Well, dear readers, I have come to the realization that cell phones ‘r’ us. It’s been happening over the last decade and they may as well just implant these right into our bodies, so dependent on them have most people become. It used to be that we older folks could just say “Those kids today” but the fact is it’s almost worse today with the older folks. Twenty years ago, an older person wouldn’t have even known what you were talking about if you said “cell phone.” Ten years ago, they would’ve known what they were, but wouldn’t have had one. Today – they cannot live, cannot breathe, cannot be without their telephonic device for a single second. It has overtaken their lives. It has pretty much overtaken everyone’s lives. Somehow, up until the 1990s we all somehow survived without having to look at our cell phones every ten seconds. We survived if we went to dinner and actually ate and had nice conversations and found out who called later that evening. Now, people cannot seem to sit still for thirty seconds without checking their e-mail or texts or messages or phone log. It’s sick, actually. I’ve been in theaters (legit) and seen people in their late 60s and above sit in the audience checking their cell phones every few minutes. Why? And the younger folks sit there and text and check and do. They just can’t sit still or, perish the thought, just shut the damn thing off for three hours. They would DIE. They would hyperventilate and have breakdowns if they couldn’t call someone to say, “I’m leaving the restaurant now,” or “I’m in the theater now,” or whatever banal thing they think they need to tell someone.
Every day on my jog I see the most noxious things, cell phone-wise. Today, I approached an intersection. I had a green light and a walk sign as I approached. A woman who was going to turn right didn’t even notice she had a red light or that there was a person about to enter the crosswalk – why – because her head was down reading an e-mail or a text. I shouted at her to stop and she looked up, startled, and finally did. What a selfish little twit. And did she care? Not at all. People walk down the street having loud conversations – twenty years ago you would have thought they’d belonged in the loony bin. I still think they do. When I’m sitting in a restaurant I see couples dining who never even look at each other because they are relentlessly texting or checking their messages. They have this little thing called voice mail – it’s not like they’re going to miss an earth-shattering call. Wait till your damn meal is over, twits. It seems we’ve lost all ability to just stop and smell the roses – unless you text or call someone while you’re smelling them. It just gets worse and worse. People have become their cell phones – their cell phones have become an extension of them. I have a cell phone, I admit it. I have a plan that allows me free evening calls, free weekend calls, and 1000 monthly minutes. Would you like to know how many of those 1000 monthly minutes I use in a month? Well, I’ll tell you how many – about six, or, if it’s a particularly busy time, maybe fifteen minutes. I get very few texts. I never look at the phone. If someone calls, I can see that they called or I can listen to their message – I feel no desperate need to check every thirty seconds. I never have the phone out of my pocket when I’m driving. Therefore, I can never look down and potentially cause great harm because of that kind of stupidity. I have never felt the need to answer the cell phone if I’m out to dinner. When I sit in a theater, I read my program and wait for the show to start. My cell phone has been switched off long before I sit down. I’ve seen men in bathrooms talking on their cells while they pee (eep, spelled backwards – and that’s what those people who do that are – eeps), and even while they’re doing other things. It’s a little unnerving to be in a public bathroom listening to someone’s phone conversation whilst peeing. But it’s everywhere you go – elevators, waiting rooms, banks, stores – it’s so rude when people go up to the teller in a bank to do their banking while talking on their cell phone. It’s like they don’t have the common decency or courtesy to get off their damn call while they do what they came to do. It’s so bloody rude, but not as rude as people in movie theaters texting all during the movie with their brightly lit phones.
But that’s the world we live in. I know there are upsides to having cell phones – great for emergencies and road problems, but that’s the least of what they’re used for. End of rant.
I had a rather long day yesterday. I was up at six in the morning to announce our new title, after getting about seven hours of sleep. Then I did some stuff on the computer, after which I went back to bed at seven-thirty and slept until ten-thirty. I then talked to the business manager of the fellow who owns the house I lease and told them we had to fix the pool problems and that we couldn’t be letting this slide for a month. I heard back an hour later saying the work had been approved, so hopefully that can start getting done at the end of this week. I then did my banking, and was supposed to do some sort of phone interview at two, so I couldn’t work in my four-mile jog. However, the interviewer misunderstood and thought we were doing it today. I finally went jogging at three. We’re still trying to lock down our final New York cast member – hopefully today. And then I got the final tracks from John Boswell – these will be used for the New York shoot – I forwarded them to the actors.
Then I supped with our very own Alet Taylor. We had quite a nice time and my tummy seems to have shrunk because I could barely finish half a bowl of matzo ball soup and my little turkey sandwich. Two months ago, I could have finished all that AND onion rings easily. So, that’s good. Then I came home. Since I was well under the number of calories I should eat, I had one package of Fruity Snacks, one fifty calorie thing of string cheese, and one frozen fruit ice cream bar (eighty calories) – still a very light day in all even though I’m still full.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get to the bedroom environment so I can get a good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I shall hopefully awaken from a good night’s beauty sleep. The Handy Man and The Pool Man are both coming at ten to do separate things. The Handy Man and The Pool Man – that sounds like 1950s nudie cutie. Then I will do the four-mile jog early, perhaps get something to snack on, hopefully pick up a package or three and then we have our stumble-through rehearsal at five, after which I’ll go sup.
Tomorrow is our sound check and show. Once again I’ve been told that attendance is light and once again, from what people have told me, I’m being told that we have half the people that I know we have so there is a disconnect somewhere. Hopefully we’ll fill up the room by show time. Last time I was told we were light with only fourteen reservations, we ended up with forty-five people, which is quite a full room. Hopefully that will be the case here.
Thursday we have a Melody rehearsal at Vitello’s – that’s our chance to make sure everything is working on their stage. Then I have some meetings and stuff for the rest of the week.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the four-mile jog, hopefully pick up packages, and have a stumble-through rehearsal. Today’s topic of discussions: How do you feel about cell phones and people’s incessant need to be constantly glued to them? And tell your funny and horrifying cell phone stories. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland with no cell phone in sight.