I feel like a very lucky ragamuffin with a bright future lit by the screen of my new hand me down smart phone, its gps maps leading the way to places I can deposit my new monies.

I received a bit of a promotion at work.  I don't start my new position for another month, but what a relief to see it there in the future. These days are like the last month of school, sans finals (er, I hope there's no metaphorical last test of patience) knowing that the troubles are all over. The pay increase --  though, if I may pour out the half empty cup here, I will still be making significantly less than I was making at the age of 22, fresh out of college -- is an entire dollar and some change more an hour, which feels like sweet, desperate progress. Of course all those extra dollars will go to paying off student loans, but there is victory in that too.

Eugenio bought the new iphone online when it was first released -- really, he got up at 3am to order it, waking me when he returned an hour later to share his ordeal -- and it finally arrived in the mail yesterday. This means I get his old iphone. I don't even know the proper spelling; I just looked it up: iPhone. iGot it! It's a bittersweet ending for me and my antique flip phone. I found its grainy confusion to pictures charming: a 1980s picture graphic of a question mark framed by triangles and rectangles, as if to say, "What are these modern pixels I cannot decipher nor display? But check out these rad pastel shapes."  I can now accept picture messages of your lunch and what not, y'all. But, one last sad point about crossing over into modernity: I have to give up my San Antonio area code for a number with my newest area code as I switch to Eugenio's plan. I can't even say the area code; it's stupidly upsetting. I don't want to let go of San Antonio, though I haven't lived there in over four years. EDIT: Eugenio sent me a text letting me know that he activated my new/his old phone for me. (He's the best; he'll do these things for me while I'm at work.) "You'll be excited. It's a 210 area code." He's right. I am excited. And stupidly relieved.

At any rate, my old phone was more of a clock and texting device. I didn't find it lacking, though clunky and unsophisticated it was. Now that my phone is so smart, we'll see what tasks I put it up to. For one thing, I no longer have to plan my doctor visits, interviews, or random shopping trips days ahead of time so that I can print and study the map at work. This might prove equally convenient and disastrous.