Can your cell phone survive water torture?

I was temporarily cut off from the outside world on Thanksgiving night after the thing jumped into a large bowl of water in a small room. Although it was very quickly rescued amid screams of "Oh no! Oh no!" and immediately taken apart and laid out to dry, it was not expected to recover. Liquid usually means certain death for cell phones.

It would have been the second time this year that same bowl of water had claimed a family cell phone. We lost my son's after it made the plunge last summer. It wasn't his fault, he didn't do it, the darn thing just flew out of his hand. On Thanksgiving, I didn't do it either -- cell phones must have a mind of their own.

While I was lamenting the loss of my constant companion with its happy little tune, I was reminded that another family member thought it was for the best. My son said my cell phone was so old, it was embarrassing to use in public -- clunky, scratched, nicked, dull and out-of-date. I agreed until Friday morning when I put the thing back together.

It was a miracle. It worked. I was back in business.

The first test call (to brag) went to my son's snazzy it-does-everything phone with the flashing lights, camera, FM radio, music player and built-in pedometer.

"Can you hear me now?"

My old phone doesn't do anything special, except survive water torture.