Preach it, girlfriend. When I was shooting craps at Mandalay Bay earlier this month, there was some asshole who wouldn’t turn his phone off and apparently was Mr. Important Guy Who Gets A Call Every Ten Minutes: Ring! “Hey, I can’t talk; I’m in the casino. Yeah, I’ll call you later. Okay. Okay. 'Bye.” Ring! "Hey, I can’t talk; I’m in the casino . . . " Finally the stick man said “Sir, you’ll have to turn your phone off.” He says, “The rule isn’t that it has to be off, just that I can’t talk on it at the table. I’m not talking on it.” The guy next to him said, “Buddy, if that phone rings again I’m gonna rip it out of your hands and throw it into the street.” The guy turned it off, and left the table shortly after.
Inconsiderate fuckers. OTOH, I think it’s funny that casinos accurately reflect that cell phones are NOT truly necessary. In a situation where a cell phone may interfere with someone else’s money-making (or, God forbid, the casino’s money-making), they are almost religiously forbidden.
How is it that all these people are inundated with “important calls” and yet, I’m 35 years old, and I’ve never had a call in my life that was so important that it couldn’t wait.
Is it possible that what I call “minor inconvenience” everyone else calls “important”?
Nah, its totally understandable. Since this board is on a sight dedicated to fighting ignorance, I’m actually glad you posted, since my post was a little misleading, and could theoretically have propagated an already widespread misunderstanding. I’ll attempt to be more forthright in any future rants.
But seriously schizophrenic is such a fucking fantastic word, I think I’ll just start using it as a random interjection, like selective Tourette’s.
Co-worker-“So what do you want to do for lunch?”
Me-“SCHIZOPHRENIC!”
Co-worker(baffled)-“Bwah?..uh okay…I just remembered that my wife packed my lunch.” (sidles away, leering at me with appropriate suspicion.)
Actually I don’t know what you are talking about, because I **turn mine off ** on all such occasions.
I am in charge, not the phone.
Why would you want to disturb an entire cinema?
Why would you want to be woken up by a telemarketer?
Can you give examples of these important calls that you miss?
(I check my landline answerphone every day and messages promptly reach me at work. No need for a cell phone annoyance.)
It’s not difficult.
Do carry one. Just **turn it off ** when it would disturb others. Your messages will be recorded.
Certainly. I give them my landline number.
Ah yes, the younger generation:
“Like, you know, I called you like 8 times and like every time I got a message and like why don’t you answer because it’s like urgent because I want to know if you’ve seen like the latest You Tube.”
Well like you know I asked one friend what she thought of like cell phones and she went like “Oh God! I gotta like keep it on **ALL THE TIME ** BECAUSE YOU NEVER LIKE KNOW WHO MIGHT CALL AND LIKE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I MISSED ONE?!”
My other friend just switches his cell on when it’s convenient to use it. At that time he checks his messages.
I know people who have gotten a second cell phone. That way, when you call them on the first one, they can tell you to hold on and then let you listen while they talk on the second one!
You wanna know what I really fucking hate about my brand new upgraded cell phone? That I can’t figure out a way to give different contacts individual ringtones.
Seriously, I have mine off most of the time and very few people have the number anyway.
And what about those fucking telegrams? Goddamn Western Union. Some fucker comes up to your house, rings the bell, and has the unmitigated audacity to shove a piece of paper under your nose. And then wants you to sign for it. I blame it all on the alphabet.
Okay, let’s just go all the way. It’s those words, man, goddamned words. People spittin’ 'em at each all the time, misunderstanding ‘em, categorizin’ 'em as nouns, verbs, adjectives and whatnot when they should just leave well enough alone.
Words (and crying babies) are gonna be the downfall of civilization yet, I tell ya.
So my wife and I have been hunting for a new apartment lately. One place was having open inspections, so we go to the property management office to pick up a set of keys. We show ID, give them the $50 deposit, sign the sheet, but then we get…the question…
“What’s your mobile number?” (Note: cell phones are called mobile phones in Australia.)
“We don’t have a mobile phone.”
“Oh.” long pause “Well…alright, but normally we don’t give out keys to people without a mobile number.”
“What? Why not?”
“So we can call you if you don’t return the keys in an hour.” So what the hell is the deposit for? is the question I didn’t ask at this point.
There you have it. Mobile phones aren’t just commonplace in Melbourne, they’re expected, and if you don’t have one then apparently you’re some kind of untrustworthy Luddite freak.
You are all the same as the previous generations before you, talking bad about MP3 players, CD’s, Walkmans, boomboxes, Color Television, cars, etc.
I love how people talk like everybody NEEDS a cell phone, or that our calls are SOOO important, as if we were all doctors. Sometimes when at the mall it is nice to be able to be reached by your party in case of separation. Sure, there are ways around it, and it is only one example, but all the little convenience that a cell phone offers add up.
You don’t NEED a car to live, but it makes it easier. You don’t need internet to live, but it makes it more enjoyable. You don’t NEED a cell phone, but some of us actually LIKE to be able to be reached at all times.
And some of us still turn off our phone (or in my case my ringer is hardly ever on unless I am at home). Many of us don’t talk on the cell phone while standing in line, and many of us cell phone users are considerate.
But you keep the good fight going! Down with those new fangled printing presses.
I hate the things but have to carry one for my job. The Air Force provides it and it must be turned on from 0500 until 2200. Otherwise, its off. I don’t even answer it unless it is my boss…wait a minute, my cell is ringing…I’ll finish this post later, my buddy is calling to see if I saw the newest YouTube.
