Why I Miss The Rotary Phone
Just so you know what to look for: Laugh: Boo: Applause: Crickets:
I was going to publish a live reading of this post in stand-up comedy format, but after several attempts and still not liking the sound of my voice, I nixed the idea and traded my microphone in for a keyboard.
I hope it reads like stand-up comedy, I even added a few interactive buttons for you to play with as you read along. So, please, sit back and pretend I’m on stage. I hope you enjoy the show.
Please welcome to the stage, Valerie Morrison. Applause:
How many of you remember the rotary phone? When the phone was just a phone. I think one of the reasons I don’t like the phone is because it’s complicated.
If the phone was a test, I would get an operator, a zero. I liked the phone back when all it did was make and receive phone calls, but now it has evolved into a call center. It can do things.
I think the phone has too many features, take for example, call waiting. When I was growing up there was no such thing as call waiting. Back in the day, call waiting meant using a rotary phone and waiting for the dial to come back around so that I could dial the next number. There was no clicking over, and for what? To tell the other person that I was on the phone and would call them back.
Personally, I liked when there was security posted at the door better known as, a busy signal. If someone called me and they got a busy signal, they had to wait. Of course, there was that one person who could not and dialed the operator with an emergency and interrupted my call. There was no real emergency, but an impatient person who never grasped the true meaning of call waiting.
The other feature I consider a useless overkill is three-way calling. Does anyone even use three-way calling anymore? It seems so high school. In my childhood home, three-way calling meant there was one line and two phones. One in the kitchen and one in the living room.
When a call came in two people picked up the phone at the same time and talked to whoever was on the other end; or until someone yelled, “I got it, hang up.”
And there were no games with phones without features. No screening calls and no avoiding people like there is today. The only Caller ID we had was, hello, who is this?
Now phones come with 100 features and voice mail. The phone has options. Press 1 for new messages, press 2 for voice mail, press 3 to set up your mailbox.
If you don’t know, I suck at following directions, that’s why I never took aerobics class at the gym. My brain shuts down. I can’t process certain information quickly and I start to panic. It’s the same panic I feel when I’m inside an elevator and I see someone running toward the closing doors.
Even though the buttons are clearly marked, open and close, I never press the right one. I panic under pressure and usually end up yelling ‘sorry’ as the doors close shut. Once, I pressed every button, but open, and had to stop on floors, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. When pressed for a decision made under a time constraint, I can’t cope and usually mess up.
Now a question for the audience. What is it about cordless phones that make people want to pace the floor? It’s like an exercise program with no jump rope. The cordless phone should come in a box with ankle weights.
Someone could be resting on the couch, but the minute that phone rings, and it’s for them, they start pacing the floor with the phone. I’ve watched people on the phone go from room to room – just walking – and I’m only getting bits and pieces of their conversation. It sounds like this: and she said…….never came home…the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Nothing makes sense! Not that I’m listening.
I’m just saying, I liked the phone better when it was attached to a cord. I could walk two feet, aaaand that’s it! Anything past two feet and the phone was snatched back and smashed up against the wall.
The cordless phone is never where it’s supposed to be anyway. It used to be when the phone rang, you reported to the wall to answer it. Now when the phone rings, if it’s not on that handset, well try and find it. The cordless phone was made to get lost. It says so right there on the base, find handset.
So not only is the phone lost, but after you press the find handset button, you have to locate the beep. It’s the same disorientation I get when I play pin the tail on the donkey. I don’t like it because it sucks.
I know this is a little long, so I’m going to wrap it up, but before I go I have to share a phone story.
A few weeks ago my computer at work was switched out and I was given another one, I guess you could call it an upgrade. Everything was basically the same, except one of the programs I use was not properly configured, the Message Manager.
The Message Manager handles voice mail message, it’s very simple. I launch the program, I click on the message, it rings my phone and it plays my message. I like it because it does not talk to me nor does it ask me any questions.
