Oh iPhone, I have coveted thee

I bought an iPhone.

I didn't mean to get one.

Really.

And yes, I know how insane that sounds.

But I have coveted the idea of this phone since last March when I attended CeBit in Germany and people were talking about it like it was really going to be manufactured.

It's like that with all the cool gadgets that Apple makes. I can remember salivating over the iPod when it debuted. It was $400, though. My budget at the time did not allow for fun stuff beyond a piece of Double Bubble. I was pregnant, nesting and trying to figure out how to smother my husband in his sleep.

So, I waited and I coveted.

There are 4 iPods of various sizes and capabilities in my household, now. My kids and I have all of the accessories for car and home. I can't believe that I went to the gym with a huge portable CD player around my waist like those ridiculous fanny packs you see on tourists in Europe. Remember the Walkman? My children don't even know what that is. And to think that I personally experienced the 8 track tape, 45's and LP's.

Holy sidetrack batman.....back to the iPhone acquition...

I was determined not to jump on the hype bandwagon even though the phone looked awesome. Touch screen, user friendly (imagine that), with every feature one could possibly imagine. Yes, there were some known limitations and the price was enough to give anyone pause. So, I told myself that I would wait for the price to drop and for all of the bugs to be worked out before I bought one. My BlackBerry would have to do.

Then, my daughter gave my BlackBerry an impromptu bath in a melted McDonald's McFlurry. It's a long story but I want you to picture keys that stay down when you press them and never come back up again. Sugar is an amazing glue. And my phone started to smell a bit sour.

I will say that the BlackBerry is an unusually durable item. Mine was dropped several hundred times with no problem and even after the run in with the ice cream, it still worked but it began to develop a host of issues. I'm still amazed that it ever powered on again after the trauma.

Of course, all of this meant that I had to get a new phone. Sam's had a great deal on BlackBerrys but by the time I made the decision to get a new one, they had sold out and my particular club would not be getting the 8800 in again. Ever.

I went home the night of the Sam's visit, logged on to eBay and placed a bid for an iPhone. The auction was to end in one and a half minutes so I knew that I probably wouldn't get the opportunity to counter bid. I did not expect to win.

But, I did.

Oh shit!

OH SHIT!

I was stunned. I tried to get my mind around the amount of money that I had just spent on a phone.

I had terrible, racking buyer's remorse..

...for about 15 seconds.

It arrived this past Monday and I love it. I really, REALLY love it. I haven't been this excited about anything since the ink dried on my divorce decree.

And here's the icing on the cake. I activated the phone and my new data plan costs $20 a month. It used to cost me $64.99. I just knew that couldn't be right so I called AT&T. They confirmed that my savings would be $47 a month with tax AND I get a bunch of text messages in my new plan. My iPhone will have paid for itself in less than a year. Makes me a tad verklempt.

Now, I'm eyeballing the MacBook Pro. Coveting, actually.