I am not really happy with my new VX-8300 phone since it has even more features disabled than my VX-8100 did. But familiarity and comfort won me out in my choice of a new phone. I am going to see if there are any ways to get my MP3s to work on this phone as ringtones. Otherwise I will need to research other phones to see if there is one that does. If not, I will have to think about dumping Verizon all together.
A week without a cell phone went better than I expected, though I certainly prefer to get my messages when they happen rather than waiting until I got home. I did enjoy the fact there was no expectations of immediate call backs and I could take my time. Alas, the leash is back and I am sure everyone is happy.