So my message light is red, indicating that I have a message. I launched the program, but it’s missing an IP address and can’t access the server. Basically that means for two days I did not check my voice mail. There is a way of retrieving voice mail messages using the phone, I’ve heard people do this, I’m just not smart enough to do it.
Eventually, I got tired of looking at my message light and I dialed a co-worker who is used to my nonsense and whispered:
“I don’t know how to retrieve my voice mail messages, from the phone.”
“Val, what are you talking about? You press the little envelope that says messages.”
“There’s an envelope? Oh, right there. There’s 300 buttons on this phone, but I see it now.” So I pressed the envelope and this woman started talking. She greeted me with a welcome message and told me to enter my extension and the pound sign. I entered my extension, 2177 and #.
Next she told me to enter my password. My password is my extension backward. This seems simple enough, but to an instructionally-challenged dyslexic, it’s numerical musical chairs and I needed a minute to think about what she was asking me to do.
After several attempts, maybe I was nervous or stupid, I could not type 7712 and the woman on the phone kept telling me that I had the wrong passcode and to please try again. After three tries I decided I didn’t like her tone and hung up on her.
I know I’m not phone literate, but darn it if I don’t know how to work a computer, so I sent an email to the HELP department. Unlike most people, I can’t send a normal email asking for help, I have to write a little ditty explaining my situation. My last email message to Help read this way:
Dear Help,
Thank you for the new computer, I hope my old one is not being used as evidence against me. I would like to retrieve my voice mail messages using the program on the computer, and not the phone, mainly because the woman on the phone talks too much, I can’t follow directions, but I’m down with clicking. Thank you.
That’s my time for the evening. Good night.
Laugh: Boo: Applause: Crickets:
In: Brain Damage, Computers, Disabilities, Humor, Technology, WTH · Tagged with: Comedy, Phone
on July 29, 2009 at 12:22 am
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Valerie, you always make me laugh. I wish you would blog more. I needed this tonight!
hey vered. this is me on a typical day, mostly at work. i should blog more, or at least once a week, but this pace allows me to almost stay on top of all things blogging.
on July 29, 2009 at 1:41 pm
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I didn’t know we could get our messages from the computer………show me
uh yeah and now that you know, isn’t it much better than going through all those steps. i can’t do the two step, but i’m down with clicking, lol.
on July 29, 2009 at 4:13 pm
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Valerie, you are NUTS. LMAO!
You and that Cardiogirl have made my day! OMG. I try to tell my friends and family about the blogs I like to read, and the people that write them. They think I’m crazy, and have too much time on my hands. You know it’s just the opposite!
The letter to Help, is hilarious! Thanks for the laugh!
LOL @ Valerie, you are NUTS. i know, hahah. you’re not crazy, but i get that too much time on my hands comment also. it’s a fun outlet.
LaTonya´s last blog ..Seriously, Don’t Try This At Home!!!
on July 29, 2009 at 7:14 pm
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That was awesome! And I remember the rotary phone and this whole episode, believe it or not. Lessa, I didn’t know either, she had to show me too! LOL!!! And for anyone else reading this, that really was her message to HELP.
hello friend that’s used to my nonsense. we need to bring that phone back. it kept us grounded, right? i think they somehow knew that i would not be able to operate that phone and showed me now to use the computer from jump start. lessa looked happy after i showed her how to use it. i think i’m going to go around and show everyone a better way of life tomorrow. i NEVER use the phone to get my message, didn’t know how. i do now though, but for what. and i could not remember what i typed in that email to HELP and typed it wrong, published and had to go back and change it. buh.
on July 29, 2009 at 9:23 pm
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First of all, Val…BRAVA!
The use of the sound buttons were BRILLIANT! I had so much fun clicking them over and over.
And secondly….I cannot agree with you more about phones. OMG…to me, phones have gotten WAY TOO complicated and WAY TOO many options. And with automatic speeding dialing, it’s just another way to cause my brain to not have to think anymore. So, I refuse to use it.
