You are anywhere these days and you have to listen to others on their cell phones?

Not only at baseball games when we are all cozy and all, and someone gets a call or makes a call that is going to be longer than say, what,30 seconds?, and they do not remove themselves, or even try to speak quietly, so we all have to hear what is going on????

I hate it. Today in the market I was sandwiched between two talkies in the check out line.
The one in front of me was arguing with her child, the one behind me was discussing her mothers depression. Neither had any sense that others could hear. The other day I was in line at the pharmacy and the man in front of me (with earpiece on - so at first I thought he was talking to me) began discussing a potential hire - oh, yeah, I hear name, rank and serial number, company name , everthing. What an idiot, I could have been any number of associates, realatives, former employeers, etc to the person he was speaking about.

Not long ago while in line with my son to register for college a Disney executive was giving out her daily password for her computer to an assistant to get some work done for her. Guiding her through the process on her blackberry VERBALLY - any in line who might have had an evil side got lots of info.
I am really tired of hearing everyones business simply by existing!

Does this bother anyone else?

Hang on! That problem will soon pass. The next generation doesn't know how to talk on the phone. They are the teXt generation!
Fungo

So true Fungo, but it's the ones that raised those ones that are disfunctioning.

Fungo, oh Great One, you are so very wise.

...and correct.

iheart,

I'd be tempted to offer advice relevant to the phone conversation.

iheart ...

Yes, it bugs me to death. I am especially annoyed with the business people (sorry, but they are usually loud mouthed men) who walk around a waiting area (car service dept etc) talking as loud as they can without shouting, but knowingly loud enough to impress all of us with how important they apparently are.

Another thing that used to bug me when our son was in high school (I have long memory) was when a person let their phone ring and ring and ring because they were supposed to be working and didn't want to answer for fear of getting in trouble. No, they apparently did not know how to turn their cell to 'vibrate only' when a call came in, nor could they turn it off while it was ringing. The most annoying was a gal who chose the cute 'take me out to the ball game' ringtone and let it play and play and play during a game. This happened about three times before I finally hollered "Please answer the da*n thing, will you?" Fortunately I knew the gal pretty well and she didn't get upset but she did take the not-so-subtle hint and didn't let it happen again.

Ah, and the earpieces....

Used to be somebody walking around talking to themselves was considered crazy. Now they're rude.

Isaac Azimov wrote a story in the '50's about people wearing devices that kept them in constant contact with family and work. The main character was driven insane. Prophetic little devil, our Isaac.

Oh, great, Fungo. We won't be subject to hearing kids' doubtlessly riveting conversations....but we will have a generation completely incapable of spelling properly!

I think I'll go renew my membership in the International Luddites Association....

quote:

We won't be subject to hearing kids' doubtlessly riveting conversations....but we will have a generation completely incapable of spelling properly!

I'm with ya iheartbb and oh yes on your comments Fungo!

Switched to a Mac, walk around with my iPod often, learned how to text, got a page on facebook.

Now I have re-opened the lines of communication with my kids. I'm feeling younger all the time!

Hey Everyone-

Yeah to the alternative ways of communicating!
Text, Facebook, Myspace, Yes!


Cell phone - blah,blah in anyone's workplace, or free space, NONONONONONO!

Last spring, while in Philly for some D3 baseball:

* Rental car agent, spends the entire transaction, except for the "sign-here" part, on personal cell phone call. Fortunately I had a frequent-user account, and made the reservation online, so there weren't many opportunities for data errors.

* Both in-bound and out-bound Jersey turnpike toll booth workers talked on the cell the entire time, without making eye contact. Of course lacking an EZ pass on the rental car, meant we'd already suffered through a long line just to reach the booth.

* You think that you'd get your Subway sandwich prepared without a fone call. wrong, think bluetooth.

* We had to abandon bleacher seating, because of the density of cell conversations flooding both the home and away bleachers.

There were several more such incidents but, sad story short is, every person we encountered that day, seemed to maintain a full-time and simultaneous, cell-phone second life.

Another pet peeve caused by the cell phone. Been doing a lot of turnpike driving lately and have been known to exceed the posted limit by a few miles per hour. Try to stay in the fast lane but inevitably will approach a car that is stuck in the left lane either under or right on the limit and they won't move over. 9 out of 10 times the person blocking the flow will be gabbing away on the cell obvlivious to the fact that they are causing a backup and a dangerous situation. Don't like to pass on the right but sometimes it is the only solution.

Exactly, FYB. Many of the most annoying users are those who just want to feel important. The "look at me, I'm on my cel-phone" crowd is alive and well. They are usually men who are 30+ and for which cels still seem like a novelty. It's like if my great grandpa went out on his porch every morning to blast his Victrola so everyone knew he had one....at the rapid pace of technological advancement, these numbskulls are already walking anachronisms.

