The Cellphone Case

 

I mentioned that I got a new cellphone on Friday.

Whatever jokes you want to offer, I like it. Apple has suited me for several years and I've enjoyed having their products ever since I got my first i...Pod way back in probably 2005.

But the tech world is always littered with secondary products. Thus with getting a new phone comes the realization that accessories might be needed or wanted.

In my case, that means a case and a shield for the glass. While I appreciate the higher end of that market, the rational side of me says a quick trip to Five Below will suit me just fine. That's where I've gotten some of the stuff I've used for a few years.

When I got my iPhone XR, I went to the nearby Five Below or Marshalls -- it was one or the other -- and grabbed a reasonably priced case. It did the job.

Sometime later, a couple of angels conspired to get me a new phone case. One gave the other my address and, suddenly, a package appeared in my mailbox.

I was the recipient of a new conversation piece: an iPhone case with a Waffle House menu on it.

It really did people talking occasionally. I'd take my phone out for some reason (let's face it, I rarely need a reason) and a puzzled glance would come across someone nearby.

"Is that...a Waffle House menu?" they'd ask. Others went for the more direct, "What IS that?"

I could gaze at it whenever I wanted. Perched near the opening for the camera was my very favorite thing: The All-Star Special. Oh, I didn't need to ponder it. I always know what I'll be ordering: scrambled eggs with cheese, hash browns covered, white toast, ham, coffee, and a plain waffle.

There are occasions where I ponder switching it up but I always just come right back to the All-Star. 

Yet, once I popped open my iPhone 13 on Friday, it was all over. The new phone wouldn't fit in that delicious case. Wait, I mean the case with all the deliciousness on it. I was hoping it hadn't changed but that would be too easy.

So, as I alluded to, I traveled the world through TWO snow squalls looking for the proper accessories. I looked for something with a little personality. I looked around the interwebs for some new Waffle House gloriousness.

It was not to be.

It took three Five Below visits (Cortlandt, Danbury, and Poughkeepsie) before I found an acceptable case along with the glass protection. 

Yeah, I know Apple has gotten better at making the phones a little more durable but I'm an unlucky klutz so forgive me. I'm more comfortable having these things.

I found, basically, a plain black rubberized thing that surrounded the phone with a clear window on the bak that allowed the blue shell of the phone to be seen in all its glory.

Which, I suppose is a small victory.

Still, it's no Waffle House menu.

I need to visit the real thing.

Soon.