Monday, May 22, 2006
M & R -- Please Phone Home
My lack of blog posts is pretty shameful, and I don't have much to blame it on. The truth is, brace yourselves, that I am not funny 100% of the time. I know you are shocked by such an admission. But, I as much as I would like to blame others, I really only have my own self to blame.
I thought about blaming it on a zillion things, Raymond being the closest and most likely choice. And, actually, I think I did blame him awhile back. It is true that Raymond takes the laptop most mornings and leaves me with the keyBOARD froM HEll. (I am not yelling, although the keyboard apparently has a lot of anger and is fast and loose with the caps lock.) But, there are other times in the day that I can blog.
I also thought about blaming it on my time, but who are we kidding. I have plenty of time. In fact, I could probably blog 7 hours a day from work, but even I have some shame (sorry, I forgot to tell you to brace yourselves for that one, are you ok?)
I also could blog while the rest of America talks to who knows who on their cell phones. Raymond and I do not own cell phones. We did at one point, but we have been cp free for the last three or four years. About once every two months I miss it, because it would be nice to call someone to tell them I was running late or lost, but generally, I am relieved. My cell phone never accidentally goes off during a trial or in church or while I am driving and I Cant. Resist. I. Must. Answer. The. Phone. Even. Though. I. Am. Barrelling. Down. The. Road. At. 70. Miles. Per. Hour. It. Might. Be. Ed. McMann. Or. The. Noble. Committee. And. If. I. Don't. Answer. Then. They. Will. Give. My. Million. Dollars. Away. To. Someone. Else.
Yesterday, I met my brother for lunch. He lives out of state and was nearby for a conference. So, I drove down and was running about 15 minutes late. Well, he called Raymond looking for me. And, in that brief conversation told Raymond "You and Margaret need to get a cell phone." I appreciate his concern, because obviously it is worth $100 a month to be able to call G and let him know I will be 15 minutes late. I can't think of a better use of the $100, can you?
When I got there, G also informed me that we need a cell phone, in case Raymond failed to relay this very important message to me when I got home. "They have cheap plans. It won't be that expensive." I appeciate that he has shopped around for me (probably while he waited that long 15 minutes for me he text messaged someone who has a cell phone who then called, on that cell phone at of the cell phone companies). "We're fine G. It's just no worth it to us." "Margaret, cell phones are not a luxury item. It's a necessity. Maybe in 1983 it would have been ok, when no one else had a cell phone, but not now." It is true that pay phones are basically a thing of the past, but since every person and his mother has a cell phone, I just have to go up to a stranger and say "Hey, I'm lost. Do you think I could use your cell phone for a few minutes?" It works very nicely.
So, I felt like I had a right to launch into my diatribe against cell phones, which is basically "Who are all these people talking to?" When I am at the gym, I see people on the phone, while lifting weights or on the treadmill. I have also seen joggers on their cell phones. And, it doesn't appear that anyone can walk anywhere these days without talking to someone on the phone. Do these people want to talk to so many people on the phone. Or it is just sort of like a compulsion. "I paid for this sucker and I am going to use it." I just know that last week Raymond and I received a woping 6 phone calls, 5 of which were from his mother. And the last thing either of us need is a way for family to get in touch with us faster.
I thought about blaming it on a zillion things, Raymond being the closest and most likely choice. And, actually, I think I did blame him awhile back. It is true that Raymond takes the laptop most mornings and leaves me with the keyBOARD froM HEll. (I am not yelling, although the keyboard apparently has a lot of anger and is fast and loose with the caps lock.) But, there are other times in the day that I can blog.
I also thought about blaming it on my time, but who are we kidding. I have plenty of time. In fact, I could probably blog 7 hours a day from work, but even I have some shame (sorry, I forgot to tell you to brace yourselves for that one, are you ok?)
I also could blog while the rest of America talks to who knows who on their cell phones. Raymond and I do not own cell phones. We did at one point, but we have been cp free for the last three or four years. About once every two months I miss it, because it would be nice to call someone to tell them I was running late or lost, but generally, I am relieved. My cell phone never accidentally goes off during a trial or in church or while I am driving and I Cant. Resist. I. Must. Answer. The. Phone. Even. Though. I. Am. Barrelling. Down. The. Road. At. 70. Miles. Per. Hour. It. Might. Be. Ed. McMann. Or. The. Noble. Committee. And. If. I. Don't. Answer. Then. They. Will. Give. My. Million. Dollars. Away. To. Someone. Else.
Yesterday, I met my brother for lunch. He lives out of state and was nearby for a conference. So, I drove down and was running about 15 minutes late. Well, he called Raymond looking for me. And, in that brief conversation told Raymond "You and Margaret need to get a cell phone." I appreciate his concern, because obviously it is worth $100 a month to be able to call G and let him know I will be 15 minutes late. I can't think of a better use of the $100, can you?
When I got there, G also informed me that we need a cell phone, in case Raymond failed to relay this very important message to me when I got home. "They have cheap plans. It won't be that expensive." I appeciate that he has shopped around for me (probably while he waited that long 15 minutes for me he text messaged someone who has a cell phone who then called, on that cell phone at of the cell phone companies). "We're fine G. It's just no worth it to us." "Margaret, cell phones are not a luxury item. It's a necessity. Maybe in 1983 it would have been ok, when no one else had a cell phone, but not now." It is true that pay phones are basically a thing of the past, but since every person and his mother has a cell phone, I just have to go up to a stranger and say "Hey, I'm lost. Do you think I could use your cell phone for a few minutes?" It works very nicely.
So, I felt like I had a right to launch into my diatribe against cell phones, which is basically "Who are all these people talking to?" When I am at the gym, I see people on the phone, while lifting weights or on the treadmill. I have also seen joggers on their cell phones. And, it doesn't appear that anyone can walk anywhere these days without talking to someone on the phone. Do these people want to talk to so many people on the phone. Or it is just sort of like a compulsion. "I paid for this sucker and I am going to use it." I just know that last week Raymond and I received a woping 6 phone calls, 5 of which were from his mother. And the last thing either of us need is a way for family to get in touch with us faster.