This post brought back so many wonderful memories for me about rotary phones and simplicity of how they worked. I had a blue rotary in my bedroom when I was a kid. I loved the sound it made, as you would dial.
Now, the only thing I do like about current phones is caller ID. But that’s only because I am not a phone person and it allows me to screen solicitor numbers. But believe it or not, I do not have a cordless phone. I use a landline with a long cord. I find it to be much more convenient if there should be an electrical black out.
Oh, and you made me laugh so hard when you described how people walk and pace, while talking on a cordless because that’s SO TRUE!
Great post, Val!
P.S. and I just pressed the applause button!
i love those buttons, ron. you can click on all of them almost at the same time and they overlap. fun. fun. fun. darn phone, i know you don’t like the phone, i remember your last phone post. funny man you are, the funniest!!! actually i do like Caller ID myself. no complaint there. and how did you get that long cord untangled. hmmmm?
Ron´s last blog ..Peeling Away My Nine Layers
on July 30, 2009 at 11:08 am
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You can’t use your phone, so you ask for help using email? Time was when people would use their phone to ask for help about how to access their email.
no ma’am. i used my computer to email HELP (a department at my job) for help about accessing my phone message through the computer.
on July 31, 2009 at 12:01 am
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Found your blog through Davina. Every moment, you have different opportunities to communicate. You choose what feels right. Technology as humans perceive it is not always the most suitable way to connect with others. Love enables you to do move through time and space without having a phone, a computer or anything electronic. You are energy yourself. How you think and feel sends energy where you choose.
hi liara, i was just on your blog yesterday via davina’s blog. i love the thought of love moving me through time and space w/o having a phone – but i need my computer. i actually love my computer.
. i’m actually sending energy right now and can communicate w/o a phone with some people.
Liara Covert´s last blog ..Reframe remote influencing power
on July 31, 2009 at 7:33 am
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Valerie,
I love your use of the buttons! You obviously put a great deal of time, effort and thought into the preparation for this discussion, as you seem to do for the majority of your discussions on this blog.
Thank you and well done.
I too long for the days when the effective operation of a telephone represented an easy and straightforward task. Simple is better and use of a telephone should not have to be so difficult.
hey andrew, i like playing with the buttons too. a lot of time, yes. on and off for weeks, but i had fun with it. i never knew i had so much to say about the phone. i’m sure i edited some stuff out.
i am a fan of caller ID, but that’s it. i can’t remember, between home, cell and work phone, which one does what. i always mix up the options and the buttons i’m supposed to press. o–>–<
Andrew´s last blog ..Stern Hu’s detention and why the international business community should be worried
on July 31, 2009 at 2:06 pm
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You crack me up every time…I can relate with the chicks voice on the other end only my issue is with the one at the Wal-Mart self checkout. She continues to repeat “Place your item in the bag”….Hello I already did! But I swear she get louder every time. I usually walk out mumbling something about I didn’t go to training class to shop or work here.
oh the self checkout lanes get on my nerves, but i still use them. i don’t know what that woman wants me to do. put it on the belt, don’t put it on the belt, bag it, don’t bag it. geesh. next time she screams at you, kick her.
Debo Hobo´s last blog ..Flying High Friday: “Do Men Go To Spas?”
on July 31, 2009 at 2:10 pm
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P.S.
Cool Mug!
Also I am looking for folks to do some Guest Posts on my blog. If you have any travel related funnies please feel free to Guest post one on my blog.
It has to be original and not published anywhere else on the web. Send it to the email address I use for my comments.
I hope you can, Thanks P.S.
Cool Mug! Also I am looking for folks to do some Guest Post on my blog. If you have any travel related funnies please feel free to Guest post one on my blog.
It has to be original and not published anywhere else on the web.
I hope you can
i would love to do a guest post. i doubt i have any funny travel related stories. i will have to think about this or find a way to make one of my lame trips funny. will keep this in mind.
