Received my replacement phone and sent the defective one back to Google

I sent my defective phone back to Google. I also got my replacement phone on the same day.

On Wednesday, I spent a few hours configuring the phone. I also had to get a screen protector for it. 

Here's hoping that it's a good phone that doesn't die on me.

My phone died

I was about to work out last night and my phone fell from a small table to a carpeted floor. It always has a screen protector and a case on.

My Google Pixel 4a 5G didn't make it. The screen kept on flickering and it went black.

I dealt with Google support twice. The first woman was great. The second one was a dud. My phone is less than a year old, so a replacement phone is coming my way.

The crazy thing is that I need to print labels to have my old phone shipped to Google. I no longer have access to anything at the office because we all have been locked out during the pandemic. I have sent my files to a local printing place. I feel that it would be cheaper to pay for these printouts than getting printer ink cartridges on a printer that I haven't used in years.

So much fun! Thank goodness for my trusty Google Pixel 2XL phone. I am thankful that it works.

Evil eye bracelet - leaving the past behind

I have been wearing an evil eye bracelet for years. I had two different ones years ago, but they both broke.

My ex-boyfriend tried his hardest to get me a replacement. He first bought one from Winners, but it was too short. He eventually went to Istanbul and got me two different styles. I have been wearing the same one ever since.

Well, since he broke up with me, I have been wearing it because I love it so much. However, it was getting tarnished. It wasn't real silver. I decided to search for a new one. It took a while, but I finally have a sterling silver one with a blue evil eye.

Last weekend, I retired the old one. I also closed another chapter of my time with the ex-boyfriend. I have been doing it in steps. It's progress.

Pillow and devastating news

I sleep with a pillow under my knees. It helps with my back.

For the past week, the filling from this pillow was coming out. It is an old pillow. It has seen better days.

On Sunday, I went to get a replacement. It doesn't have to be an expensive pillow. It simply needs to support my knees.

I found one at a local store. It was $6. It was a great find.

After running a few errands and then coming home, I learned that Kobe Bryant, along with his daughter and everyone else on his private helicopter, had passed away from the helicopter crashing down. It was devastating news. May Kobe and everyone on that plane rest easy.

It makes you realize how precious life is and to cherish it more than we do.

My Fitbit Versa Lite is here!

I got my new Fitbit Versa Lite, which is replacing my Fitbit Alta. The latter can't hold a charge. For the past two days, it died while I drove home from work. Not good!

I do love my Versa Lite so far. It was easy to set up. Like my old Pebble watch, this Fitbit watch allows me to customize the watch face.

I'm getting used to the heart rate monitor. I'm off to bed soon, so I'll see how it monitors my sleep.

Fitbit Alta charger died and thinking about my next Fitbit product

I have been using a Fitbit Alta for over a couple of years. The battery is starting to not hold a charge as long as it used to.

The charger has a clip that secures the Alta while it charges. The clip broke.

Part of me is thinking about getting either the Versa Lite or Versa 2. Part of me wants to continue using the Alta until it truly does not function anymore.

I can't afford to get a new watch right now. Perhaps in a few months, I will be able to save enough for it then. Leasing a car wasn't on my radar in August. I thought that I would be doing it in January!

In the meantime, I have found a charger for my Alta for $8. I'm good with this cheaper solution.

Credit update, including a credit card renewal

I have lots of good news about building up my credit rating. For a good year, I have been working hard to rebuild it. I am slowly seeing results as I continue to pay off my debt and make more than the minimum payment each month.

I got a free account through TransUnion to check my credit rating at my convenience. Since I have been monitoring my credit rating, it has improved from being very poor to poor. Although it's still not great having a poor rating, I am out of the very poor rating level, which is a huge step. I am so pleased with my progress. I hope that a year or so from now, my credit rating will be considered fair. I'll then work my way to making it have a good rating again.

Baby steps. So far, so great.

A while back, I posted about whether a credit card company will renew my card. It expires next month. I got my replacement card on Friday. I am thrilled!

When one bank decided that I was a risk and didn't renew my credit card with a low limit ($1,000), it was quite a blow to my credit-rebuilding confidence. Even though I never missed a payment with this card, this bank decided to shut down my account because my credit rating wasn't great. My track record meant nothin at all.

With the other credit card company that decided to renew my card, I am thankful. I was hoping that it would because I do like what this card does for me. As a customer, this bank has made me feel good that it's trusts me. I can only think of a couple of times where I was late with payments, but only by a couple of days. It has given me some slack, which I appreciate.

I am pleased that I have two credit cards. They serve my needs well. I won't repeat my mistake by getting multiple credit cards when my credit rating improves. It was a trap that I won't fall for again.

Anyway, I wanted to share my good news about my financial situation. Things are looking up and I am happy.

Missing my guy, getting a new phone, and reducing debt

One week from now, I'll be spending the Thanksgiving long weekend with my guy. I miss him tons these days.

We were both pretty busy this week. He gave an online course all week. I continued working with my students on various tasks. I feel less exhausted this week. However, I came home on Friday after work and took a nap. I rarely crash!

I decided to get a new Google Pixel 2 XL phone, which replaces my dead Google Pixel one. I have been debating waiting for the newer 3 XL model. With a contract, I would be forking over quite a ton of money for it. I only had to pay $200 down for this new phone and I get to keep my existing cell phone plan. I hope to get the phone sometime next week. It's being shipped to me for free and it's also free to activate the phone myself.

These days, I am continuing to reduce the number of credit cards that I have. It's not healthy having so many. I am getting around to having two. Baby steps.

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.