AT&T store.  You see, I've been mentally preparing myself for the last 2 weeks to possibly be mildly ok with the thought of maybe potentially upgrading to a smart phone.  So my plan was to just go inside ask how much it would cost, and then be content that it was too expensive and not get one.

This is what actually happened.  

Me:  Hello, I'm technologically incompetent and might be looking into upgrading to a smartphone from my current feeble-minded phone.

Clerk:  OH! Well, lucky for you!  Our Blackfriday deal today means that this normally $100 Motorola Atrix smartphone which can type what you speak into the phone, navigate the internet, predict your future, aid you if you ever need to stop a missile crisis and brew two cups of coffee simultaneously is a completely free upgrade today! 

Me:  Oh...well. Umm...maybe I...er...I'm going to go take a walk and think about this.

           ***30 minutes later***

Me:  Ok Joseph,  I think I might be ready to take the plunge.

Clerk: Wonderful!  We'll just get you set up really quickly and you'll instantly know how easy this is to use and how smart you'll feel too as long as this is in your hand and you are using it.

Me:  Uhh....

           ***30 minutes later***

Clerk:  Here you go! The Sacred Goblet of Knowledge and Wisdom.  What do you think??

Me:  .....  I'm confused.

And thus began (and continues) my first step into the new wave of technology.  I'm sure that I'm functioning at a second grade level when it comes to this phone.  Actually, scratch that. I can't use that analogy anymore because I'm pretty sure all second graders these days would actually be able to stop a missile crisis using only their phones.  

At least I know how to work my Russian Doll Measuring cups