I live in what is one of the highest per-capita user bases in the world and still don't own one. In the same way that these morons oversue their phones for the perceived impression it gives those around them, I ttake pride in NOT havinga cel at all. But honestly, that's probably not real bright, either. There are many times I wish i had one...or that people think I'm lying when I say I don't have one! This can be embarrassing!

We get a lot of young soldiers over here who can be standing in line with all sorts of people, families, etc, and using every curse word under the sun in the midst of their call........that really irks me, too.

Buckling up to take off on a plane last week final flight home from San Diego, the flight attendants doing their usual in case of emergency (quickly as we were hours behind in taking off) and someone in front (first class) is talking loudly on his cell phone, my husband was FURIOUS. Although the flight crew was being polite, husband was NOT. He received some support for his comment, simply put, "shut up and get off the phone".
How rude!

iheart-

Would you like to borrow my special communication device? I find useful in situations such as you've described.

There are many appealing facets of the evolving E.U.

This is NOT one of them:

European Union to allow cell phone service on planes later this year

While I always take the train on trips shorter than four hours, this announcement extended my (rail) range.

iheartbb: totally agree with you and the wise fungo. I was in the movie theater waiting for Mamma Mia to start….(side note: Bullwinkle is a fan of Abba and Abba is a fan of Elkniwllub…you know that song Fernando? It was called Bullwinkle, but due to copyright agreements…blah, blah, blah…Listen hard next time)…anyway, the woman behind me was talking about her current and ongoing genital itching, what should she use…I had to move….and....

Ringtone: Oh-oh here she comes! Watch out, boys, she'll dig you up.
Oh-oh here she comes! She's an anteater.
Oh-oh here she comes! Watch out, boys, she'll lick you up.
Uh-oh, there's her tongue! She's an anteater.
(Flip, chick)

DUDE! Jimbo my man! Dude howa doing?

No nothing going on….

Working for the man, you know….wasting time. What you up to?

HAHAHHAHHAHa, dude you kill me..

Cubans….nice… how ya get some…better yet, I want one..

Later then….how about tonight at JJ Purdey’s…around 10?

No, I won’t tell fungo or that other loser….what’s his name?

HAHAHAHHAAha, not itswhatfordinner…itsinthegame, dude what’s in that Cuban?

Anyway, gotta go…TPM and SSMom are given me the stink eye…

See ya tonight!

(Click, Flip)

What?

I was in an airport with my son. A woman carried on a long conversation with another person about her mothers bowel problems. She was about 60, mom must be 80 or more.

My son was sitting with his back against the window and had his laptop open on his lap(of all things). His wallpaper is of several good looking women on a beach in France. If you get my meaning. He was not near anyone (at my request). The woman comes up, stands next to him, and peers over his shoulder. Nosy little @@###. The next thing I hear is "oh my god, there is p0rn on your computer." Suffice it to say that though not in great taste for mixed company, it was not p0rn.

This really ticked me off. So I proceded to admonish her for being nosy and peering over someone's shoulder who had there back to the window where nobody could see, and for being nosy. After she hruuumpffed at me and called my son a pornographer. I blasted her for making the entire airport listen about her mom's poo problems and that I considered that far more offensive than some nice looking French women with no tops on. (Several men clapped)She proceeded to call security and tell them that I offended her. He told her there were rules about talking too loudly on the cell phone and none against minding her own business. lol I wanted to tip him.

P.S. Guess who was on the same row with us on the flight to Chicago. Oh, yeah.

How about another touchy subject. People driving with a phone plastered to their ear and forgetting the rules of the road and how to use a turn signal. The only upside is when I yell out the window, they don't have a spare finger. Why do people refuse to use a bluetooth headset while driving?

Every time I see a really bad driver on the road or in a parking lot, they have a phone slapped to the side of their head. Annoying as heck. The other bad ones are drunk. That is another thread.

quote:

(side note: Bullwinkle is a fan of Abba and Abba is a fan of Elkniwllub…you know that song Fernando? It was called Bullwinkle, but due to copyright agreements…blah, blah, blah…Listen hard next time)

It's true! And if you play it backwards Bjorn says "abbA is dead, long live Elkniwllub."

This message is brought to you by Gold Bond Medicated Anti-Itch Cream.

quote:

Originally posted by spizzlepop:

It's true! And if you play it backwards Bjorn says "abbA is dead, long live Elkniwllub."

If you play country music backwards you get back your woman, your dog and your pickup truck.