Replacement iPhone procured!
Today was my third day of attempting to purchase an iPhone 4. Monday and Tuesday were both completely sold out. Today I got there when they opened at 8am to see a queue stretching around the building. On one hand, YAY, they must have stock! On the other hand, MASSIVE QUEUE. I joined it and hoped for the best. Not long after, Apple employees came along it telling folks that they’d reached the limit of contract handsets, so those of us at the end wouldn’t get one. “What about outright?!” I asked. “Oh! Just head right in,” he said. Giddy, I ran for the entrance. I joined a much shorter queue of 7 people. Fifteen minutes later, I had my phone. I paused only to send the Snook an email from one of the Macbooks announcing that I’d got it before heading off to work. After the ceremonial unboxing, I put in my SIM, plugged it in, and synced it up. And now it’s all back to normal, just like it never left. Phew.

So what did this whole debacle cost me? In real money, only $100 (assuming that my insurance claim goes through, which it should). Several hours of panic and frenzy on Sunday morning as I tried to recover it before and after the race. An hour or two of hassle as I had to change all my passwords. And 74 hours of frustration as I had to live without a device that’s come to be an integral part of my daily routine. (Spider-Phone was a poor, poor substitute.)

I realise this is hardly the worst thing that can happen to a person. It’s just STUFF. Stuff can be replaced. In the grand scheme of things, I’m LUCKY to have problems like losing an expensive phone. But within my own personal frame of reference, these three days really sucked. I’m so relieved to have it back now.