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My phone and I have had a tumultuous relationship. I was an early owner of a cell phone (age 15) because I worked at a remote location likely to be chosen as hunting grounds by a disfigured-faced serial killer so I needed to be able to call for help before trying to defend myself for the thirty minutes it would take anyone to come to my rescue. Back then, I tried to use it to boost my cool status but no one ever called. I just used it to play Snake.
Of course I've upgraded my phone three times since then (now I play a glorified anime version of Pong) and am looking forward to dumping this one in favour of a Blackberry - ideally covered by my employer. But the truth is, I really don't enjoy talking on the phone. As someone used to opening numerous tabs on Firefox in order to maximize loading time efficiency, while flipping channels on TV to make sure I'm not missing out on anything, while entertaining the pooch and making food, I find it exhausting to be tied down to one activity.
Short phone calls? Sure. Call me with a specific purpose, we'll hammer it out and move on.
Calling just to chat? I guess...but I'm going to have a hard time getting engaged in the conversation and will probably end up being a "Yep...uh huh...that's funny...jeez..."-kind of guy. Try to keep me on there for more than twenty minutes and you should know that I'm deciding whether to hang up and blame it on a bad signal or just drown myself in the sink. That's the harsh reality.
Of course, there are some exceptions to the rule. In a work setting, phone calls are the way of getting things done quickly. I like that. And conference calls - I LOVE conference calls and I'm not really sure why. Also, texting is fantastic. It makes my world go round and inflates my phone bill. Things that giveth and taketh away are funny. (I'm thinking about how weird that was to say and laughing). Texting also means that some day I might never have to listen to a voicemail again. Won't that be nice?
Oh god. I just remembered why I am writing about the phone. So I miss a call from a number I didn't recognize today because I'm because scraping dog business off the sidewalk in the freezing cold. I missed it by less than eight seconds. Do you call back?
I didn't because I didn't want to lose fingers from frostbite and I have some strange perception that the call-back is trashy. There's no way to sound suave when you're trying to explain to the person who answers that "SOMEONE called my phone. Yes ma'am, I understand that YOU didn't but SOMEONE did. Can you just ask around for me please?"
Plus it might've been job-related, in which case I don't want to seem too eager. Play it cool, Ben, load up some Snake...
Related:
Satan the Cell Phone
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Please hold.
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16 comments:
I say don't call back. Even if they would have called and you were in a postion to answer. I still say no. I don't like to get trapped on the phone. Let it got to VM. And if they didn't leave a voicemail? Then it was probably just the wrong number.
I don't call back. I usually don't even answer numbers I don't recognize. However, last year, someone called my phone... a lot, and finally I answered.
It was some chic looking for some dude and I told her she had the wrong #. This happened more than once. I was preggo at the time and she would call at 1 or 2 am. Finally, after she had woken me up twice during the night, I picked up during the day and told her to stop calling. She had the nerve to cuss me out. I almost called her back...
And thus I don't answer unidentified calls. You want me bad enough? You can leave a VM
i never call back. ever. not even when the missed call is someone i know. like, say, "ben boudreau." in my books - if you can't say it in writing in 140 characters or less, how important can it be? exactly.
gordon, on the other hand... he has no fear. "hi this is gordon simms calling and someone from this number just called my cell phone...?" awkward silence. "oh, okay, wrong number. gotcha." doesn't that just explain the hell out of NOT LEAVING VOICE MAIL.
forgive me for being a betch. it's the first day back to work after a long weekend and i am wound up on starbucks.
love ya!
- sleeves
I don't call back. If it's important enough they'll leave a message. Unless it's your credit card company trying to sell you that scammy credit card insurance. Then they'll just call you repeatedly for 3 weeks until you finally pick up and cuss them out.
Christie: I've suffered through an entire family looking for Mason on a daily basis. They were pretty stunned given the month or two that it took for them to adjust their speed dials.
I'm thinking today's number might have been the Asian lady who doesn't speak any English besides: Sorry. She pops up every now and then to confuse me.
SleevesWhen you're Sleeves, you don't HAVE to call back. You're far too important for that garbage :) If I were Gordon Simms III I'd be pretty confident in the callback too.
LMAO
actually, I usually call back if it's a really strange number. I happen to be friends with alot of soldier who hop all over the place and if I *can* get in touch, I do
Besides - I'm kinda super selective with who I give my number to so usually, if you're calling me, I don't mind talking to you. It was my vow when I changed my number
Job stuff? I may scream novice but I don't care if I seem too eager if I call right back. *shrugs* See now if it were some guy that I was into, I'd chew my fingers off before I did such a thing
..unless we were already together and its serious. Then you can know I'm gaga out loud :)
If someone from an unknown doesn't leave a message, they will not get a call back from me.
I was never much of a phone-talker, but since I live 6 hours away from my mother (and since she's a HUGE talker), I've gotten more used to it. And I also LOVE text messaging!
I screen my phone calls because if I don't know who it is, I don't want to be blindsided and stuck in a call I never wanted to participate in.
My policy is, if you don't leave a message, you didn't need me that badly. No call back for you.
Harsh perhaps....just how I roll.
This is just more proof that you and I were separated at birth. In the sense that I was born and you were cryogenically preserved for ten years and then you were born. I loathe the phone. I hate calling people. I hate answering the phone. If I don't recognize the number, I don't answer. It drives Kate crazy. But after being ambushed multiple times by her drunk cousin from Texas, she's come around to my way of thinking. My friends complain that I never answer the phone and I say "Hey! If I don't feel like talking, I don't answer. Do you WANT to talk to me when I don't feel like talking? Of course not! So relax yourself."
Texting rox.
Oh jeez, yeah, uh huh...You kill me! I dated a woman who called me and kept me on the phone for two hours every night for a week, and finally I said, "I can't do these long phone calls night after night, let's just make plans to meet, and talk in person. I have stuff to do (movies to watch)."
I wasn't that into her.
I don't like talking on the phone, unless it is boyfriend. He makes me laugh so I don't mind.
If they keep it short and sweet that's fine, otherwise text me or email. I don't want to talk!
I never call back. I hardly answer my phone as it is. If it's important they will leave me a message!
I can't wait til I never have to listen to voicemail again either! You're quite funny aren't you? I'm adding you as a friend on 20somethings..
I never call back. I am all about not even answering phone calls I don't know. If it's important, they'll leave a message.
I LOVE texting!! I'd rather do that than talk to someone on the phone any day.
Oh Tiff. I'm funny if you say I am. I like you.
I'm glad the general consensus is that I'm right and a genius. Good show, readers, good show.
Let's discuss how much I wish I still have snake on my phone. Why the new fangled games? I don't care about lemonaid stands--i want the stupid 2D line moving across my screen. Oh, the glory days of cell phones!
I answer phones all day, but I hate the phone. I don't have a landline--but really, what's the point these days if you have a cell phone? This is my second cell, and I use it more for listening to the radio on my way to work than to call people. I like texting, though.
If I miss a call to a number I don't recognize, I just agonize over who it could have been without ever calling back. I'll do a reverse phone look up, but you'll never see me calling back.
If someone else misses a call, though, I basically poke and prod them to call back to find out who it was. I live vicariously through them.
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