5/20/13

Bummer

I'm having withdrawals today. 

Rob washed my iphone yesterday.  Today, we're arguing about whose fault it was.

I say it was mine because I put my shorts on an active pile of laundry, on washday, with the phone in the pocket. 

Rob says it's his because he didn't check my pockets.

I say that if I put it in the laundry, I'm responsible for the pockets.  If he picks it up from somewhere else and decides to wash it, he's on his own.

I wonder how many couples argue this from the other way around?  Instead of "it's my fault", they argue "it's your fault". 

But, before you get all sappy about what a sweet couple we are, if I'd said anything yesterday, I'd have said it was his fault.  But, I kept my big ole' damn mouth shut and as the day progressed, I remember that I'd tried to be all helpful and put my dirty clothes in the laundry pile instead of just dropping them on the floor...not that I leave clothes on the floor, but it is a useful step on the way to the laundry pile.

This whole not rushing to blame is new for me.  There was a time when I would not have had the confidence to accept that I made a mistake and would have tried to find someone to blame, and if I had any trouble pinning it on them, I'd have picked a fight to make them look like the smaller person. 

As Rob.  He knows. 

Maybe it's just because I'm older.  Maybe it's because I'm finally letting myself off the hook for not being perfect.  I'm more confident now and I can accept responsibility and I've learned that stuff happens, no matter how careful you are.  I keep saying, it's not what you do.  It's what you do after that counts.

Phones are Rob's thing, so he's tasked with replacing it as quickly and at the lowest cost possible.  Not because he's responsible.  Because phones are his thing to take care of. 

That's nice.  He doesn't worry about cooking and he doesn't have to scrub the mildew off the shower.  He doesn't take my car in for maintenance and the household banking and billpaying falls to me.  He has his "jobs" too.  Plus, he's responsible for anything having to do with customer service.  That is NOT my forte.  He's so good at it that we get a ton of stuff for free.

But even his skills were not up to a free iphone. 

On the quilting front, I took the hexie project apart and started again.  I'm like that.  Oh, well.  And, the two spool has been set up and I've been doing a little bit of leader and ender work with it, just to work out the kinks.  Tension, tension, tension.  The machine's tension is making me tense.

Be well.  Take care of one another.  It's the beginning of a new week and for us, a new season.  We've left the cool temps of spring and have been dropped in the humid heat of summer. 

14 comments:

JoAnne said...

Oh, I'm so sorry about your phone. I am not going to say who I think is to blame, but if I was in your place, I would blame myself. I have never washed a phone, but I have washed other items and I'm not good about checking my pockets. My husband and I also have our own jobs. I do the laundry and he kills the bugs, among others... I hope you easily get used to your new phone.

Anonymous said...

I took the sleeves off of a blouse and a dress and I am going to redo them. So you are not alone in this. I think of it as a virtue. Besides, it is cheaper and less wasteful than scrapping the whole project, isn't it?

Mary said...

I didn't wash mine but dropped it in the cat's water dish. Same disasterous results.

Laura said...

I've washed a couple of ipod touches and dried one in the dryer, and they still work. Pull out the battery and put it in a jar of rice for several days. Then try your phone again. It might work.

Shay said...

I think its lovely that you have the kind of relationship and maturity where you love one another enough to accept the mistake and move on . Hope you can find a new phone fast.

Sometimes those phones dry out and work fine ...but I suspect a thorough washing means that yours is really truly dead.

http://thankfullga447 said...

Putting the battery in rice does work.

Elizabeth said...

I'm so sorry for your loss. (We iPhone people take our "Precious" devices seriously, lol).

I think you both have taken a very healthy attitude about it. And I hope you get your phone replaced soon.

xo -E

P.S. Otterbox makes an iPhone case that is waterproof. Just sayin'.

Megan said...

Lane - I think the person who puts out their stuff to be laundered is responsible for emptying the pockets - which means, "your fault" I'm afraid! LOL

I was into my 40s before I was able to simply own up to having done something wrong, or made a poor judgement, or been too quick to jump into something without checking the facts. I readily recall the first time at work when I simply said, "Yes. I did that. It's my fault. I'm sorry." - and the world simply kept turning. Instead of finding myself in the middle of an argument about whose fault it was and why it wasn't mine, my accepting responsibility meant that my boss and I moved straight into problem-solving mode: what were we going to do to address the situation my mistake had caused? What a revelation. What a joy, to be honest. And why, oh why, did it take me so many decades to grow up?!!

Megan
Sydney, Australia

Coloradolady said...

I was going to suggest rice, but I see someone did. Just put the phone in a bag of rice, don't turn it on. Let it set for a couple of days then try it, the rice absorbs the water. I know this works as we have had to do it. :-(

Kathleen said...

I suggest you break out a good bottle of wine and toast the old phone. By the time you get to the end of the bottle, you will be ready to laugh about it!

qltmom9 said...

My 22yo dd has dried out a couple phone by the rice jar trick. One didn't work the first week, but DID the second! Dh takes care of our cellphones and cars...utter relief for me.

Lucy~

andsewon said...

Oh No! Sorry about your phone Lane! I had to take blame for washing my own phone! DH was not as upset as I had thought he would be and replaced it. I was mad at myself for a while though! My phone was not a fancy one so did not take a big dollar hit. Seems to me I saw on morning news TV you can buy a bag of something at Best Buy maybe to put the phone in for a bit.
We all make mistakes and we move on!

qltmom9 said...

Oh...I don't wash cellphones, I run over them in the driveway (they fall out of my pocket). TWICE now! I am carrying it in my purse now, but I can't hear it there.

Lucy~

Carla said...

Ouch poor phone. Fault well call it even. But I know I have washed many a thing that shouldn't have been washed because something was left in a pocket that I didn't check before dropping it into the washer.

My daughter dropped hers in the toilet (clean water) and I dropped mine in the pool while cleaning it.

It Happens.