I have turned into my mum.  Sadly, that doesn’t mean that I can now cook like a Masterchef contestant or knit like a demon.  No, it means I’m officially technologically challenged.

I’ve fought against having a BlackBerry for work for years, but I’ve finally had to give in.  I had fun and games getting it to work – it turned out to everyones amazement that it was not user error (ie, my fault), the problem was due to the fact that provider had not activated it.  Once we’d established that I got it all set up and we were away.  Kind of.

My first train journey with the BB of Evil I thought I should stay awake and learn to use the damn thing.  Mostly, I learned that I clearly have fatter fingers than the average user and that I seem unable use a querty keyboard when it has been shrunk to the size of a broad bean.  The outcome was one text message containing terrible spelling and another containing absolutely nothing (something mum does almost every time she turns her phone on).  ‘I can improve though’ I thought.

I got home and settled myself on the sofa ready to overcome my sausage fingers and inability to find the correct keys.  And discovered I had no reception – SOS calls only in fact…unless I leave it on the window sill.  That’s when I learned how amazing my hearing is.  I can hear the quietest noise the BB of Evil can make from anywhere in Pog Towers.  And as soon as I hear the e-mail alert, I have to check it.  In fact, within 24 hours, I was checking it in the car at traffic lights, in Tescos, and soon, I imagine, in my sleep. (And I can’t put it on silent as then I have to be able to see it in case the red light is flashing at me…)

But today I had even more fun.  I was on the house phone on one call when the BB of evil rung at the exact same time as my mobile.  I thought my head might explode.  Even if I’d not been on another phone I couldn’t answer the BB of Evil as if I move it from the window sill I lose reception.  I can’t dial voicemail either.  In fact, I had to sit in the car to listen to the message…

So I now have three phones at home.  Two I can use in the house, the third has working parts likely to induce a breakdown shortly and other parts that need me to be in the car to use.  Isn’t technology great? :o)