Telephones are more important than pacemakers

It's getting to the point where I don't think that society could function anymore without telephones or some other kind of electronic device. Everywhere you look and everybody you look at has got a phone plastered to their ear or a Nook or a Kindle or a tablet and their heads down there looking at their feet while they diddle with the electronic gizmo. If the phone isn't up to their ear, they are texting, looking at a web page, shopping, or all the above usually while doing something else. That something else is usually something insignificant like driving. I really don't get it. There isn't that much to say. There isn't that much to do on one of those things, unless you make your living on it. That I can understand, sort of .

I have a cell phone. I have a home phone. I have an office phone. Everybody in my family has a cell phone. Everybody I know has cell phone. The problem I have is that none them of really have anything important to say when they call, except for the people you want talk to and then they don't answer the phone. Standing in a line somewhere waiting to be waited on, the personal cell phone of the clerk will ring, the clerk will look right at you and say "Excuse me, I have to take this." Or you're standing in a line somewhere 2-3 people back in the line and the place is pretty busy. The telephone of the business rings, the clerk will answer the line, put the customer that he was working with on hold and take care of the customer on the phone. I saw that happen Saturday.

I was tempted to whip out my cell phone,  call the business and just have the clerk take care my business over the phone. It would've been more efficient, had it not been so stupid to begin with. I was really tempted to be a jerk but I didn't. I merely said "Should I have called instead of coming up here, because it seems as if when someone calls their call is more important to you?"

On the other hand there's nothing more annoying to either be in a business or be the person calling a business and listening to the business phone of the place where you're at ring off the hook. there has to be a middle ground somewhere, for Christ sake.

Everybody you look at on the roadway has a telephone up to their ear. Just almost every car you pass has someone in it talking on the telephone or texting. It is really an amazing phenomenon that is truly an indicator of the time we live in. I know one of my friends will read this and know say "Hey big Mike, you are one of first guys I saw with one of those Blue tooth stupid headsets". I would have to say guilty as charged. I don't text and drive, and I don't really talk on the phone a lot when driving but I do use the phone to conduct a lot of business. I try to be polite and correct about it though.

I don't know maybe I'm weird, but if there's two people in line and the phone rings I answer the telephone and tell the person on the phone that there are two people in front of them and I'll be right back as soon as a take care of  the other two people. The next question is would you like to hold?

if I forget my phone or leave it at home accidentally it doesn't really bother me. I actually feel a little bit of relief. Oh well I'll answer when I get back. Not my children. They won't leave the house without their phone. They will drive back to the house from 20 miles away to get their telephone, in case somebody calls. Call waiting what is that?, voice-mail what is that?, I'll call you back later when I'm not busy what is that,? someone will actually call my house and no one will answer, then they will call my office telephone line and no one will answer, then they will call my cell phone and no one will answer, then they will send me a text and say call me when you get a second I need to talk to you. So I call them back and they say "what are you doing?" Are you serious? it just makes me want to hit the end call button and walk away.

I know, I know I'm a jerk.

My brother said to me why do people feel like they have to answer the phone just because it rings? I understand the desire to stay in contact and and I also understand the desire to answer the phone. I have to tell you however if you call me at 3 AM, and you expect me to answer the phone, you are probably going to be disappointed. My house phone doesn't even have a ringer in my bedroom. I could actually care less if anybody calls or not,  I hate the telephone, although I use it, I tolerate it and I actually do call a lot of people. Full disclosure here, I'm on the phone a lot, I make a ton of phone calls. in terms of using the telephone to conduct business talking to customers or clients family or friends I would have to say that I am on the phone a lot.  I make a lot of small single digit minute phone calls, and maybe two or three per week that go over 10 min. if you use the telephone in the conduct of your personal life and your business it's kind of sort of unavoidable that you're going to be on the telephone a lot. I get that.

You are bored and you call home just to find out what somebody's doing, or you call someplace with no real purpose behind the telephone call that I just cannot understand. Somebody calls me and says what's up I say what do you want? My wife says it's rude. I say well I'm annoyed what do you expect? Geez Louise !

It's annoying when the phone just won't stop ringing, it gets in the way and  I don't get anything done when the phone's ringing. On the other hand when one of my friends calls I answer and I'll talk for an hour and a half. My opinion on this is one that is split as I am a divergent dichotomy (person of two brains with two separate opinions).

If you're one of those nut jobs that text me and says what's up and you never get an answer from me, well there's your answer. There's probably 10 people on the planet that when they communicate with me it's always more important than whatever I'm doing and I pick up the phone immediately or will text right back. if I didn't get right back in touch with you it is entirely possible and probable that I was either asleep or I was busy with something else more important. That happens.

The rest of you leave me a message I will get back with you eventually, maybe. Unless you annoy me, and that's with the delete key is made for.

Thanks for reading my rant,
– Big Mike