Cell Phones

Cell phones might just be the most annoying instruments ever. In NY, everyone has to own at least one and it seems talking loudly while walking down the street is a requirement. Last week, Jake and I were sitting at a deli, munching on our sandwiches while this woman, at the table behind us, felt the need to share the intricate details of her latest blind date with the entire deli. Over the cell phone, she retold her date, moment by moment, to her friend, making sure her voice was loud enough to be heard several blocks down. What happened to the days when eavesdropping was rude? This woman’s loud voice almost dared us to ignore her.

The same scenario repeated itself today as I sat downstairs at Light Delights. Another woman, walking her dog, approached the Chase ATMs, hollering at the top of her voice. She spoke so loudly that another girl and I looked up from our books and caught each other’s eye. As this woman kept yelling, I got more and more agitated and almost felt like screaming at her to quiet down. I felt like saying, “You know what? I couldn’t give two fucks about your personal life and please shut up!” Being the calm and collected person that I am, I gritted my teeth and felt thankful that the machines responded quickly so that she could get her damn cash and leave. Just cause you have a phone doesn’t mean you own the streets and can speak loudly calling attention to yourself and disturbing all of us in the process.

I won’t even mention the rudeness of a cell phone ringing at a movie or theater cause I’m sure you’ve all had the pleasure of experiencing that before and if you have, you don’t need any explanation from me.