Debo Hobo´s last blog ..Flying High Friday: “Do Men Go To Spas?”
on July 31, 2009 at 3:03 pm
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We changed our phone service a few weeks ago, and suddenly noted beeping noises in the middle of conversations.
Took me two weeks to realize that we now have call waiting.
And I still have no idea how to work it. Just as well–I always thought it was terribly rude. “Excuse me, there’s someone I wish to speak with more than you.”
what’s up the mother. i don’t click over when another call comes in. i just don’t. i hear the beep, but i’m on the phone and if i’m on it, obviously it’s important. i was put on hold for a long time once – i think the person forgot i was on the other line. i hung up, eventually. lol.
The Mother´s last blog ..Harry Potter and the Goblet of Mead
on July 31, 2009 at 3:43 pm
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Valerie, you have one of my mosts favorite blogs!
I guess that Natural moniker stand for naturally funny and naturally wonderful. Yes, you may not post as often as some (hey, neither do I,) but every one of your posts is wonderful and well worth the wait.
You THE BEST!!
Yes, and that mug is soooo cool. Maybe I’ll get me Jannie Funster one.
xo
awh jannie, thanks so much. wow. this made me smile a lot!! i do need to work on my posting schedule. it sucks, but i do what i can, when i can. thank you for your support here. that’s my favorite mug, we have coffee together everyday. i actually hide it sometimes because i don’t want anyone breaking it and only i’m allowed to wash it. how crazy is that. i ordered it from cafepress.com, but i’m sure walmart can take care of it – they take care of everything else, don’t they. i love walmart by the way.
Jannie Funster´s last blog ..Lazy River Sunday (Formerly Titled “Frisky Jim at the Water Park”)
on August 1, 2009 at 12:05 am
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Valerie, I too am technically challenged with all of my phones! I have to agree with you. But, I do like having the cordless feature!!
This is very funny but for me it is true too!! I have had my cell phone for 2 years and just learned how to take pictures and send them in the last couple of months.
There are some buttons I am plain scared to death to touch!! I am so glad you stopped in….I have missed you very much!!
Happy phoning!!
Jackie:-)
glad i’m not the only one technically challenged when it comes to the phone. i still don’t know how to use all of my cell phone or even the house phone features. nice to see you again, i’ve been keeping up with ya, take care.
Shinade aka Jackie´s last blog ..Summer Blooms At Home & 37 Questions
on August 1, 2009 at 6:54 am
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to me its so funny supposed to be easier but much more complicated. My son says read it . I say how many months i read and read I’m a hands on and that goes slowly for me. A techno drop out sandy
greetings sandy. i guess it’s easier if you have time to learn all the features that a phone can do, but i do not. i can answer it and get messages.
sandy´s last blog ..Camera Critters#69- The Cat Psyciatrist interviews Pinky, Kissipurr, Bitty Bopper, Handsome, Toppy and Mr. Mello
on August 1, 2009 at 2:10 pm
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I don’t miss rotary phones. What kills me is that automated messages still say – if you don’t have a touch tone phone, wait on the line” Who doesn’t have a touch tone phone?
I didn’t have a cordless until the kid was born – since she wouldn’t accept being put down a cordless phone made my life a lot easier. I’m not a phone pacer – I’m a phone doodler.
Now what I have trouble mastering are the features on a camera. I still call my ex to ask him how to turn the flash off. So, I usually take photos with my cell.
i believe i can still purchase a rotary phone online, i saw several for sale. not common, but still available. i have a cordless now, but before i switched to vonage, i had phones with cords. and on the wall.
Kim Woodbridge´s last blog ..WordPress: Missed Schedule for Scheduled Posts – A Plugin Fix
on August 1, 2009 at 9:47 pm
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I LOVE the sound prompts. Classic!
The old phone as well as even the cordless landline phone are said to become all but extinct in the next few years as they are giving way to contraptions known as cell phones.
