# Well, that was an odd phone call **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 10, 2004, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100 "2004-11-10T23:31:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/81 "2004-11-13T00:56:01Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#): > > But more currently, I received a bizarre text message the other week in a language that I cannot identify, though I assume it is Scandanavian. But I welcome any suggestions. > I put it to you, the collective, Dope, to let me know what it says. I don’t know how to make the little circle above the ‘a’ so I will mark those with á. > I’m really curious what it is about: > > ‘Pappa var pa landet han kunde ej bet förrän pá mándag han bet till din terapeft f nästa gáng samt hyran’ > > ‘till din’ sounds English to me… > > Cheers, > Daphne I only speak Danish, and this is Norwegian or possibly Swedish. I can’t read it properly, and the online dictionaries aren’t giving me translations for ‘terapeft’ or ‘hyran’–but essentially it says “Papa was in the country and couldn’t get back before Monday he’ll be at your terapeft next time with hyran.” Or something like that. “till din” means “to your.” ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/82 "2004-11-13T01:18:15Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > I only speak Danish, and this is Norwegian or possibly Swedish. I can’t read it properly, and the online dictionaries aren’t giving me translations for ‘terapeft’ or ‘hyran’–but essentially it says “Papa was in the country and couldn’t get back before Monday he’ll be at your terapeft next time with hyran.” Or something like that. “till din” means “to your.” Ha ha! Thanks for you help. I suppose I hoped it was something more mysterious and weighty, btu perhaps the secret lies in the untranslated words… Daphne ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/83 "2004-11-13T01:33:39Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Caller: Well, I’m glad to hear that. I really need the space. I’m expecting triplets in February. > > Me: Wow! You do need some space. > > Caller: Yes, and I’m _sixty years old_. My boyfriend’s 23. > > Me: Really? You’re going to be famous, just like the 57 year old woman that just had twins. > > Caller: Yes, but hers was in vitro fertilization. Mine is natural. > > Me: Oh? :eek: > > Caller: Yes, I’m truly blessed. Hey, if a 59-year-old woman can be pregnant with twins [after her tubes came untied,](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/11/national/main655244.shtml) giving birth to triplets at 60 isn’t impossible! **DaphneBlack** : Rather than learn the codes for all those unusual characters, you can follow my example by bookmarking [this page](http://www.1728.com/altchar.htm) and referring to it whenever necessary. I believe #0229 is the å you were looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/84 "2004-11-13T01:33:54Z")
Preface: My phone nmber is only one digit different forn that of the Branford Motel. I like to fuck with people who think that I’m a motel. 1st call: Him: yeah, I’d like to reserve room twenty three for around eleven P.M. Me: sure, you got it 2nd call: Him: yeah I’d like to reserve room 22 for 11 o’clock P.M. Me: Sure, you got the room 3rd call: Him: Could I have room 22 at about 11 P.M? Me: sure you gotit 4th-8th calls: about the same., So I figure that something is going down at the Brandford motel, in room 22 at 11:00 PM. I call up the cops, and leave an anonymous tip that there will be a drug deal there. Next morning on the news, “Cops make a huge drug bust at the Branford Motel.” ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/85 "2004-11-13T01:53:30Z")
Are you shitting us? I hope not. That’s hilarious! ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/86 "2004-11-13T03:20:05Z")
I once noticed that our phone book had a listing for “Z. Beeblebrox”… This was too good to pass up. I dial the number: "Hello? “Is Z. Beeblebrox there?” “NO HE IS NOT, NOW PISS OFF!” I guess they were a bit sick of their own joke, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Low\_Key\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@Low\_Key\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Low_Key_1)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/87 "2004-11-13T06:27:22Z")
Just in case you still want the blanks filled in on the mysterious scandinavian language translation… It’s in Swedish. ‘Pappa var pa landet han kunde ej bet förrän pá mándag han bet till din terapeft f nästa gáng samt hyran’ translates as… Dad was in the country and couldn’t pay until Monday. He will pay to your therapist for (or perhaps before - depending on what the f is meant to stand for) next time, as well as the rent. > [@](#): > > perhaps the secret lies in the untranslated words… Sorry, not very exciting stuff… ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/88 "2004-11-13T08:07:13Z")
