Coverage

Something happened to me recently that's never happened before.

My cell phone (I should really call it mobole) received signal but I couldn't make a call. Why? Because all the other providers in the area like Sprint and Verizon have good coverage, but Tmoobile has zero, zilch, zip.

At worst, I get no signal, often inside buildings and such. Some places are isolated. But never have I had no signal, while everyone else had strong ones.

That's not good when it's midnight and you're trying to find your way to some place and you're lost. Turns out that the US is great for one thing. While many countries shut down at 10 PM so people can get sleep and such, the US has quickie marts that are open late and hotels almost always have a front desk opened around the clock.

Using those two services, I was able to get directions by an upstate NY girl with metal studs in her tongue (but a knowledge of her surroundings), and then got on 46, then to another store near Hamilton (after 30 miles of driving), and asked for directions.

I even managed to wander around Colgate's campus late at night, looking for some place I could make a call, noting students staying up past 1 or 2 AM wandering the campuses, seeking perhaps some post bar entertainment.

I discovered there was a hotel or inn near campus, called Jaime, who told me he just lived around the corner. So it's good even without a functioning phone, that I could still make it here.

I checked to see if Ithaca had coverage and it looks good.

Perhaps I should invest in a Virgin Mobile pay-as-you-go phone that uses another network, just for fun occasions like this.