I saw an old rotary phone ling around in a friends basement a while back and I played around dialing numbers with it. My how long it took to dial a number. But there was a quaintness about it that was nice.
Ricardo´s last blog ..Primerica Scam: An Alleged "Management" Position for "Expansion"
on August 2, 2009 at 1:36 am
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this is actually pretty trite garbage i’m glad you didn’t record it. it’s not funny
didn’t anyone ever tell you to introduce yourself before you tell a person their post sucks. try this next time: hi i’m bob, your post sucks.
and why didn’t you just come right out and ask if you could do a guest post. if you think you can do better, please show me the way. i am not unteachable and there is always room for improvement. it never occurred to me that this or i might not be funny, are you SURE you didn’t read all the way down to the end. “down with clicking” you didn’t bust a gut? i have funny bones, all 206 of them, no wait, 207, i broke one. i’m sorry, but if you read all the way down to the end, i cannot issue you a refund. i have mouths to feed. if you read half way down, my manager might be able to issue you a pro-rata refund. holla back. i’m like william hung, “i had no professional training” or according to you, “i don’t bang.” that’s okay, in life, some people are cowards and others just aren’t funny. you let me know when class starts, eh? i was never any good at hide and go seek.
okay this was fun, almost enjoyed it as much as the post ‘cuz i keep adding to my comment, but my bones won’t let me rest. down with clicking? no, eh, okay. i’m done with you now.
on August 2, 2009 at 2:35 am
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Hi Natural,
I’ll date myself when I say this, but I remember party lines (on rotary phones). When neighbors would keep picking up the phone, we knew it was time for us to hang up. I remember sitting on the floor (the rotary phone was on the wall), talking to my friends as I twisted the cord in my hand. And yes, if you went too far from the phone, it would fall and the cord would make it “spring back”. Oddly enough, they never broke either. Imagine that.
Thank you for the laughs and the memories. They’re all good.
hi barbara, party lines? i had to look that one up. the cord always got tangled and i had to unhook it and untangle it or either hold it up and let the phone spin in the air. that’s entertainment. thanks for visiting.
Barbara Swafford´s last blog ..When The Conversation Stops
on August 2, 2009 at 3:36 pm
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very fun post, and it does read like stand-up – the buttons are GREAT. I think technology in most forms sucks. I have 2 or 3 phone numbers for everyone I know and I can never get in touch with anybody! I love my corded phones because I can find them! And I’m pretty sure they’re the only form of communication that can survive most national disasters, both natural and not.
hi margo and welcome. i’m glad that it does read like stand-up, wasn’t sure. and isn’t that so true and funny, we have 2 or 3 different numbers for people and still can’t reach the person. happened to me this afternoon. after the 2nd try i gave up. i seriously had corded phones when everyone else had cordless, never lost one, smashed a few though. lol.
Margo´s last blog ..Dis-Moi, Am I Lost in Translation?
on August 3, 2009 at 11:12 am
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Great post and I loved your email to Help…lol
I have issues with certain phone features, in particular transferring calls, but I can’t imagine going back to rotary! Handsfree with mute, is the best invention ever for conference calls!
Actually, I just got a new cell phone over the weekend (LG Touch) and have been playing with the features off and on all weekend.
Yes I’m a geek! I even have a wallpaper for my cell that looks like the screens from the bridge of the Enterprise. (blushing slightly). I now have access to the net from my cell which will probably turn out to have been a bad choice on my part. But at least when I need an answer to some random, inane question, I can look it up right away.
Peace
hey buf, i can transfer calls, but conferencing is out. i still don’t know how to work all the features on my cell phone or the house phone. the house phone might be on it’s way out. i talk to 3 people – 5 tops. i had the web on my phone until i saw how fast it ate up my minutes and my money. i got scared and put a block on it from myself. now i roam around with my itouch until i can get a free wi-fi connection. lol.
Buf´s last blog ..D Day!!
on August 3, 2009 at 11:27 pm
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I had a rotary phone growing up. I think today it doubles as a door jam it was so darn heavy. Excellent post usual.
funny grog and i like it. doubles as a door jam. lololol. thanks.