How does someone get your cell number? Especially if they don’t know you but have the name right? At any rate, I have a VERY common name and have had so many calls: - the police once called and told me my wife’s car was found. I am Gay, never married, have no wife and I guess, therefore, she has no car. They still didn’t believe me. - little girls at slumber parties love to call and ask the same question, over and over. Since the wonderful invention of star 69, I have been able to call back and talk to the mother, or scare the bejesus out of the the gaggle of girls. - every credit card company in the world calls me for credit cards I have never had, swears at me, threatens me with lawsuits…barrels of fun. - I recently had to get a second mortgage to pay for my SO’s dental work. Only then did I find out there was a LIEN on my house from a woman who was looking for her back alimony and child support. Again…GAY, never married and certainly no children. Took an extra week to clear up that crap. So I understand your pain…sometimes I wish my name was Zbabbarzyzc Blzwwiznic. ---
**Author:** ![Mirth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Mirth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirth)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/89 "2004-11-13T09:35:18Z")
My brother married a girl with the same first name as me. One day Hoodlum from my 4th grade class called up asking to talk with Mirth. We talked for a few minutes with me wondering why the hell this guy would be calling me. I finally realized he must be calling for the other Mirth. Later, Mirth#2 confessed to having an affair with Hoodlum. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/90 "2004-11-13T11:13:04Z")
> [@Winnie](#): > > I used to do this all the time when I’d forget to put the lock on my keypad. Once and it kept calling my home phone and my husband answered about 3 or 4 times in a row. He’d hear my voice with lots of muffled sound and was freaking out because he thought I was locked in the trunk of a car or something. It wasn’t until I called him from the grocery store an hour later to ask what kind of beer he wanted did he realize I wasn’t being kidnapped. And I always locked my keypad after that. Do you mean to tell me that your husband thought you were \*\*locked in a trunk \*\* and didn’t do anything about it for over an hour! :eek: And you brought this guy beer! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/91 "2004-11-13T14:09:19Z")
> [@Low Key](#): > > Just in case you still want the blanks filled in on the mysterious scandinavian language translation… It’s in Swedish. > > ‘Pappa var pa landet han kunde ej bet förrän pá mándag han bet till din terapeft f nästa gáng samt hyran’ > > translates as… > > Dad was in the country and couldn’t pay until Monday. He will pay to your therapist for (or perhaps before - depending on what the f is meant to stand for) next time, as well as the rent. > > Sorry, not very exciting stuff… Well, thanks anyway. I hope it wasn’t too important for whoever to get that message. I can’t figure out how they misdialed internationally. Oh well. Cheers, Daphne ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/92 "2004-11-13T14:43:04Z")
> [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](#): > > Preface: My phone nmber is only one digit different forn that of the Branford Motel. I like to fuck with people who think that I’m a motel. > > 1st call: > Him: yeah, I’d like to reserve room twenty three for around eleven P.M. > Me: sure, you got it > > 2nd call: > Him: yeah I’d like to reserve room 22 for 11 o’clock P.M. > Me: Sure, you got the room > > 3rd call: > Him: Could I have room 22 at about 11 P.M? > Me: sure you gotit > > 4th-8th calls: about the same., > > So I figure that something is going down at the Brandford motel, in room 22 at 11:00 PM. I call up the cops, and leave an anonymous tip that there will be a drug deal there. Next morning on the news, “Cops make a huge drug bust at the Branford Motel.” Dave’s not here, man. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/93 "2004-11-13T15:34:37Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Dave’s not here, man. > [@Giraffe](#): > > AHunter3, Yesterday is on the phone for you. It wants its joke back. I couldn’t resist. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/94 "2004-11-13T19:04:59Z")
