2:00pm She makes an appointment with the Apple Store genius bar. Then she removes the SIM card from the iPhone and puts it into her old Motorola flip phone. Suddenly, it feels a bit like 2006 around here.
4:45pm We leave for the mall. There's exactly one empty space in the parking lot this holiday weekend. The Apple Store is packed too. I guess the recession really is over.
5:30pm After taking the Iphone to the back room for a few minutes, the employee returns and seems to delight in telling Lisa that her warranty is voided because she replaced a broken screen several months ago with one that's not an Apple approved part. It has nothing to do with the problem at hand, but no matter. Meanwhile, I'm playing with the photo booth software in a Mac (right). If I don't look too happy in this picture, it's because I'm not.
The drive home seems interminably long.
6:00pm After contemplating life without an iPhone for another couple of minutes, we start looking for a quick fix. A new phone is out of the question. We turn, as we so often do, to Craiglist.
7:30pm There are a couple of used iPhones for sale. The challenge is trying to find ones that are legit. But Lisa finally negotiates a deal with a guy named Nitin, and we head out to the meeting place - the Costco parking lot in Folsom. As we make the 25-mile drive, there's no room for doubt in either of our minds that this will work out. Idle chatter ensues.
8:15pm Nitin's not there, but he calls to say he's on his way. Costco is still open, which I appreciate. Plenty of witnesses, you know. Lisa makes the obvious comment that this feels like a drug deal. Ugh.
8:25pm Nitin shows up. Seems like a nice guy. He has a plausible story about why he happens to have a gently used iPhone and is willing to part with it at a reasonable cost.
8:30pm Deal is done. Phone in hand. Another mother-daughter adventure in the books. And that's how we roll.
