cell phone madness

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have we all just completely lost our minds? for a short while there cell phone dependency was a humorous idea, but i'm beginning to think that somewhere along the line the devil got involved and this is a serious addiction that no one wants to admit. think about it...

you're in the midst of a delightful conversation with a friend when suddenly la cucaracha begins to emanate from your friend's purse. her eyes widen as she realzes it is indeed her phone techno-tronically butchering what was once a delightful margarita tune, she abruptly halts her end of the conversation as she lunges, at breakneck speed, for her bag. fumbling madly for her phone, her forhead begins to glisten with the first signs of perspiration as she twitters on apologetically, and rather nervously, that this call may be important. a barely audible squeal of triumph escapes her as she finds the phone. hello!?

i know that i am guilty of this myself -- and i admit it truly baffles me when i feel this undeniable urge to just answer the phone when it rings. even when i am in the middle of a conversation. why?

i do try to limit my answering to a call from smockdaddy, one of the smocklins, or -- gulp -- the school because (at least to my mind) these could be emergency calls. of course, more often than not they're "the-baby-has-a-poopy-d-and-she-took-my-grilled-cheese-sandwich-no-hon-i-don't-want-to-talk-to-the-dog-thanks" calls. and considering the alternative, thank heavens! but the question remains, when did the person on the ether become more attention worthy than the person in front of our face?

sam.nocell.jpg

7 Comments

Preach it, sister. Makes you wonder how we all lived growing up, since no one could get hold of our mothers immediately. I said as much to one mom recently, when the issue arose. "Oh, yes, but our moms were HOME." Well, yes and no. Yes, I was lucky enough to have a stay at home mom for a few years. But she was volunteering at the church, having coffee with friends, hanging out laundry on the line....all places where she was not IMMEDIATELY available. Somehow, no one I know died because Mom wasn't available 24/7.

I resent being tied to my phone. With my mom's health being what it is, I haven't a choice. And it's the reason I got one in the first place. If it weren't for her, I think I'd still be happily unconnected.

But I think it really all started with call waiting--my old pet peeve.

Look, I know if you're on call, or have a sick family member, or are a doctor or something, all this connectedness may be necessary. But we've gone WAY TOO FAR in the need to talk to people ALL THE TIME..

Can you tell you pushed a button here?

I have my cell phone right here next to me. I buy minutes in advance. Last year we used 28 minutes. It will probably be less this year, since I lost the charger sometime in June or early July.

To anyone who doesn't have the sort of real, pressing, medical need like Smockmamma, I recommend leaving the thing at home unless you are going on a road trip or have a specific need.

I also recommend never taking incoming calls on the thing. I don't give the number out. I turn mine on only when I am making a call (or if there is some sort of special emergency or meeting someone at the ballpark or something like that), and as soon as the intended business is done, it goes off. And don't bother to leave a message, as I have no idea how to retrieve it, and, even if I did, I wouldn't.

Ah, you need to talk to Mr. Keilholtz? I am so sorry, but Mr. Keilholtz is in a meeting. He will get back to you. Or not. A moody SOB that Mr. Keilholtz.

Our next step in brutal phone isolation is going to be to get a phone with caller ID (we already have the service as part of our bundle from the phone company). There are too many times that I rush to answer the phone only to find that it is one of those folks who have far too much time on their hands and want to share mundana with me.

Anyway, I highly recommend going this route. It makes life better for all concerned.

Then there is what I call the New Sociability. You see it among young persons nowadays (especially young ladies). A group of friends go out to a restaurant, coffeeshop, or bar, and then spend all their time talking to other absent friends on their cell phones. This activity seems to amuse all members of the party, even those not electronically connected.

Then there is what I call the New Sociability. You see it among young persons nowadays (especially young ladies). A group of friends go out to a restaurant, coffeeshop, or bar, and then spend all their time talking to other absent friends on their cell phones. This activity seems to amuse all members of the party, even those not electronically connected.

Hi Ladies,
I found your blog, and really enjoyed it.
Do you ever discuss politics? Probably not a good subject, but right choices are needed by all families for the future of our heirs.
Keep up the good work and I will make it a habit to follow you all more closley.
Frank 08/31/07

oh yes. i have to watch myself with it, keeping the phone on silent & just looking at it every once in awhile if you aren't with your kids helps a lot. but i don't go out with other people a lot cause all my friends moved. so it hasn't been an issue lately .

Hi Pappaw!

I love you!

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This page contains a single entry by smockmomma published on August 31, 2007 6:47 AM.

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