Good News re My CellPhone- It Pays to Check With a Real Expert

 

A few years ago, my cellphone suddenly stopped responding, so I went to a phone I thought would be reliable. The guy did a quick check and said that it needed an expensive repair. I figured that it was a "lemon" and not worth the investment, so I bought a new one from him. 

Not long afterwards, I found myself in a different phone place with a friend. The non-functioning phone was still in my bag, so I showed it to the guy at the desk as I told him the story. He quickly clicked something and it came back to life. He wouldn't even take payment, claiming that he hadn't done anything. As I write this I realize that there were some very obvious differences between the two businesses. The first was just a small store, and the second had a huge lab with more staff through a door. 

Recently the newer phone, still in use, started showing not only quicker battery "emptying," but super slow charging. I wondered if it needed a new battery, or would it pay to get a new phone.... 

Cautious, after wasting a lot of money, I decided to only consult with a store with a proven good reputation and a lab. The one who brought the other phone back to life can only be reached by car, which we don't have, but there's a small chain which I've dealt with before. I saw it grow from a table to at least two stores in nearby shopping centers. 

I had a ride to the smaller branch, which was manned by a young guy the generation of my grandchildren. He took the phone out of the case and took it to the lab in the back. When he returned a couple of minutes later, he said that it charges beautifully, and all I need is a good charger. I asked for the best he has, and it only cost NS99. 

When I got home, I plugged it in connecting my phone, and for the very first time ever the screen said:

"SUPER FAST CHARGING"

That's sure better than:

"charging too slowly which may damage the phone" 

I definitely learned my lesson and must get another for my travel bag. 

Hearing Aids Report #2

I guess everyone knows by now that I sport hearing aids. A couple of weeks ago I wrote Report #1, so now here's Report #2.

The deal here in Israel is that we "try out" the hearing aids for just over a month. If they are disastrous we can return them and won't be charged. During that time we are scheduled for a couple of appointments to help us with the hearing aids. 

A couple of weeks ago, when I really wasn't feeling comfortable with them, I was given an extra appointment. I kept the one for today which I had scheduled earlier on, and I'm glad I did.

At my first Medton-Hedim appointment I made sure that I could ask for extra appointments whenever I felt the need. That was one of my conditions for choosing them over the competition. And BTW there's lots of competition. I'm sure that some of the other places also give good service, but not all work with my kupat cholim, sick fund. I chose them, because a neighbor recommended them, and I trust his judgement.

Today my main question concerned what I felt was the short life of the batteries. I had been expecting them to last much longer. As we discussed my use of the hearing aids, it ends up that my favorite thing, listening to music, Torah classes etc. is what uses lots of battery power. It may be worth using my old headphones sans hearing aids at various times. The Bluetooth headphones are easy to charge.

I was wracking my brain to think of something else to report when I felt the hearing aids sort of "moving around." They don't always stay in my ears properly. So I mentioned that to the technician. He quickly took a look and said:

"You may need larger buds/tips/plugs/domes." 

So he took out a different size and replaced the ones I had been using. He was right. They are better. They stay in place, so I hear even better than before.

Honestly I was surprised, but I'm glad that the staff knows their stuff. 

There was no need to make another appointment, though I was told that I'm always welcome to call and they'll fit me in.

Hearing Aids Report #1

 

I've had my hearing aids for almost a week, but I must admit that I skipped wearing them Friday and Shabbat. 

In all honesty, the first few days I wore my hearing aids, it was a relief to take them out at night. My ears had begun to hurt. Besides that, I had to keep checking where they were. I had discovered that they had "exited" where they should have been. Of course, bli eyin haraa the part with the battery was still behind my ears and under my scarf.

Friday morning I had gone to swim in the Ariel Pool and forgotten to insert earplugs. That's another new routine I must adopt, earplugs for swimming to keep my ears dry. So I just decided to take a break from the hearing aids. On Shabbat there was no real need to wear hearing aids. My study group was "cancelled for corona," and I haven't been to shul for almost two years. We also didn't have guests. My husband speaks loud enough. Besides that on Shabbat I can't turn off and on hearing aids, so they'd use up a lot of battery power. My ears definitely needed the two day break.

