It’s another groggy morning after my middle-of-the-night DBT group session. Everyone was stressed because of the election. One group member didn’t want to turn on their Zoom video on; the main facilitator told the person in a rather gruff manner that they either had to turn on their video or leave as this is a non-negotiable requirement for everyone who participates. They chose to sign off. It was an uncomfortable incident, but the group took it in stride. Later on, the same facilitator wanted to share a humorous video with the group over Zoom to lighten the mood but gave up after trying for 5 minutes to figure out how to do it. Oh well, it wasn’t the best night for any of us. There are only two sessions left in this module, then a break until January. I’ve been offered an opening in another group that meets at an earlier time, so I only have to stick it out with my current group’s late night / early morning sessions for two more weeks.
I’m expecting a shipment to arrive today with a few purchases forwarded to me from the U.S. by a mailbox service called “ReShip.” Basically, it’s designed for getting around shipping restrictions for purchases made in the U.S., Canada and the UK. The big item is a new phone. I decided to upgrade from my current iPhone XS to an iPhone 12 Pro mainly for its 5G network capability, but of course the camera is much fancier, the processors are newer and faster, etc. I ordered it through AT&T, which is still my U.S. carrier, so that my U.S. number can be transferred easily. The sticker price is also significantly lower than in Ireland or anywhere in Europe. However, as I had expected, a hefty tariff was imposed when the parcel was processed by Irish customs. I receive a text first thing in the morning from DHL with a link to a payment website. I had low-balled the iPhone’s value on the packing list, but I didn’t want to play too fast-and-loose in fear of it getting flagged. I’m sure there are ways of getting around tariffs. Two years ago I had bought a new iPhone in the U.S. for a friend in Berlin I was visiting and just packed it in my luggage without any hassles. At any rate, since I was shipping over the phone anyway, I ordered a few other personal items to be consolidated into a single shipment. It wasn’t cheap, so I’m being selective about using the forwarding service. Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity to ship some prescription medicines over in the same package, so I’m going to have to have those forwarded separately. I’m (naively?) assuming that there won’t be any issues shipping pharmaceuticals from the U.S. to Ireland, but I guess I’ll find out soon enough!
All I know is that the parcel is due to arrive before 6pm, which means I’ll be waiting in the apartment until it shows up. In the meantime, I need to back up my current phone in preparation for the migration to the new one. I’m apprehensive about the process given that my phone is configured with both my U.S. number (via a virtual eSIM) and my Ireland number (a physical SIM card). Ideally, I can restore a backup of my old phone to the new phone, and everything will work. But I still have to pop the physical Vodafone SIM card into the new phone, and it’s not entirely clear at what point during the migration process I should do this. The other twist is that I need to have AT&T unlock the new phone to allow me to use it on another carrier’s network. To be honest, I had forgotten about this detail when ordering the new phone and only realized it when I was on the phone with AT&T the other day to downgrade my U.S. plan. In order to unlock the phone, I’ll need to pay it off up front in lieu of a payment plan. What a headache! I like to think I’m fairly knowledgeable about technical stuff, but I’ve found that as I’ve gotten older I have less and less patience for wrestling with it (see my previous post about the setup of the Vodafone internet box/modem for evidence of this).
I get the backup for my old phone going and then decide to make some lunch. One of more whimsical things I had thrown into my luggage at the last minute were several boxes of Annies Mac ‘n Cheese (basically the same as Kraft macaroni and cheese but made with organic ingredients). There was extra space in my luggage, and I was having to pay for additional checked bags anyway, so I figured I might as well get as much value as I could! Plus I don’t believe think I can find ready-to-make macaroni and cheese like this in Ireland, so I justify it as a homesick remedy. To make it more substantial, I decide to throw in some bacon and feta cheese that I have leftover in the fridge. Of course, as soon as I’m in the middle of cooking everything, the intercom buzzes for the parcel delivery. I shut off the hob/stove and propel myself downstairs, setting the box aside when I return to open after lunch. The iPhone 12 Pro is as sexy as it’s advertised to be, although it feels more blocky than my current phone due to the 90-degree straight edges (harkening back to the iPhone 4 design). I think the screen is also slightly larger than my old phone’s.
Lunch has made me drowsy, and I feel some crankiness coming on from a residual lack of sleep over the last couple of days. I decide not to fuss with the phone migration right away and instead head to the couch with my iPad to browse the news. Still no major developments on the election results, so I put the iPad down while the couch quickly seduces me into a nap. My eyes open intermittently to monitor the daylight, and around 5:00 I get up since it’s rubbish trash/day. The pickup window for my area is 5:30-7:30pm. It’s not entirely clear what that means, though… does the collection service circle around the neighborhood for 2 hours picking up bags as they’re put out, or are there distinct cutoff times for each street? I’ve taken the cautious approach of getting my rubbish and recycling bags out right at 5:30 or even a little earlier, just in case. It’s the first time I’ve been outside today, and despite the lockdown, Dame Street is still bustling with commuters, although not nearly as many as usual.
Speaking of the lockdown, the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to decline in Ireland. The “R” number is estimated to be somewhere between 0.7 and 0.9 (above 1.0 means a growth in infections, while below 1.0 means a decrease).
The new iPhone beckons, like a siren song luring me to jagged rocks. To compensate for the stress, I decide on an easy dinner — a frozen chicken pizza. The backup restoration process has been going on for awhile, so the moment of truth is nigh… will the new iPhone magically work? Or will the gods of technology punish me for my hubris? Stay tuned to find out…
