i'm lost!!!

as i was getting off the bus home yesterday, i noticed that i was missing a small, but important, bump on my hip. my cell phone, normally attached to my waist with a belt clip, was missing. no phone, no clip. i frantically checked my pockets. i set my bag down and went back to my seat. i searched all over. i looked under all the seats in the area. nothing. my mind was racing.

the driver asked if it could have come off prior to boarding, and said he would look for it when he did his walk-through at the end of his run. of course, it could have come off earlier. i thought of my path through the slush and slop between my office and the bus stop. with that much snow on the ground, it could have fallen off, and i wouldn't have heard it hit the ground!

to clarify, it's not my phone, it belongs to my employer. i had my previous phone for over four years before it finally broke. i've had this one almost 6 months. crap!

well i got home and mentioned it to my brilliant wife, who suggested i call the office, and let them know so i wouldn't be responsible for any mis-use or fraudulent calls. they transferred my number to a loaner phone, which shut off my phone, and told me to look for a few days. if my phone didn't turn up by then, we would order a new one. as new as it was, there wasn't the normal replacement allowance, so it would probably be full price. my department would pay for it, not me, but i still felt terrible.

i kept calling my phone to check the voice mail, feeling distinctly out-of-touch with my world.

this morning, i got of the bus, and crossed to the other side of the street, and re-traced by steps between the bus stop and my office. nothing. the snow was melted, and the way clear, but no phone. crap! it's not in my office either. double-crap!!

well i promptly got handed a rush project, and still haven't been able to pick-up the loaner phone. i just periodically check my voice mail. luckily, most people use my office phone, which forwards to my cell if i don't answer. i've had all my calls at my desk today.

including one from my lovely wife. she told me she was forwarding an e-mail from a guy who found my phone. he works in the state building my bus stop is in front of. i have since e-mailed him, and hope to hear back soon. but this event tells two important details. my phone is no longer lost, and wasn't crushed by a car or anything. second, the snow and slush must not have destroyed it, because he was able to retrieve our e-mail address from the contact list!

after lunch, i'll pick up the loaner phone on my way to an afternoon meeting. with any luck, i'll be able to meet this man and reclaim my phone before that. if it's still in working order, they can reprogram it, and i'll be back in business! you don't realize how integrated cell phones have become until you go somewhere without one! it's almost frightening! as much as i love our modern technology, to some extent, our dependence on it, is in a way, sad.