phone? not i.
July 14th, 2008 Posted in Life As A Nico, TechYa see what I did there? ;)
In the last post I talked a little bit about my sudden lack of having a phone. And as I’ve always hated my phone, no matter what kind of phone it was and how well it worked when it did work, maybe this is a blessing in disguise.
I’ve always hated answering the phone. I’ve always hated calling people. I’ve always resented txting being so useful for when I didn’t care to have a conversation with someone, and only needed a specific piece of information.
For example: [name of bar] 2nite?
See? Just a yes or no suffices there. Even asking for ETA is stupid, as everybody ends up at the damn bar by around 10:00 PM anyway. And why didn’t I want to just talk to them? Because I was going to see them later anyway, where I could give them full and undivided attention. Well, maybe divided by two, as I would have been paying as much attention to my drink.
Anyways, after being shut out of buying one of those fancy schmancy iPhone 3Gs for three days in a row – I started to question myself.
“Waaaaaitaminute… if I hate phones… what is the point of me getting a more involved phone?”
Maybe I should not be getting an iPhone. Maybe I just dislike phones altogether. And maybe I should be replacing what was touted as a smartphone (more like a STUPID PHONE!) with something that just sends and receives calls and texts.
In the short period of time I have not had a phone, I have really enjoyed myself. When I had a phone, the only reason people would call me would be to ask for something. If they could book a show at the venue. If I could find or do this or that for them. If I had the time to go somewhere to hang out, which essentially meant I would help alleviate their boredom. It was never “How have you been?” or “I thought you might like to know [x] because I thought of you when I heard about it.” Those conversations – real conversations – are relegated to in-person and online, because in those realms you aren’t charged by the minute (excepting rollover. And unlimited nights and weekends. To your [#] favorite people. Nationally. Or roaming.).
It makes me think two things: 1. That people only call me as far as I am useful, and 2. that this is what cellphones were made for – to reach out to your resources and get shit done.
Maybe the only “smartphone” is to just have one at home, connected to a wall.
I have hated every phone I have ever owned. Like you I hate calling people and I hate txting. I basically just have it for emergencies. I totally agree on the two conclusions you listed.
Regardless of what phone you get next, rest easy knowing your Dash has gone to a special place: the Eighth Level of Cellphone Hell, specially reserved for phones that choose when to turn off of their own accord and Hitler’s Blackberry.
I am my phone’s bitch.
I’m strangely okay with that.
i hate phones too. i even find myself dodging phone calls from my very best friend. i see her once or twice a year, so i usually do my best to call to talk every now and then, but when we’ve just seen each other as we just have, i tend to not call back when i miss one of her calls. am i a bad friend? probably, but she won’t let me off the hook for three hours if i get into a conversation with her on the phone. and phone conversations are so irritating… one hand is always tied up, there’s nothing to look at, and so you spend copious amounts of time laying on your bed with your eyes rolling into the back of your head.
i’m with you. i like my phone the way it is.
boring and simple.
i’ve considered this. then again i spent all morning contemplating a jailbroken iphone, and have come to a decision:
wait for the (possibly cool) HTC Dream and Google Android…a few months and some rationality and hopefully i’ll save a few bucks.
You make some very good points; much of those I agree with. Although… I couldn’t do without my cell phone, because it’s the only method of communication (other than a computer) that I have, as we have no landline. This can be considered a good thing or a bad thing: good because we have our “landline” with us at all times, bad because our reception in our apartment sucks ass… ;/
I’m sure you saw that nonsensical line at the Apple store in Old Town. Ridiculous.