No kidding. It really stinks. As in somebody’s armpit. Really cuts down on long conversations. I use speakerphone a lot. I’ve sprayed my phone with deodorant, Oust, Fabreeze, and I’ve wiped it down with anti-bacterial wipes. I’ve sprayed it with perfume and closed a dryer softener sheet inside the lid. Nothing. Nobody at AT&T could figure out how to get the stink out either. So I waited the two years until the contract ran out. (You should see my rollover minutes.)
I was looking forward to getting Jennie’s hand-me-down Razr, when she upgraded, but when I saw the great deal she was getting on the SHINE she bought, I got one too! (Steve got our rejects.)
My new phone has a program to calculate tips, count down to important dates, alarms, games, a calendar, camera (still and video), a 1 gig SD card that goes right in my computer (extra), calculator, measurement converter, games, and MP3 player. Apparently I can make and receive telephone calls with it too. And, if I want to increase my monthly bill five fold I can surf the Net, text message, and send pictures and videos from my phone. (I won’t be doing that.) Sadly, I can’t recognize any of the ringers as MY phone, nor have I figured outhow to answer it. I’ve had to retrieve my last 16 missed calls as voicemails.
The User Guide is 122 pages long, printed in type the size of gnat droppings. It doesn’t include a single instruction, just definitions. My thumbs are too old to work the joy stick and every time I slide the phone open I turn on another feature I didn’t know I had. But it fits in my pocket and I have insurance it if falls out and lands in the toilet.
But you know what? My new little Shine is already worth its weight in gold. I took it with me when I visited Mom. We sat and listened to music. (She got the chair, I got the arm rest.) Mom fell asleep leaning against me. As we listened, and I started to lose feeling in my rear end, I took out the phone and started playing with it. I tried to take a video of us, aiming the lens where I thought we were, holding the phone in front of us as far as my arm could reach. To my utter amazement I got a winner. At the precise moment l hit record, the most amazing thing happened. The volume isn’t very loud (I probably turned off the Dolby surround sound accidentally). But Mom nuzzled me and murmured, “I love you.”
Update: somehow the video has been lost, but I’ll always remember it.
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Through The Eyes Of A Quilter 
Oh my. *S* That was worth any amount you paid for that phone.
Made me just tear up.
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Wow! What a treasure!
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Amazing, I just sat here and sobbed. That pnone is priceless.
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Oh Ami!!!!!! You started my day off with me crying. How sweet! Thanx for sharing.
kate in lincoln, ne
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Priceless, I can’t get the tears out of my eyes or the lump from my throat. Ami, I don’t imagine it gets much better than that, anywhere anytime! Wow!
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Ami, that was so touching! Perfect timing on your part. Enjoy your new phone.
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What a touching moment! How great that you were able to capture it to enjoy time and time again!
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OMG, THAT IS SO PRECIOUS! God must have been smiling down on you that day!
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What a beatiful photo! My Mom passed this January and I have yet to shed the tears..with this…..almost.
Your Mother raised a beautiful daughter in you.
Mona
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Definitely worth any amount.. certain you are and will be so glad that you caught that moment…
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That video is pricelss. Please have someone help you figure out how to save it. I found out pictures I save in my e-mail favorites/folders–don’t get lost when my computer crashes & I lose everything else.
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That is so very precious – I also have teared up. Thanks for sharing.
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I do believe you will figure out all those funny things in your phone. Good Luck. And nice to see your Mom again. We keep plugging along with Big Al. I love your blogg
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That is just priceless! It made me cry. I hope you put backup copies everywhere so that you don’t lose it.
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That is just priceless, the phone was worth every penny!
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That is wonderful! I have tears in my eyes too!
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Wonderful. I remember your Mom fluttering around at the Charleston (SC) museum way back when.
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What a priceless blessing ~ thank you for sharing it with us… tears and all.
Hugs to you!
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Blessings… Count each and everyone of them. Thanks for sharing. jes
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Brought tears to my eyes just like all the others who posted/ Not looking forward to the sad days ahead with my hubby. Prayerfully when that day comes he will greet me with the same I LOVE YOU, like your Mom did you. Thanks for posting it and do make sure you save it. It is too precious not to keep.
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Priceless moment Ami! I think I would keep the video forever. I think a mother’s love for her daughter transcends the disease and you have clear evidence.
Marlene
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I wish I could share in your joy. No matter what I do, I can’t understand her comment. Your mother looked quite content being with you and that has to also be heartwarming.
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Precious, Ami. Absolutely precious.
Caron (wiping away a tear)
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What a blessing…for you and for all of us. Thank you.
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Thank you for sharing such a special moment.
Sending hugs to both of you, DJ.
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Ami, What a wonderful memory you will have!! I lost my Mother when I was just shy of my 21st Birthday (she was only 49), and before I was married. I often think how proud she would have been with her children and grandchildren – and great-grands. Having just celebrated our 50th Anniversary, I regret the fact that she didn’t make it to her 25th! Keep that phone handy – more moments will occur and you need to cherish them.
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Ami, I marvel at your joy and outlook on life. I look forward to reading your blog. With your comment about the game “Packed Sardines” I can see that spirit of fun was given to you by your parents! The video is amazing! My heart swelled (& eyes!) everytime I played it. Thank you for sharing it !!
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Thank you for sharing this, Ami. After I saw this I went back to a couple of short videos of my mom and me that my husband took in December, just a month before she died. I had asked her what she thought of the cookies I had brought her. She replied “I don’t think so much”. I asked “Why not?” She said “It’s a waste of my time!”
Wish I had caught one of her “I love you”s on video. But they’re in my memory. Thanks for reminding me.
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What a wonderful treasure you have in that video, an amazing gift. I am so happy for you!
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Oh, those precious lucid moments! How wonderful that you were able to capture this one. Hold on to that phone.
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Oh honey, that is just awesome beyond what I can express in words. My heart swelled when I heard that. And I liked seeing her: she looks exactly like you. :-)
xo
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I lost my mother when I was 31, 34 years ago. What I wouldn’t give to have a video like that. How fortunate you were to capture that. My heart goes out to you.
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Most Excellent. Yay! :)
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Treasure that video clip. It is priceless. I visited the Alzheimer’s quilts today at the WV Quilt Show at Morgantown, WV today. I was moved to tears by the quilts. I’m going to look thru there again tomorrow and I will be sure and take some tissues with me! Some of the images are really sticking with me.
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Ami, how wonderful for you. The last intelligible comment that my own dear mother could state to me was, “I love you.” I’ve always cherished those words.
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I didn’t just tear up, I broke into “an ugly cry”.
What a treasure.
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What a priceless thing that video is! I have still pictures, but never even thought about hitting the video button once, and now my mother is gone. She did have a lucid moment before she passed, though, and in it, she did tell me she loved me. I hold that dear in my heart.
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What a gift you have! It has been almost 3 years since she passed, but I still can hear my Mom’s stroke affected voice say those words. Hugs to you and your Mom.
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So sorry to read today about the loss of your Beloved Mother. I lost mine to that horrible disease 11/13/05. It is a cruel heartless disease. I miss her still. It just takes time–lots of it. Ruins my holidays every year. My heart goes out to you.
The Alzheimers Initiative Quilts this month are stupendous. Makes my heart hurt to read the back-storys. Hard to decide which to bid on-they are all so pretty are so touching. I will do my best. I already HAVE some of the best from previous months, and haven’t decided how to display them. But SUCH a GOOD cause!
Best of luck to all bidding. God bless you in your loss.
Patsy
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