The Super Cool Thing

Last night Billie and I went to the NewsGator holiday party. Yeah, I know it’s already almost two weeks into the new year, but I gotta say that I liked it better separated from the rest of the seasonal party scene. It was quite a lavish affair, held at the newly renovated Curtis Hotel, and it featured a 1950’s Viva Las Vegas theme, a well-stocked bar, great food and a casino setting.

Last weekend we watched Oceans Eleven (I hear there have been remakes and now you have to call it the “original Oceans Eleven”) to get into the spirit. Billie rented a frilly shirt and tux coat and I wound up wearing my only suit and a skinny tie. Billie cut my beard down from the Gabby Hayes level (now there’s a 50’s icon for you).

We were among the early arrivees, and as we looked over the raffle prizes, everybody quickly honed in on the Super Cool Thing: an iPhone. “Let’s face it, this is the only way we’ll ever get an iPhone,” I said, trying to be funny.

You see, neither Billie nor I have had a cellphone. (We have never used an ATM, either, and only recently got caller I.D. on our phone because it was part of a package, but that’s another story.)

It’s not that we don’t see a value in cellphones or why everybody on my bus commute except me seems to have one. We’re just not very chatty on phones. I can use a phone like anybody else when necessary, but I prefer talking with people face-to-face, seeing facial expressions and gestures that you lose in phone conversation. Especially after I started keeping in touch with friends via email, I probably never spend more than an hour a month on the telephone. A couple times a year, I’ll wind up in a situation where I’ll think, “wish I had a cellphone,” but never has it made me think of actually purchasing one.

When the iPhone came out, a bunch of people at the office bought one. Watching Apple’s clever marketing ploys and watching Mark and Matt talk about and use their iPhones certainly caught my attention. Like the iPod (yeah, I still don’t have an iPod, either), it was just Super Cool.

After dinner, Billie and I played blackjack for a couple of hours, enough for me to trade my NewsGator money in for six raffle tickets, all of which I dropped in the iPhone bowl. Billie distributed hers, putting one in the iPhone bowl. There were some great prizes (free beer for a year, massage and other goodies), but the iPhone bowl had more tickets than any other.

When the number was called for the iPhone, I looked at my six tickets, knowing there wasn’t a winner. I was right.

But Billie’s one ticket turned out to be the winning number. So I’m sitting here, feeling the incredible coolness as it sits in my palm.

Just one question.

What is it that you do with these things?