CES 2010: Broken iPhones and Ankles

By Mary J. Somers, NBC Universal

I had never been to Las Vegas until now, but I was convinced that Lady Luck would shine on me for some strange reason. Maybe it was all the great headlines I envisioned circling the globe: "First time gambler hits jackpot- Now richest woman in the universe!!" Or "CES first-timer helps make NBC the most popular and exciting booth at the show - network ratings soar!!" I admit, these were lofty dreams, and would've been lucky breaks for sure. What I didn't know is that I'd experience plenty of breaks... just not quite so lucky.

It's funny that at the Consumer Electronics Show, the first thing to break would BE my consumer electronics. Actually, it's not really funny at all when you look at this picture.

Did you cringe? Most do. The response I normally get when showing this pic is one of physical pain, sorrow, and sympathy - as if I lost a loved one. And really, I did. My iPhone was a trooper, and didn't deserve such an untimely death. But on the morning of January 7, Lady Luck shone her evil, evil eye on me, and forced my phone to fall out of my pocket while I entered a cab in front of Caesars. We hadn't even fully pulled away before it was runover by another cab. It was devastating, it was damaging, and it was the end of the road for my little computer phone. Even as I type this blog on my loaner iPhone, I can feel the loaner-ness of it, and I mourn my loss anew. Unlucky break #1 hit me where it hurt, and the aftershocks are still being felt as I prepare to fight the crowds at the Apple Store in the Caesar's Forum Shops.

I actually bounced back pretty quickly from this broken iPhone incident. I vowed not to lose my optimistic attitude and refused to let it ruin my Vegas/CES experience. This was offensive to cruel, petty, witchy Lady Luck, so the next break REALLY hit where it hurt. As in, I'm still in physical pain.

So maybe "bouncing back" was the wrong thing to do after the iPhone incident, because as I literally bounced around the NBC booth in an attempt to engage passerbys in our display, I rolled my ankle. Break #2. I guess it isn't an ACTUAL break - thank God- but it's close enough.

So now I type on this loaner phone with an elevated ankle, and I wonder what Lady Luck is really trying to break about me. I mean WHAT IS IT that she wants?? Then I realize it must be this: I might be broken in body and technology, but I just can't be broken in spirit.

This CES experience has been amazing, and nothing that happened or will happen can change that. Our booth is filled with people interested in what we do and how we do it. When we broadcast live, I see how excited the crowd is to watch TV magic and i remember why I got into this business in the first place. My fellow brand ambassadors are hysterical and helpful and make me proud to be one of them. I could go on and on. It's been an AWESOME experience Lady Luck, so HA. Take that.

Tonight, I'm taking this optimistic unbroken spirit to a casino with my friends- my coworkers- and Ill tempt that Goddess of Fortune one last time at the craps tables. And you know what? If I walk away empty handed, it'll definitely "break the bank" as they say. But honestly, that's not Lady Luck, that's just Vegas.