Grog´s last blog ..Study Of Nightmares
on August 4, 2009 at 6:08 am
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Stell. Ar!
Favorite line, among others:
The cordless phone should come in a box with ankle weights.
And how could I ever forget prior three-way calling: “I got it! Hang. Up!”
When my mom listened in (on an approved call) all you could hear was heavy breathing. It got to the point that the person calling would say, “Oh. Hi Mom,” after listening to a few rounds of breathing.
i’m sure that phone would be sooo marketable….pitch: add muscle to your calves while you talk on the phone. it could be the new walkie talkie for people who love to talk but have no time to workout. cardiogirl could be the spokesperson.
your mom listened in? heavy breathing? uh, okay.
i’ll be over to the vip lounge later, don’t go anywhere. okay?
cardiogirl´s last blog ..My tweet has done gone
on August 4, 2009 at 9:36 am
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Well done! I would pay actual money to hear/see you do this as standup. Yes, it’s that good. Real live money.
“Back in the day, call waiting meant using a rotary phone and waiting for the dial to come back around so that I could dial the next number.”
You forgot to insert “Laughter” after this line. But I knew to do it anyway.
real money? girl you don’t have to part with real money. your name is on the VIP list, JD.
btw, where is JD’s last post? wth comluv? did that work? sure did. cut and paste is the best!
JD at I Do Things´s last blog ..I was attacked by birds so you don’t have to be
on August 4, 2009 at 2:30 pm
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I remember rotary phones! And also manual typewriters where the keys depress nearly two inches before they type anything. My grandmother gave hers up only two years ago, when no more technicians were still living who had parts or knew how to fix one.
This morning I heard a radio DJ say, “I just found out my cellphone has this awesome feature! It can MAKE CALLS!” That’s about right.
Sometimes when I get stuck in automated-voice-hell I just start pushing ZERO until they either disconnect me or I get a person. I’m only 30. By the time I’m 60, Lord willing I live another 30 years, my kids will be all “don’t even ask mom about that electronic thing – she will blow a gasket.”
hi ya wendy! oh manual typewriters, i so remember them. i can’t imagine typing on one now, but we do have an electric typewriter at work that i have to use every once in a while. yes, zero works like a charm.
that’s so funny! a cell phone that makes phone calls. if a tin can and string would get the job done for less, i would gladly use that. i tell people all my phone does is make phone calls. it can do a little more, but by the time i know about it, i have a new prepaid phone. i’m too lazy to set up the voice activiated dialing.
Wendy´s last blog ..The Countdown Has Begun
on August 4, 2009 at 7:42 pm
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I laughed out loud while reading this article. Very well done!!
It certainly brought back many memories, like when we would try to call in to a radio station to win something. You’d have to be caller number 3 or whatever and we’d dial all the number to the station except the last one. We’d hold that last number and not release it until the DJ would say “Call noow!” LOL Good times.
hello Keith and welcome to my blog. i’m glad you had a laugh – i enjoy making people smile. i bet it was difficult dialing into a radio station on a rotary – don’t mess up either – you would have to start all over again. i guess redial is pretty cool, but i don’t use that feature either, lol. thanks for visiting.
Keith´s last blog ..Be The Difference!
on August 5, 2009 at 7:17 am
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Always uplifting to visit here. You are so talented…not to mention very funny
it’s nice to see you out and about again roschelle, you were missed. thanks for stopping by.
Roschelle´s last blog ..Back and Better than Ever!
on August 5, 2009 at 9:30 pm
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I absolutely love those sound effects. No crickets, lots of laughs. Great post.
peace,
mike
livelife365
hey mike, i love the sound effects too and the crickets are just funny to me. couldn’t leave it out because sometimes i get the cricket face.
