Today

iPhone 6 or 6 Plus?

What did John Lennon sing? "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans"? I'd like to add an analogue to that. You can make plans, but they're going to be disrupted.

Why is everybody incompetent?

When last we left my tire saga Pep Boys was going to get in touch with Michelin and decide on a discount for replacement tires. Ultimately I received 45%, which is a pretty good deal. But when I showed up yesterday to get them installed, they were the wrong ones, 87V instead of 91W. V and W are speed ratings, for the uninitiated. And actually, V is enough, and the salesman tried to get me to accept them, but the Michelin website said my car needed W's and aren't I entitled to get what I want?

That's another frustration of society. Distribution is imperfect. Salesmen don't have relationships. Their goal is to get you out the door lighter in the wallet knowing that either you'll never come back or they'll be gone when you do.

Which is why I'm uptight about standing my ground. Oh, I know that's a conundrum. I want what I want but I'm afraid to insist upon it. Maybe because of my OCD, maybe because of so many anxious interactions previously. That's how life has gotten, if you want to make a stand, if you want to get it right, god forbid you want to get it perfect, you become the target of derision, everybody laughs at you. And it takes a strong personality to be able to endure this. And I'm not always so strong.

So I went back today and they blamed it on the warehouse. The Pep Boys outlet had ordered the right tires, but had been shipped the wrong ones. They've got to special order mine, they'll be in at the end of the week.

And I felt relieved. That the clerk didn't excoriate my personality.

And from there I went to Santa Monica Place.

Once upon a time it was a Frank Gehry structure filled with failing businesses. But now they've reconstructed it to be hip, and it has me wondering, is shopping now just entertainment? I mean why leave your home when you can order online and return so easily.

But I still hate to shop. I was on a mission to the Apple Store. I wanted to decide on a new iPhone.

You see Verizon has offered me an early upgrade. In case you missed it, the carriers are in a war to get you to stick, they're all offering $200 off a new iPhone, yup, you get credit for your old one in that amount, even if it's really old, like a 4.

But the question is which one to get?

Used to be you wanted your mobile device to be smaller, now you want it to be bigger. But how big?

And I haven't been to the Apple Store on the Promenade since it moved. Since I go nowhere, especially if parking is challenging.

And what made me aware of its location was the line.

Was I really going to have to wait in line just to evaluate the new iPhones?

Turned out I didn't.

As the Rooftop Singers sang, I walked right in.

And was confronted with the decision of the fall. Big or small. iPhone 6 or 6 Plus.

I want the Plus. I want to be cool. But fiddling with it my thumb started to ache, it was hard to reach the corners.

But when I'm stuck in the airport or waiting for an appointment and I want to read the "New Yorker" won't I enjoy the larger size? Even more importantly, if I get the small one will I be judged?

Yes, I'm just that shallow. Like SUVs before them, mobile phones are now status items. It's not only functionality you're interested in, but how you look.

And speaking of look, I was stunned by those in attendance.

You see in the modern world I rarely leave my abode. Because it's just too challenging, and all the entertainment is home on the screen.

But after being in Utah I've got the urge to disconnect, to let go of the tether and venture out into the world. I used to do this on a regular basis, the movies were my passion, but when I walked past the Cineplex Odeon on the way to the Apple Store I only recognized one of the films on the marquee.

And why exactly is everybody out here? Are they tourists or locals or all interested in the iPhone?

And did they look in the mirror before they left home?

I'll admit I almost wore my shorts with the stain. But the prominent bellies and visible bra straps and the plethora of flip-flops had me wondering exactly what was going on in the brains of these patrons.

You see society has flipped. Used to be the stars were admired, now they're torn down, because the individual is important. And the longer you live the less looks matter. You try to see through the countenance to who the person really is. Despite our fixation on our devices it's we who really count. We fill them up. With texts and photos documenting our lives. We connect in ways previously unfathomable.

And it's all so fascinating. Millions of unique identities. All with their own friends and families, their own hopes and desires. Yearning to be known.

I think I'm gonna get the 6.


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