Some odd circumstances lately led me to using a land line. And not like a business land line, but one that's at a house. I haven't had access to one in almost three years, and even when I was at my mom's I never answered the house phone because I knew no one would be attempting to reach me anywhere but my cell.
The house I live in now doesn't have a land line, and quite frankly they've become foreign in a shockingly short amount of time. Now I'm at my mom's for the holidays, and as a result I've had a chance to get back in touch with the ancient technology that is a house phone.
My cell was on the fritz, not charging and the like, so I had to call the Sprint store to inquire about my replacement. I wandered about the house to locate the elusive land line phone (since, again, my cell wasn't on since it wouldn't charge). There it stood, on its mighty charging station. Orange screen ablaze and defiant. A certain pride and anticipation about it, as though it sensed it was about to be used.
You can be sure this phone is playing the opening song from '2001: A Space Odyssey' to itself.
It felt odd in my hand. Too big, to be sure, and so simple. The 'on' button produced the long familiar dial tone, and I was flooded with childhood and teen memories. As I dialed the number, I mused over the fact that not very long ago phones didn't have screens on them. At all. So, you know, not only was Caller ID nonexistent, but one also couldn't verify the number that they had dialed.
As a child I dialed phone numbers with total confidence, thumb flying around the buttons (tactile, not screen buttons!) pressing with familiarity and accuracy. But now? Now I am gripped with complete paranoia if I have to dial a number without verification. I am severely reliant on the on-screen proof that I was sure-fingered.
Of course with the addition of Caller ID we lost these bad boys. Unless you had this.
I also got on a train of thought about Caller ID. I always know who is calling me, so when I answer the phone I say, "Hello." It is a statement and not a question. So often people will say, "Hi, it's (name)" and I never know how to respond, so I say, "I know." Does that read as creepy/threatening?
Whenever I receive a call from a number not in my phone I am driven to the frantic edge of curiosity. I practically froth at the mouth needing to know who it is. Many people that I know feel differently. The most common statement is, "If it's important they'll leave a message," but if no message is left I can't help but believe the receiver is left with a sense of unfinished business.
Who was the mysterious caller?
-MJ
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