Ode to the Smartphone (and internet)

I am somewhat glad to be living in an era where we can have internet access at a moment’s notice.  Personally my cell phone is not my baby, nor do I feel like I need it all the time, and if I do forget it, it’s not a big deal for me.  I feel like I’m pretty techy and well informed with new gadgets and technology, but I don’t care when it comes to cell phones.  And when my sweet little Olive chewed up my trust brick phone an month ago I gave my husband VERY specific instructions for picking out my new cell phone (I had to work the next day so he had to go get me a new one.  The only instructions he was give were: 1. Simple, 2) it had to be a brick phone with the regular number pad, and 3) no camera or other flashy things.  So I now have a Go phone, which is just what I needed and wanted.

Now having said all of this about how anit-smartphone I am, since Clay was diagnosed with Acute IgAN, and since we’ve have to completely change our diet, the smartphone has actually been very handy.  I really think that our phone and our Galaxy Tab (similar to the iPad) will come in VERY handy for our new diet, especially on vacations.  It’s also very helpful that most restaurants and foods have their nutritional info on the web making it very easy to access from Clay’s smartphone.  I can’t even image trying to live with this diet change 10-15 years ago (hello, remember dial up? Yikes!). 

So even though I may never get a smartphone, (although I’ve considered it, but only if I can get the R2-D2 droid phone or if someone will make a Harry Potter smartphone.  I’d definitely be getting that phone and probably wait in line for days to get that phone), it has made life a little easier for us.  For instance we all have those days where we’re out shopping or running errands and get so busy you don’t realize how hungry you are and that you’re too tired to go home and cook so you just stop at a restaurant.  The easy access to the internet form the phone will definitely come in handy in those moments because we’ll be able to pull up almost any restaurants nutritional info in an instance. 

So to the creator of the internet (Al Gore) and smartphone (Steve Jobs) I thank you.