Unexpected Edinburgh Discovery: Texting

I don't have to tell you that I am not known for my text(verb) habit. So I won't.

But I will tell you that due to a recent change of living place, I am texting for the first time in my life.

It took me a while to figure out the predicting

text thing. In my phone it is, mysteriously, "T9Abc," or "T9ABC" if you are into using ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.

I discovered that many common words are surrounded by other common words (and nonsense words) in such a way that often one must scroll

through a bunch of other words before reaching the desired word.

I don't have to tell you this because you have

been texting for some time now and understand this phenomenon which, to me, is the greatest kept secret of all texters.

This secret, this journey, is what I am so excited about.

Here are some examples:

I want to text the word "home" instead the word "good" appears. When I venture to find my "home" I am greeted by the following list:

gooe

inof

hond

inne

imme

goof

hone

hoof

hood

gone

and finally, home.

I am interested in typing "lust," T9Abc assumes I am interested in "just." And my only other option is Kurt, then comes lust.

This must be some weird hole in this whole text thing I have discovered. Why only three reasonable words (one a proper noun!?) for this particular key combination?

I want basil. I get:

cash?

bari

abri

acri

casi

carg

cari

barg

capi

basi

bash

cash

Of course, it will never become "basil" because it dropped the question mark place after "cash?"; tragically peaking at "basi."

I hope that next time you text you notice these things.