On the way to the mall I decided I’d finally buy a larger capacity card for my blackberry pearl smartphone, in order to replace my 3 year old i-pod touch for listening to my music collection. Meanwhile I’d lost the micro-USB cable. I knew that, but when they told me a new cable would set me back $15 I decided I should try again to find the wretched thing. It had to be around the house somewhere! So I spent a couple of evenings looking for it. This became an obsession. I looked everywhere, and in some places I looked two or three times. Rummaging ’round, I found about 20 mini-USB camera cables – which I stored carefully all in one box – but didn’t find a single micro-USB phone cable.
This morning, the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was the computer-end of a USB cable, projecting from under the base of the lamp on the bedside table. I hadn’t remembered it being there, and suddenly had a glimmer of hope that it might be the missing cable. But my mind told me that this was just another manifestation of my crazy obsession with the missing cable. I’d already gone through all the drawers of that table three times and it was surely just yet another mini-USB camera cable. Eventually though, curiosity got the better of me. I got up, then held the black cord stupidly between my fingers. “What is it – that cable?” asked Dorit. “Hmm, hmm”, I replied.