Cell phone? I do. I got it last Friday. I’ve not had a good relation with cell phones. We got Kris one of those boxy cell phones years ago so she would have an emergency phone should you need it on her commute. Which one time she did when the car stopped running on an expressway. But it took me a long while to warm up to this contraption.
It began when I played golf with a friend who had one and spent most of the round talking on the phone about million dollar deals. I thought the golf course was for relaxation. So, I took a stand.
Cell phones can ruin train trips — either with too many talking (when I was used to quiet for reading) or some lying aloud (like the day I heard a guy explain to a client that he was in his office and the computer had just broke down, and he was about to go to a meeting, and couldn’t get back to him until the next day, but I knew he was not in his office and on his way home) or some saying things far too private to be heard publicly. I once was on a train when I got into a car that had a pre-arranged system of various folks “shooshing” and “sh-sh” whenever someone got a phone — and it made the talker nervous so he hung up. It was pretty funny. But it made my stand firmer.
Cell phones are fun in class: if the phone rings, I get to answer it; if a student doesn’t show, we can call them.
Mostly, though, I didn’t want a cell phone, I really didn’t know how they worked, and I thought they would interrupt tranquility. But, time has worn me down: Kris and I have had a few instances (one crazy one at an airport) where had I had a cell phone life would have been much easier. On top of this, I forget lots of things — and this will keep more in tune with reality because Kris can remind me.
So, because it became clear that I should have one and that Kris’ was about worn out, and because the provider was offering a deal on Razr phones if you had a two-phone policy, we went to the kiosk at the local mall, and thirty minutes later I had a cell phone in my pocket.
When we flew this last weekend I carried it with me and I checked it when we landed — seems like that’s the thing to do. No one had called; no one knew my number but Kris and the kids. But I felt business-like flicking up my phone as soon as I landed.