Mike Foster´s last blog ..Is Life Worth Living?
on August 7, 2009 at 12:46 am
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To be honest, I desperately need a cordless phone. Not to pace, but just to be able to sit down. I don’t get calls often but when I do, they’re from old friends who’ll keep me on for anywhere from 1 to 3 hours at a time. Our phone is not near a chair. I used to have an extension cord on it, but it got yanked a while back & doesn’t work anymore.
Speaking of rotary phones, however, I think you’ll enjoy this;
1 to 3 hours on the phone? i would slip into a coma. i just watched that youtube clip and it was funny. wow, i love his material. added the video to my favorites. he is right though.
i know how you feel about the cordless, i have had a few corded phones yanked away from me too.
glad you’re recovering and your surgery went well. take care.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LkusicUL2s
Lana´s last blog ..Home, Recovering
on August 7, 2009 at 9:56 am
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girl, you know I LOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVE reading your stuff, I just cant understand why we are…yes notice the we….are not rich…i am like one of your biggest supporters…a big cheerleader…you are soooooooooooooooooo funny, and you write sooooooooooooo darn well…geesh..
Ok, so about the phone…I LOVE IT….even though I recently I brought a Black Berry Bold (dont judge me lol) which does everything except go food shopping for me…and actually I think it will do that for me if I had a dang on supermarket in my area that did food shopping on line…but you know thats one of the down falls to living in Urban America (nice way of saying the ghetto)…lol…but I do appreciate the simplicities of life of the 70′s and 80′s…the 90′s birthed a whole new generation of THE CRAZY…geesh…
but thanks for the laughs and can we get on oprah…come on I wanna have the oprah effect…lol
Love to love ya,
SB
what’s up stephanieeee! did you eat all my brownies? i didn’t make it to over to your house, maybe the week after next.
whoa, whoa, whoa! i’m not rich? i’m rich in family, friends, love, my job, happiness. i entertain for the love of laughter and not for money. [insert cricket sound here]. i’m not rich because I’M A DONKEY.
you bought a black berry, OMW. maybe it can build you a supermarket.
and sure, you can come on oprah with me, but you will not be flying first class. we all get there at the same time, so i won’t be footing the bill for that pricey seat.
smooches.
on August 9, 2009 at 12:58 pm
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Oh Valerie! This was toooo toooo funny!
I miss the simpler days of phones too. Back when I was a kid if you were on the phone, you were ON THE PHONE. No running around, no call waiting, no caller ID [although I do love that one feature!]
Thank you for making me laugh so hard this morning.
Oh, and it was VERY creative to insert the sound effect play buttons! Well done my friend! WELL DONE!
xoxoox
what’s up gf! it’s funny how the advancement of technology is supposed to save us time, but we spend more time actually learning how to use it. i have to take a class to learn how to operate my house phone and use its features. hehehe. glad you had a laugh, thanks sister. now go get some rest after all that work you and your family did.
meleah rebeccah´s last blog ..One Man’s Trash, Is Another Man’s Treasure [Or, Another Man's Responsibility To Clean Up!]
on August 9, 2009 at 7:18 pm
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Hey Valerie,
Just wanted to let you know that we’re including your “Boyfriend” comment this Friday on our BLOG. We’ll be putting a link to your site. Hopefully you’ll get some visitors.
Maybe let people know as well. Link/etc.
Thanks again.
Oh, and funny post!
Bring Back Pluto
“ONE of THE GUYS”
cool, just don’t forget to clean up my typooooooooo.
Bring Back Pluto´s last blog ..Bob The Vegan is back! This Monday!!
on August 10, 2009 at 1:10 pm
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You are sooo creative! I love the whole play buttons you put on your post- awesome. And yes we all need to take a crash course on how to use these new phones. They drive me bonkers and I also get lost -( just like you described.)
I think that all of this technology is useless if we don’t have good teachers that will take us through it all step by step. Take for example my digital camera that I bought 2 years ago and have only used once and still don’t know how to make the images come up on my computer. ***Sigh……….
