happy st patty's day!

hope you're wearing green today!  i had plans to take some cute photos of the tiramisu today but my efforts were hindered with a trip from the local fire department.  our house is safe.  we're all okay.  more about that later.

iSuck (continued)

so...back to my iPhone4 story.  

after i cracked my phone (previous blog entry), i called Verizon to see if i could use insurance to get a replacement phone.  when they checked my files, they said that i didn't purchase insurance...i only bought an "extended warranty."  doh.  but they told me that the timing was good because i have two more days to purchase insurance before my 30 days were up (after purchasing the phone). the insurance that Verizon offers for iPhones is $10.99 a month and the deductible for a replacement is $169! this seemed kinda steep so i told them that i would decide tomorrow since we were on our way to dinner.

when i got home, i jumped on the internet to see if i could just have the front glass replaced.  some people have said that they've done it but i learned that there are countless others like myself who have cracked their screens with a short drop and in most cases, they brought their phones to Apple and were given a one-time replacement on the spot!  the deal seemed to good to be true but i gave it a try and sure enough, the kind gentleman at the genius bar gave me a replacement phone, no questions asked!  Apple has crazy awesome customer service!  i can see why their stores are always packed with people no matter what day or time of the week.

so i walked out of Apple with a brand new iPhone4 and immediately bought an Otterbox Defender cover at an AT&T kiosk since the Apple store didn't have any.  btw, my original phone was covered in this case from Verizon -- it sucked.  i tried to return the cover but Verizon wouldn't give me a refund because i was 2 days out of their 15 day return policy...even if their cover did nothing to protect my phone.  and i've been a Verizon customer for 10 YEARS!!  yes, i was fuming. 

i also ended up getting a warranty through Squaretrade which was only $99 for 2 years with a $50 deductible.  hopefully, i won't have to use it but it's been reported that iPhone4's break 82% more often than the 3GS so the odds are against me.  you can read more about it here.

i love my phone.  but why would anyone build a phone out of glass?!  

feeling thankful

we were at dinner when i first heard that Japan had just suffered a huge earthquake and we (Hawaii) were now under a tsunami "watch."  we leisurely finished our meal and then headed home.  i immediately turned the tv to CNN and my jaw dropped and my heart ached as i watched mother nature pummel homes, businesses and communities in minutes.  and then there were the people who moved to higher grounds in search of safety and waved flags to signal help.  i was glued to the tv and computer as i tried to follow the fate of the tsunami and the destruction in Japan and potentially here in Hawaii.

by 10 pm, the "watch" turned into a "warning," which meant that tsunami waves were headed our way.  we live very close to the water and are in a coastal flood zone which meant that we needed to evacuate.  i took a shower and started packing essentials and valuables for the family just in case we needed to leave the house.  i was really hoping that they would call off the warning but it didn't happen.  in fact, the sirens kept going off, making the situation all that more real and frightening.  and then by 1 am, the police were driving up and down our street announcing that we must evacuate by 2 am.  i'll admit...i was a bit scared...but knew that we really needed to prepare for the worst but hope for the best.  (we had this same thing happen to us last year after the earthquake in Chile.)

we packed up, loaded up the car and the entire family (the mister, the baby, the furbaby, and my parents who live next door) headed to a friend's house in Manoa for the night.  the first waves were estimated to arrive just past 3 am and we all stayed up to watch the live coverage.  we were really lucky that our side of the island was spared but this is not to say that Hawaii didn't experience substantial damage.  parts of the north shore of Oahu and the Big Island sustained heavy property damage.  luckily, there were no lives lost (i think).  

i definitely let out a sigh of relief that we were once again spared but my mind keeps going back to the images of destruction in Japan.  they are still experiencing a multitude of aftershocks and other sequelae from the earthquake and tsunami.  it must be incredibly frightening to be there right now.  Japan is one of my favorite travel destinations and i can't even begin to fathom what people are feeling and experiencing right now.

thankfully, the handful of people i know scattered throughout Japan are all okay albeit a bit shaken up.  my heart goes out to everyone who has suffered from this weekend's tragic events.  please pray for Japan.

iSuck

i love my iPad.  i love my MacBook.  three weeks ago, my Apple family became complete with the purchase of a new iPhone4...until i managed to crack the front screen a few days ago.  

yes, iSuck.  but Apple rules!  story to be continued...