Priceless, vulnerable, with you all the time. That pretty much describes a baby, and my 8 month old ipad.

Like most of you, I hold my ipad all day long. This past week it was for reading an Omaha library e-book, THE IMMORTAL IRISHMAN, by Timothy Egan, (a Bryan Neary recommend-it was mesmerizing!), and for typing, editing, and illustrating (with photos) Dan’s handwritten Storyworth book. This was a joint project we really enjoyed!

WordPress blog essays and a few learning lessons are done on my ipad. I no longer have a desktop or laptop computer.

I also read the news, e-mails, favorite blogs, some social media, and Iowa Writers Collaborative pieces.

I was spending a lot of time walking around with this ipad in my hands, or arms, near my hip, reminescent of Rock-A-Bye baby time.

One morning, it had a temperature! Scary!

So I shut it down immediately. Dan thought I should take it in for a checkup, but I knew that most fevers go away on their own. It did not happen again.

Soon after that, maybe a week or two later, I downloaded the latest update, 16.3. But, there was a problem. It couldn’t be installed, due to no cell service. Strange, because for 8 months it had perfect cell service.

What I’m about to tell you are the all consuming acts I did for 2 days to get my ipad better, just as you would with a baby.

You’d go to a clinic or doctor. I went to Verizon, across the street, where I bought the ipad. Manzur was the person at the counter, and, count my lucky stars, I was the only customer! He inserted a new SIM card, and tried his best, but alas, no cellular service could be found. He said it was an Apple issue and had to be taken to the Apple Store.

I did not want to do that. I told myself, maybe I can live without cellular on the ipad (I have an iphone), anything to get out of going to the Apple Store, way out west. But, I was paying for cell service that I liked to have on a road trip, or in a park, and it’s under warranty, so I should take care of it.

OK, time to go online and look up Apple Support. I was elated to see an approved service center at a Best Buy, in the neighborhood! An appointment was made. I was sure this would fix it. It was fun! I took the ORBT (Omaha Rapid Bus Transit, along Dodge St.) on a sunny winter day, and walked a couple of blocks. Inside, I was soon with a GEEK SQUAD member, Kris, who tried everything, but could not repair it. He said I had to go to Apple.

A side note, while I was at Best Buy, I reminisced about our son, Brandon, working there in a blue shirt during high school. It made me happy to think of that.

Afterwards, my ipad and I met Dan at Charleston’s for lunch in a cozy booth, just the 3 of us, ha ha.

When I got home, I message chatted with Apple Support, who was oh so polite and patient, step by step, as we went through everything, even the diagnostics that I had to initiate on my end. Still no success. You need to have a phone conversation with a senior advisor, I was told, and here’s the number.

I put that off for a few hours and did a spa time at home.

It’s stressful having a sick baby!

Around 6 PM, I called Apple Support, getting Ricardo, within (surprise!) 2 minutes. He was very nice, supportive, and calm, but ended with, “You have to take it to Apple, or mail it in for repair.”

I would never mail in my baby.

He made me an appointment for the very next morning. Now, I was getting excited. I had never been to an Apple Store.

Here’s what happened: They cheerily greet you, check you in, and have you sit on these cubes in the back, waiting your turn. Adam soon came to get me. In 5 minutes he had done another diagnostic test (their own) which showed that the eSIM card had failed. Since ipads are not made to be opened up and repaired (YAY! No surgery for this baby!), I was to get a new one, a brand new ipad to hold and love.

But, before that, he asked me if I wanted to hug my old one, and say good bye to it.

Ha ha! Who did he think I was? An ipad isn’t something to hug! Or is it?

Shirley