Calls                                                         06/03/23
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Do you have a  cell phone? Do you remember when  that was a reasonable
question to  ask people? In  case you're  not old enough  to remember,
life was in fact better without cell phones. Don't make me explain it,
if you don't know then you probably wouldn't agree anyway.

I have a cell phone. Perhaps one day I won't again, but for now, I do.
That said, I only answer calls/texts/emails that come in on the device
when it  suits me. And  I never install  apps that I  don't absolutely
need, plus a few I want. But this post is about calls, specifically.

Most of the people  who call me are older. Some  call and text, others
text and email, some only text,  others only email. You see where this
is going I suppose--people are picky,  and they want what they want. I
can't fault  them for that!  But the  phone calls generally  come from
older generations.

The ones who call are sometimes interesting. I think there's this idea
floating around out  there in some heads, that if  they call, I should
answer. The  thing is, I  only answer calls when  it suits me,  like I
said. I  figure I'm the one  paying the bill, the  device should serve
me.  I'm not  paying for  a service  for other  people, if  that makes
sense. If they want me to always answer, they should offer to buy me a
phone, and pay  the exorbitant on-call surcharge  that would accompany
such an absurd arrangement.

Sounds a little selfish, maybe. But  in reality, a massive boundary is
crossed by just having  the device at all. If I  were to always answer
it, what kind of a relationship would  I have with the phone? With the
other parties? A bad one, where I was dancing around to serve them. If
you have a cell phone, do you have these kinds of relationships?

I have a  friend who seems to prefer the  ability to instantly contact
me.  Maybe he  reads on  here, but  I seriously  doubt it.  Anyway, if
you're reading  this, don't take  it personally (though, I  don't know
how else you  could take it.) He'll  text, or call, or  text and call.
And if I don't answer, he'll sometimes  drive to my house and knock on
my door. He'll say  his piece, and then throw in a  jab about how hard
it is to  get a hold of me.  And all of this during  my workday, often
times.

He has been gently informed on  multiple occasions  that I work during
the day, that I often have my  phone on silent, and that yes, in fact,
I am a tough guy to get a hold of. No apologies, just information. Yet
he persists. Once, he told me that he always has his phone on, even at
night, so that people  can get a hold of him at  any moment. I've told
him, at  least once, that I  shut my phone  off at night, and  that if
people need something they should probably dial emergency services.

Calls don't bother  me in and of themselves. But  calls that expect to
be answered immediately, those do get on my nerves.