On telephones

This is floating around the innertubes...

I remember getting my first answering machine, back in the 1980s. I could call it, punch in a code, and retrieve messages. Cool. That was then.

Nowadays, I have three phone numbers with voicemail on them (soon to be only two). Checking voicemail is a pain, since I rarely use it and can't always find the number to call and the codes to use for gaining access. Then there's the fact each voicemail system I use has different menus, even though it's all run by Verizon. WTF is up with that?

Navigating all that takes time and brain cells, is frustrating, and is designed only to soak up your precious cell minutes. It's a rip-off.

Thanks to caller ID, I know who called. Most of the calls are "checking in" kinds of things, which people make when they're bored. I'm rarely bored.

If you want to reach out to me, email me. If it's time-sensitive, call, but don't be surprised if I don't answer, because I'm rarely near a phone or have my hands free enough to answer. If you really need to reach me, try again.

When I answer, correct protocol is to identify yourself and ask for me. I really loathe people who call and, without identifying themselves, ask with whom they're speaking. (You called my number, right? WTF else would answer?) Drives me crazy, which admittedly is a short trip. Then, you should ask if now's a good time to talk. Frequently, it isn't.

Remember: Answering the telephone, for me, is an imposition. It interrupts whatever I'm doing, it redirects my thought process and it soaks up my time, which is becoming all too-precious. My telephones don't exist for you to call me; they exist for me to call you.

DCr