Death of my Google Pixel phone

Time of death: 8:25 am. Wednesday, September 26, 2018.

My Google Pixel phone worked just fine during the Elton John concert the other night. I took photos and a single video. Everything on my phone was automatically backed up.

As usual, before going to bed, I set my alarm on my phone, plugged it in, and went to bed.

I have two alarms set. One is on my old iPod, which works nicely. It woke me up on Wednesday morning. My phone did not.

I looked at my phone. The screen was dark. Pressing the power button did nothing. Pressing any button did nothing. Ugh.

Recently, I had a new batter installed. I thought that it may have caused the booting-up issue. I took it to the place that swapped out the phone's battery to look at it. The guy cleaned the USB-C connection on my phone. Nothing.

I left my phone with them to do diagnostics. Two hours later, I got a call. He couldn't revive my phone. The motherboard was shot. He said my phone was in pristine condition. There was no sign of water damage or odd abuse. He thought that perhaps there was a power surge overnight. Nope, I have a surge protector.

The good thing about this business is that it refunded the cost of my paying for the new battery. That was cool.

I have never owned a phone that has died in less than two years. I am currently using my four-year-old BlackBerry Passport. It works like a charm.

Next month, I am eligible to upgrade my phone without paying off its remaining balance. I am hoping that I can hold off for that long. I am still interested in getting a newer Google Pixel phone, despite this issue.

In the meantime, I have reported my dead phone to Google support. We'll see if anything can be done or if my phone is just a paperweight.

Playfully looking for car keys

After lunch, my guy and I drove in our separate cars from the restaurant to the parking lot at work. Despite his overshooting the street where we were supposed to turn and then making a u-turn, I was in front of two indecisive drivers who were too afraid to turn left. Ugh!

Anyway, I parked next to his car and he placed his two pieces of luggage in my car.

"I keep feel like I forgot something," he said to me.
"Do you have your passport?" I asked.
"Yes," he said.
"You can give me your car keys. I will make sure that your car is fine," I hinted.
"Um, no," he said.

It's fun teasing him. I went to dig for his keys in his pocket, but he prevented me from getting them. I always enjoy when we are being playful.

Special, memorable kiss

My guy is a good kisser. It's a combination of how he kisses and the fact that he has full lips. It also doesn't hurt that I have full lips, too.

I always enjoy when we kiss. Some kisses end up being particularly special. We had such a moment recently.

After my guy had put all his luggage and stuff in my car so I could drive him to the airport, he headed over to his car to make sure that he had everything.

"Do you have your passport and everything?" I asked him.
"Yep, I do," he said, standing next to the driver's side of the car with the door open.
"You can hand me your car keys. I will take care of your car," I said.
"Um, no," he said firmly.

He closed his side of the door. I held my hand for the keys. He pretended to give me his keys. Instead, he held his hand in mine, placed our hands behind my back and he hugged me. Naturally, I reciprocated. It was a loving, warm embrace.

We got out of it and we locked lips. It was the sweetest, passionate kiss. Without saying anything, it meant so much. I will miss you. I love you. You're sweet.

It was memorable.

He then groped my left buttock, which made me happy. He fondled my right breast. We kissed some more, with my caressing his nicely shaved head.

Even though we have been a couple for a while, our love always feels new.

Visa photos, manicure, and price comparisons

I got a couple of errands out of the way on a soggy, rainy Tuesday. It felt good.

My first errand was to go to Costco to get photos taken for my tourist visa application for China. My guy and I had a talk about photos the other day.

"I always go to Costco to get my passport photos done. It's cheap at $6.99. I don't know whether it does visa photos," I said.
"It does. You can indicate what size you need and the place will do it for you. I went there to get my visa photos for India," my guy replied, being the seasoned traveller.
"Oh, good. I'll go to Costco," I said, with a hint of relief.
"You can't go wrong with that price. It is cheap bastard-approved," he stated proudly.

He was impressed that I have been going to Costco to get my passport photos done. He was also thrilled that I knew how much it cost.

After that, I went to redeem my about-to-expire Groupon for a shellac manicure. My manicure would take an hour, which was roughly the time that my visa photos would be ready to pick up.

I do like my nail polish. It's peach with glitter. Yes, I'm in a girly mood.

I got hungry and went to a Japanese restaurant within the same plaza. The lunch special was great. I had chicken ramen with salad and miso soup. I also got gyoza and a Diet Coke.

After lunch, I went back to Costco to pick up my photos. Sadly, I can't smile in them. At least I don't look like I just broke out of jail!

I then visited Staples to get some graph paper, which was an unplanned errand. Coincidentally, you can get passport photos done there. The price? It's double that of Costco.

My guy is so proud of me that he nearly called me a good girl. Nearly.

Two phone calls with my guy before he boarded his flight

Last Saturday, my guy called me twice. When he calls me more than once in a day, it simply means that he misses me. I am glad that he did call.

The first time he called me was just before 15:00. He was on the road. He admitted that he was a bit sleepy, so he thought that my chatting with him would be better than getting a strong cup of coffee. I had to ask him what he would do if I hadn't answered his call. He told me that he would slug his way into his side job of teaching a course on the weekend.

My guy was running late, as he had forgotten his passport at home and had to fetch it. He was travelling to Rome after his course.

I was close to where he was teaching, except that I was going to grab some lunch and then head home.

A few hours later, he called me from the airport. It was the last time that he was going to be in a business lounge. Last year, he didn't travel enough to maintain his flight elite status. He seemed devastated. I had to console him. I don't have any flying status these days. Oddly, that made him feel better!

I told him to ping me when he was safely in Rome. He said that he would.

It's nice when he needs to talk to me. He is away for two weeks, so any chat with him is always a precious moment for both of us.

My post on Chross's site, voting early, and photos

It is always a pleasant surprise when one of my posts ends up on Chross's Spankings of the Week page. This time makes it number four! My post-analysis of how sore my backside was after my last spanking made it and I am truly flattered!

On Saturday, I voted early for the municipal elections. I tend to vote early because voting day always lands on a weekday and I don't like rushing over to the polling station after work, lining up, and trying to figure out who I want to vote for. 

I have worked at all three levels of governmental elections in my life. By far, the municipal elections are the most enjoyable to be a part of. In my city, the results are automatically tabulated by computer. You  can even vote online. I like lining up and having a ballot to make my candidate selections. 

Next month, I am travelling to Turkey. My passport expires in April, so I need to renew it. It helps to have a passport that is valid for at least six months. I got my passport photo taken today at Costco. I look so different now than I did 4.5 years ago. I definitely like how I look now.

Then, I looked at my photo on my Costco membership card, which was taken thirteen years ago. It is not a flattering picture of me. I looked like a convict and my membership level wasn't quite right, either. As a result, I got that photo retaken. 

It was a productive day. Too bad the passport office isn't open on the weekend. Otherwise, I would have submitted my application by now!