I got a new cell phone today with new Cingular service. It comes with lots of weird little buttons that start downloading crap from the wireless web and that costs me extra money. I didn’t even get the “Unlimited Nationwide Calling to AT&T and Cingular Customers” because there isn’t anyone I need to talk to unlimitedly. Even with a whole nation of AT&T and Cingular customers.

Anyway, it’s a Motorola v551 and it even takes OK pictures and I can download them to my PowerBook using Bluetooth:

At least I finally get to use Bluetooth.

I spent an HOUR in the Cingular store waiting to talk to a salesperson, and when I finally made it to the front of the line I was told that I could get a better deal by calling customer service. The Cingular store is next to a bar, and instead of trying to filter the air of all the cigarette smoke coming through the vents, they put up “air fresheners” that emit a sickly sweet cherry smell that I’ve only ever smelled in a public toilet. The smell gave me a headache.

I called customer service, but they told me to go back to the store. I couldn’t get a better deal. The first guy from customer service was kind of a jerk, but the second guy looked for a better deal on his computer and then told me that the deals were all “regional.” So somewhere in the US you can get “Unlimited Nationwide Calling to AT&T and Cingular Customers” with any cheap-ass plan (like the plan I got) but you can’t do it in Portland, Oregon.

After popping some Ibuprofen and doing some more work, I went back to the store. The store is only a few blocks from work, fortunately. It took me ANOTHER hour to get my phone and I got to the gym very late.

Did I mention that I’ve decided it’s a bad idea to stay friends with ex-girlfriends? Well, most of my ex-girlfriends (as few as they are) are on islands thousands of miles away. Mostly Japan, and I think my crazy Hawaiian girlfriend from college is back in Hawaii. Anyway, I saw an ex-girlfriend who I’m still friends with (come to think of it, the only one I’m still friends with) and she wants me to pill her cat while she’s gone for Xmas. My co-worker thought I should just throw away the pills and tell her I did it, but I like the cat. I’m not sure how that qualifies me to torture poor Minou, though.