LG Lucid 2

I didn't get my first cell phone until some time after I graduated from college. I remember having a beeper at my first regular job after graduation. At some point, cell phones became ubiquitous. And they became "smart". And they turned into the most critical possession in the world.

New phones can be an exciting opportunity, except when you've been forced into the buy.

The Droid 4 that I purchased back in October (to replace a glitching Droid 2) was stolen at a concert on Saturday night.

Sunday morning, I trekked down to a Verizon dealer at 11am and considered my options.

Since I'd upgraded so recently, I wasn't eligible for another upgrade. And I had no insurance on my phone. Which meant... I had to pay full price for any phone they had.

That nifty Samsung Galaxy S3 that I'd considered buying back in October but decided against because it would have cost about $300? Now it would cost $750.

I ended up buying the cheapest phone they had. Adding 2 years insurance plus taxes, the total came out to $604. The goddamn phone cost more than the computer I was forced to buy last month.

It's an LG Lucid 2.

I'm still getting used to not having a physical keyboard. So far, it's a very decent phone. Some would argue that it's better than the Droid 4 I had (that was STOLEN!!). But it will always be a bastard phone to me. A reminder of a loss. One day, when I'm in a better place, I'll look forward to replacing it properly.