Sunday mid-morning I reinserted my hearing aids, and my ears felt better, though they still seem to pop out, though less. I made an extra appointment for tomorrow to check them out. One of the reasons I chose Medton Hedim is that they had promised I could nudge as much as I felt I needed.

Besides all that, you want to know:

Do I really hear better with my hearing aids?

1. I keep lowering volume when I have them in, the tv, my phone...
2. Suddenly I hear strange sounds. For some peculiar reason when my husband takes something from plastic bags from the kitchen, and I'm in the den, I hear what sounds like someone's grinding glass.  And even worse are the sounds that come out of his phone. I can't make out what's being said, but it sounds louder than the television. And this is when I'm in a different room.
3. 
   
   Inexplicably, one battery finished before the other. Due to the "magic" of Bluetooth communication before the hearing aids and my phone, I was notified that the left one was about to go "empty." So I changed that battery for a new one. So now the left is full, and the right at half.
4. Pre-hearing aids I always had to make the TV louder or I couldn't understand what was being said. I'd ask my husband: "Can you really hear that?" And he'd answer "Yes." Suddenly this evening I saw him grabbing the remote and pressing volume. "Are you really making it louder?" I asked in shocked surprise. He was, so I guess my hearing has improved.

Do you have any questions for me about my experiences with hearing aids? If so, please ask in the comments.

Watch Saga: Clock for Shabbat

Last Shabbat, just as my husband said that he was going off to shul, my cheap NS40 watch, which was well under a year old, died. I looked at it to check the time and saw that the "second hand" wasn't moving anymore.

I'm very grateful that it was working when I woke up, since otherwise I wouldn't have known if it was a time to get out of bed or not. We no longer have a wall clock in the livingroom, since after that one died, I decided that we wouldn't get a new one until we did the kitchen and got new lighting fixtures for the livingroom.

I could manage fine without a watch until Shabbat afternoon, so when we came back from lunch at a neighbor, I asked my husband to leave his watch with me. I woke him when he needed to get up, and then his watch stayed with me most of the time until Shabbat was out.

This week I need to get a watch before Shabbat, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. There's no place to get a reliable watch here in Shiloh. I bought the NS40 one in a toy store. Yesterday I was in Pisgat Zeev with my and granddaughter, and even though we walked around stores and a section of the mall, I didn't see any watches. Sunday I had been in Jerusalem for the NCSY Ben Zakkai Reception, but it was too cold, dark and windy to walk around the Center of town to shop.

Today I'm arriving in Jerusalem too late to shop in town, unless I got to a mall, Center 1, Hadar or a quick walk from Matan during my break on Wednesday. The watch stores people have been recommending aren't in those places. So, if you have any recommendations for those places, please let me know, thanks.

Getting rather desperate, I began to search for clocks in the house. Yesterday I found an old battery powered clock, and I even found working AA batteries. I will have to tape the back shut for Shabbat, since the batteries fall out otherwise. But since on weekdays I have my phone as clock, that can give me a bit more time to search.

I don't know if I really want to get another junky, cheap watch sans guarantee. This is going to be my third watch in less than three years. Cheap is starting to look more and more expensive.

The Most Necessary Equipment in This Day and Age

my portable charger

Nowadays, when cellphones are more than just phones, a major problem is when the battery begins to run down and we're stuck without an electric outlet for charging the phone. My old cellphones could easily go a couple of days without needing to be recharged. All they did for me was to allow me phone contact with others and were also my alarm clock. But now when a "phone" is more like a laptop (portable) computer and even a library in some cases, the standard battery power is never quite enough.

That's why a portable charger, like this one (which my husband once gave me,) can be a lifesaver. I keep one fully charged with me when traveling or going to work, so that I can charge my phone wherever and whenever. I've even stuck the charging phone into a pocket, wires and all.

Last night I lent it to the people driving us from a wedding to Ariel, since they were following directions on Waze, and their phone was almost empty battery-wise. (They were in a rental and didn't have a phone charger.)

Besides the protective case and screen cover I got my phone immediately after purchase, I consider the charger the most necessary of accessories.