During the 2000 election, I was involved in trying to defeat one of Florida’s proposed amendments (I lost, but I had a ton of fun and learned a lot.) Late that night, about 1am, the phone rang. I was exhausted, and Ivylad answered it. It was some guy demanding to talk to me about how _he_ lost his race and wanted to know what I was going to do about it. We got his name and that he was a Libertarian candidate. Ivylad sloughed him off, then I contacted the local Libertarian party the next day. (They had been very helpful in my efforts) Turns out this guy was a candidate for some school district or water board in North Florida, and got my number as part of _my_ efforts to defeat the amendment. The LP Florida apologized profusely, acknowledged that this guy was a kook, and that they were going to have a wee chat with him. ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2004, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/95 "2004-11-13T19:30:06Z")
I am constantly getting calls for “Maynard Nogle” on my cell phone. I assume it’s the guy that had the number before me. A couple weeks ago, I checked my voicemail and heard a lady saying, “Hello, Maynard Nogle, this is so-and-so informing you that your trailor home will be reposessed if we do not get the payment by next week” or something to that effect. Poor dude. Hope he didn’t lose his trailor because of a wrong number! But seriously, I get phone calls asking for him at least once a week. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/96 "2004-11-14T00:52:24Z")
Here’s another story I just remembered. I have a lot of relatives in the Minneapolis area, and one of them got a new cellphone a couple years back. For the first few weeks that he had the phone, he was constantly getting calls and messages for some guy named Tori. Turned out his new phone number was what used to be Minnesota Twins All-Star center fielder [Torii Hunter](http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/player.jsp?player_id=116338)’s phone number. ---
**Author:** ![Cobalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8491ac/32.png) [@Cobalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cobalt)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/97 "2004-11-14T02:51:08Z")
My younger brother loves playing with telemarketers. Years ago (mid 1980s), when he was maybe 12 years old, some telemarketer called our house. Let me preface the conversation by saying that our entire family was in fine health. **Brother** (sounding like the young boy he was): hello? **Telemarketer** : Hi, is your Mom home? **Brother** : No, she’s dead. **TM** : Oh. Is your father home? **Brother** : No, he’s dead too. **TM** : I’m so sorry. Um, do you have a big brother or guardian there? **Brother** : No, they’re all dead… A couple days later, someone from social services knocked on our door to see if this little boy was OK… ---
**Author:** ![ForgottenLore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@ForgottenLore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForgottenLore)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/98 "2004-11-14T04:46:10Z")
My most surreal phone call: My family and I were at the State Fair. It was a Saturday. I knew there was a big install going on at work, so I brought my work cellphone with me and told my coworkers to call me if there were any problems. Walking through the fairgrounds, I paused to check for messages (we’d been in a couple of pretty noisy locations, and I was thinking that I might not have heard the phone if it rang.) Sure enough, there was a message. I stepped over to a relatively quiet spot and dialed in to my mailbox. One message waiting. I played it. It was five minutes of sheep bleating. Evidently I left the keylock off and somehow (I have no idea how) I must have hit a key combination that caused the phone to dial its own mailbox while we were walking through one of the livestock barns. I walked back over to my family. My wife: “So, there’s a problem at work?” Me: “No, the sheep called me.” My wife: “…Umm, what?” ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/99 "2004-11-14T06:24:19Z")
My work number used to be one digit off from a doctor’s office, and I’d quite often get vmail from his patients. (Iwas usually on the other line.) It’s amazing how many people don’t leave a name or number! I at least managed to call back the slightly confused elderly lady and the mother worried about her sick kid. Then another time I got fax calls repeatedly over two days before I managed to find the voice line in the caller’s office - “somewhere in the Law Courts building”, according to the operator I spoke to early on the first day. I congratulated the secretary on her persistence trying to send that fax, and wished her luck in getting the right number. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2004, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100/100 "2004-11-14T18:03:47Z")
**Sternvogel** Yes, that ALT KEY character page is very handy. In fact it is the website of a fellow Doper … me !!! Nice to know that the SDMB membership knows where to get those answers. [www.1728.com](http://www.1728.com) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-that-was-an-odd-phone-call/274100.md?page=6)