I've Been Hurt, But I'm Ready to Love Again

"The first cut is the deepest, baby I know
The first cut is the deepest

I still want you by my side
just to help me dry the tears that I've cried
cause I'm sure gonna give you a try
and if you want, I'll try to love again
but baby, I'll try to love again, but I know
The first cut is the deepest, baby I know
The first cut is the deepest" ~Cat Stevens

About three weeks ago, I got a new Palm Centro, and I loved it. It was my phone, and my PDA. Only it was better than my PDA, because it could do things that my old Palm couldn't, like figure out Weight Watchers points while I was shopping, and have my old Mac cats as a background. By the way, did you look at those cats? Aren't they awesome? Especially now that I take Zoloft, and don't have to touch the cursor to the nose of every single cat. Ha ha, just kidding, I never had to do that. Or put my left shoe on first, either.
But, after a few days it started to beep a little, and then a lot. I carried it in my jacket pocket, and every time a bundle of mail shifted, it would beep. It was like carrying a slot machine that never paid off.* I bought a hard case to carry it in, but it was so deep that I couldn't get the phone back out of it before it stopped ringing, and so large that it was like practicing wearing a colostomy bag. Unless that's insensitive and it was more like carrying an extra mail satchel.
While I was gaily figuring out the points (4) for a can of black beans at Costco, the phone told me I had taken the SD card out, and then put it back, and then out and beeped each time. A little online research revealed that this was a problem for some Centros.
When I took it back to AT&T, they said they could exchange it, if I still had the box. Otherwise, the box had a $50. restocking fee.
"But you made me cut the box into pieces to get the rebate."
"Those are the rules, sir, sorry."
"Well, what if I just give you back your phone and go back to ACS Wireless?"
"You can do that, but there's a $50. restocking fee for the box."
In the end, they used the box the exchange phone came out of, and I've got a new phone, and so far, it's worked fine since I got it Thursday.
I love it, but it's going to be awhile before I can really trust it again.

*A Slot Machine That Never Paid Off is the working title of my autobiography's second volume.