Reluctantly, I have stepped into the 21st century.

For the past five months I have shopped, researched , cussed and discussed a new cell phone. In February I, along with a friend, decided we wanted a Motorola Droid X. They had them on sale two for one. We went in to make our purchase and were told that since we were not on the same account we couldn't do the two for one sale.

Dang the luck.

A few weeks later my friend called me and informed me that she had just ordered the Verizon IPhone.

I was mortified.

After much thought and deliberation, on Friday I went into the local Verizon store. I was greeted by a young man named Eric, but we were interrupted shortly after we began by an incoming call. I stepped outside the store to take it. Upon completion, I re-entered the store. Eric was busy so I began looking over the phones again. I swear it would be much easier if they didn't have so many.

The Assistant manager, Todd, approached me. I gave him my standard greeting in a cell phone store. "Show me your cell phone." I have found this is a very effective way to determine what they think is the best phone on the market.

I had barely gotten to this same point with Eric.

As luck would have it, Todd and Eric carried two of the phones I had in my final three.

My top three were the Motorola Droid X, Samsung Charge and the HTC Thunderbolt. Todd carried the Charge, Eric carried the Thunderbolt. The new 4G Droid X has just been released.

I ran into a brief road block when they told me I wasn't on the account and couldn't make the changes. So I made a mad dash to the house and a computer to put myself on the account.

When I returned to Verizon, I had narrowed my choice down to the Charge and the Thunderbolt. Todd returned to greet me and after a brief banter, I made the selection. I told Todd I had a friend who had spent $299 on a 32GBS IPhone. I told him I wanted to spend one dollar more and have one gigabyte more. I ended up with 40GBS.

Because of my past history of satisfaction with Samsung, I decided to go with the Charge.

I am amazed. I had played with some smart phones, but not when it was mine to have and to hold. And screw up. Since Friday I have been back to Verizon one time and read and read how to unlock parts of my phone I had inadvertently locked.

By the way, that is what I have named my phone, "MyPhone". Which is more correct than an IPhone.

They have smart phone classes every Wednesday from 6-8 at our Verizon store.

I got up this morning and began a trek to Lamesa to see my friend who is incarcerated up there. It had been almost six months since I had seen him. We exchange letters regularly, usually on a weekly basis. My friend is up for a Discretionary Mandatory Supervision Review. If he is granted this he will be released from state custody September 5, 2011. Of course he has 96 months of Federal time that is hovering over his head. If he can get some things filed, the time served could go toward his Federal sentence, meaning he could be in a halfway house in three months time.

Another recent development is that after his serving six years in TDCJ, his wife who lives in Georgia, has filed for divorce.

My friend doesn't have any family close, in fact I am the only person to go see him since the last time I went to see him. His nearest relatives are in Indiana.

Not a good situation, but I am not ready to write him off yet.

Just had a call from Ollie's Mother. Ollie has been sick, throwing up for four days while visiting in Post and her Mom has become concerned about dehydration for her and the baby. Best medical advice is to go to the ER and get an IV.

Have a Good Fourth!

GOD Bless America!