Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck.

So in the past 4 days I have found 20 dollars on the ground and a cell phone.

I felt bad for whoever lost the 20 dollars...but it's kind of funny how quickly that guilt fades away. It wasn't like I found a whole wallet so I could trace who the bill belonged to. And posting it on the board would just be stupid.

I also feel kind of bad for the guy who lost his cell phone. I had noticed it on Saturday morning on my way to work. It looked dead to me at the time so I figured someone tossed it 'cuz it was trashed.

Fast forward to today: Monday. The cell phone is still on the ground, in the snow, and my curiosity couldn't do without plucking it up. And lo and behold, the celly was still kicking. With all the snow and cold and wetness all around it, it survived. Sturdy little mofo. I'm still not a big fan of Nokias despite being a witness to this durable little miracle.

I meant to call during my lunch hour (I had found "home" under the contacts) but forgot. By the time I remembered it in my pocket I was almost home. Nevertheless, I called. I asked if someone at their house had lost a cell phone and an annoyed-sounding father (I don't blame him...kids these days) passed me on to his boy. The boy was grateful. He'll have his phone in his hands again tomorrow.

But talk about a rookie in cell phone protocol! Don't forget, I had initially found this phone on Saturday...two days ago! And tonight I called his house via his own cell. That means he didn't lock the phone, report it missing, nada. Imagine all the 1-900 calls I could have made if I was that malicious! But it also makes me wonder about the neighborhood when lost cell phones, the easiest way to steal them, lie around untouched for days. Mind you, these same people also didn't bother picking up the phone earlier and trying to track down the poor owner. *ashamed* Oh well, he sweated it out for a weekend. I'm sure he's learned his lesson now. And I'm glad it's me who picked it up and not some possible jerk. I wouldn't want all my contacts and calendar dates -- and not least of all my precious phone -- to fall into random hands.

Look at all the little "treasures" I'm finding on the ground around me. I guess it pays to look down every once in a while.