I am not really a cutting edge gal. I got my first cell phone in 2002, after I’d graduated college, years after most of my friends had gotten one. I was kind of a smug judgmental jerkface about it, actually. (“Oh, you have a cell phone? I can’t imagine being tied down like that- I mean I’m not the kind of person who thinks I am SO IMPORTANT that my friends can’t leave a message on an answering machine and wait a few hours, right?”) (Of course, now I not only write a blog, I just signed up for twitter. Self-important, party of one! Although I am apparently the last person on all of the internet to join twitter, so at least I’m still behind the curve.)

When macs started getting really cool again and everyone, not just artsy types, started using them, I clung to my little dell and insisted that pcs were the way to go. (Now I sit and type this from a MacBook.) I opted for a traditional film photographer at our wedding even though everyone (correctly) pointed out that digital had come a long way and was the most more cost-efficient option. This character trait is not limited to techie stuff- when boot cut jeans came back into vogue when I was in middle school, I doggedly kept pegging my jeans until an 8th grader pulled me aside and said (no joke) “you really look ugly and everyone is making fun of you behind your back.” (She was right. I have since seen the light and am a fan of the boot cut. I’m also very sensitive to people whispering, and tend to jump to the conclusion they’re whispering unkind things about me. See “self-important,” above.)

The point is- I’m always a little late to the party. Frankly, I’m usually pretty happy that way. I don’t want to be a victim of the 2008 version of the betamax. I don’t make major purchases all that often and I have the worst buyer’s remorse syndrome in the world, so I like to know I’ve really thought about it and be really comfortable with my decision before I plonk down hard-earned dollars on some newfangled thing.

I tell you all this so you can appreciate how out of character the following is:

I just went out and bought an iphone.

In a way it’s not that risky, because after all, iphones aren’t new- this is just a new version. But I’m still staring at it, totally terrified that I’m going to break it or smudge it or otherwise demonstrate that I am not to be trusted with such a shiny, pretty thing.