Wherein I rant about something that is supposed to be perfect

I know that it's probably very hot where you are right now. (Unless you live in the Southern hemisphere of our awesome planet, in which case it's winter for you.) And I understand that I live in what most people refer to as the ideal climate: almost never goes below 50, rarely goes above 90, rarely rains, never snows. It's objectively Paradise, I get it.

Only I don't see it that way. And for one very specific reason: I miss summer. I miss it with every fiber of my being. Sure it's technically summer; it is, after all, July. But it sure as hell doesn't feel like summer.

To me, summer means heat. It means getting to wear shorts and dresses and flip-flops for months at a time. It means hanging out on the patio until 11:00 PM in a tank top. It means going to the beach and taking a swim to beat the heat and actually finding it refreshing.

But here in San Diego (at least near the coast), I can't remember the last time I wore a sundress without a sweater. The last time I BBQ'ed, it was in jeans and a  hooded sweatshirt. I stuck my feet in the pool the other day and walked right over the hot tub and turned it on. The last time I was at the beach, I couldn't get close enough to the bonfire because I was FREEZING. I made chili the other week, for god's sake! CHILI! IN A CROCK POT! Which I left on all day while I was at work and the house wasn't even hot when I got home!

Mother nature, his is unacceptable. Please. For the love of this East Coaster who grew up frying eggs on sidewalks and rigging the A/C so that it would cool the whole house instead of just one room, PLEASE bless me with some heat! Just a few weeks of temps over 80 degrees, that's all I ask. I'll even take one week of 90-degree weather. I don't even need it to be that hot at the beach! I just want to swim in my pool without immediately jumping out because it's too cold.... is that too much to ask?

=( Summer, why have you forgotten me?

This is maddening

I hate Apple. I hate their sales tactics and user policies and everything they stand for. Which is why I want to give up my iPhone and get a Blackberry. At least that's what I had planned on doing when my contract with AT&T is up in December. Only now I can't because Apple is making it impossible for me to get anything other than another stupid iPhone.

I left my iPhone in a cab yesterday. Yes, I know, typical Danielle move. I know it, I've come to terms with it, and moved past the "here we go again with NOT PAYING ATTENTION and LOSING SHIT" phase onto the "what is the best, cheapest way to handle this situation" phase.

First of all, I'd like to point out that neither AT&T nor Apple offer insurance on the iPhone. Whether you lose it or get robbed at gunpoint, you're screwed. Unless, of course, in addition to the $100 per month you pay for service, you want to insure it with a third party--an option that I did not know existed until 2 months ago.

After facing the fact that I wasn't getting my phone back, I called AT&T to suspend service and talk about options. It turns out the contract I signed with them (apparently in blood) says that I have to continue paying my monthly service fees even if I lose the phone. That means I'm stuck paying almost $100 per month for both a calling and data plan, despite not having a phone.  My plan was to get the cheapest AT&T flip phone possible, cancel the data plan, and then switch over to Verizon in December (when my contract expires) for a sweet deal on a new Blackberry. But since I still have to pay for the data plan until my contract is up, I might as well get a new smart phone from AT&T, right? AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT AT&T IS BANKING ON. That's why they won't let you out of your data plan--because if you have to pay $30 per month until your contract is up, you might as well buy an expensive new replacement phone to make use of the data plan.

And, as if this tactic wasn't shady shitty enough, as if you didn't already feel obligated to spend money on a smart phone to make use of that data plan you HAVE TO pay for, Apple sweetens the pot. YOU'RE ELIGIBLE FOR AN UPGRADE! BRAND NEW iPHONE FOR ONLY $199!! If you sign another 2-year contract with the same ridiculous terms, ensuring our hold over you for eternity. 


Sooooo let me get this straight. If I dare to choose a mobile device other than the iPhone as my replacement for the lost phone, I have the following options:
(a) pay $175 for the AT&T termination fee, plus XXX for a new Blackberry at Verizon, plus all the initial activation charges; 
(b) pay XXX for a cheap flip phone, plus $30 per month for 6 months for a data plan I won't use, plus all the new money for the new Blackberry at Verizon; or
(c) pay $350 or however much a new Blackberry costs at AT&T (because don't forget that "upgrade" I'm entitled to only applies to an iPhone).

Or I could do exactly what Apple wants me to do and pay $199 for a new iPhone. Instead of simply  letting me cancel my data plan and buy a new phone from a different company in 6 months. As someone pointed out, "This is why Steve Jobs is filthy rich and way more devious than Bill Gates ever was." 

You are allowed to complain

Have you ever expressed frustration over something only to have the listening party say something like, "At least you have a job," or "It could be worse"? That really, REALLY bothers me. Yes, I have a job when many do not. Yes, I have a roof over my head while many do not. And I appreciate how lucky I am based on those two things alone. But you know what? I'm still allowed to complain about life. It's called relativity. Not having someone die in a natural disaster or not having my husband in Afghanistan doesn't preclude me from bitching about money, relationships, or other things that might seem petty to those less fortunate than me.

If you've read any of my recent blog posts, you'll know that I have some pretty serious student loans to pay off. Student loans that I took out to pay for a degree that I am not using. Is that anyone else's problem other than my own? Absolutely not. Could it be worse? Heck yeah it could. Relative to the plight of a Nigerian refugee, my problems are nonsense. But relative to my life, to my first-world issues, it sucks big sweaty donkey balls. I hate being broke. It keeps me up at night. It keeps me from concentrating at work. It affects my relationship with my amazing boyfriend, and I fear it's starting to affect my sanity. If I don't do something about it, I will never be able to afford a mortgage, a new car payment, a vacation, not even a shopping trip to anywhere other than Target. Would any of that matter if I were diagnosed with a terrible disease tomorrow? Not in the least. Lucky for me, they're my BIGGEST worry at the moment.

So pardon me for living in a cool house in a great city and not fearing for my life on a daily basis. Excuse me for not worrying about how to feed my family, but instead about how I'm going to afford a ticket home to see my family who are all alive and well. I appreciate how lucky I am in all those regards, but I absolutely refuse to apologize for it.