Anyways- just know that you are not alone in feeling this way.
All the best,
Eren
hey eren, thanks. i don’t think i will ever know how to work my digital camera completely or any of my phones. they both do more than i need them to do.
)
Eren Mckay´s last blog ..Decorating Christmas gingerbread men & gingerbread house decorations plans
on August 11, 2009 at 6:12 pm
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You really had to take a class to learn your home phone? Maybe I should too. I still haven’t set up my voice mail! I figure people can call me back if it’s important!
no, i didn’t have to take a class, but i bet i probably could, of course, i wouldn’t pay for it. yeah that’s what i say, if it’s important, that person will get in touch with me.
meleah rebeccah´s last blog ..One Man’s Trash, Is Another Man’s Treasure [Or, Another Man's Responsibility To Clean Up!]
on August 12, 2009 at 1:47 am
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Could you have tried sit-down comedy? Just kidding – very phunny. You have made me think – I DO pace up and down when using the cordless pones we have at home – but in the good ol’ days when I had to stand at the phine, I used to draw lots of doodles, and now I don’t do them any more – I have been told my doodles are very good and should be saved, so has this developemnet crippled my blooming doodling career? – R (I was going to correct my spelling mistakes but resisted the urge)
well you might not be able to doodle anymore, but you can take up walking as a sport.
i actually found myself walking with the phone the other night. don’t tell. shhhh. ah, i won’t correct your typos and will leave mine too, how’s that?
Robin´s last blog ..Blogger Meet-Up!
on August 12, 2009 at 1:49 pm
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Valerie,
You’re now on our Blogroll. Thanks.
Your definition will up Friday.
See you around.
BBPluto
cool. will be over.
Bring Back Pluto´s last blog ..Blog Carnival!
on August 12, 2009 at 8:50 pm
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Thank you for the great laugh. It was a refreshing view that the cordless was made with the intention of it getting lost and thus the ‘locate handset’ button at the base set. I thought it is brilliant of you; it had never crossed my mind. And the person or team who invented it must have thought about this too.
truly the phone was made to get lost. can’t never find the darn thing and the find handset is also a dead giveaway.
on August 21, 2009 at 2:37 pm
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Technology sure makes life “interesting” doesn’t it?
sure does spg, complicated too.
Square Peg Guy´s last blog ..Yet One More Piece of Wisdom
on August 26, 2009 at 3:17 pm
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That was very entertaining, thanks. At my house we now have 4 cordless handsets, so it doesn’t matter that we’re always losing them because there’s always one around somewhere
thanks crane repair. wow four cordless phones, i can’t imagine. i guess that’s one way to keep from almost losing one.
on August 27, 2009 at 9:27 am
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This actually needed tons and tons more of the laugh buttons inserted. Way more!
Putting on my ankle weights now…
glad you had a laugh. i wonder if someone is performing my material on stage somewhere. hmmmm? seriously, the cordless phone should be a workout program. have phone, will travel. skip. jog. run.
Jannie Funster´s last blog ..Post-Vacation Contemplation
on September 1, 2009 at 7:30 am
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When you push the find handset button, you better hope you hear that beep. Or else the battery has expended its charge. Then it will not be found until the room is cleaned. And. of course, it occasionally sprouts legs and heads for parts unknown. And the kids haven’t touched it either!
My granny had a party line back when we were younger. We would pick up the phone (a rotary) just to find out who was on the line. And this was before any means to identify a caller, except by saying hello. You know, Granny would switch all of us if she caught any of us listening on the party line. Guilty by association, if not collusion.
Great stuff on your blog, by the way. I really like the sound effects on this page, too.
greetings and welcome norman rockwell art. i know, i feel so silly trying to find the beep sometimes, from an aerial view, i look crazy.
smart granny. i used to call my grandmother that as well.
thanks for the visit.
on October 6, 2009 at 3:30 pm
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well talk about “entertaining”…. talk about “what the”… talk about “looking for something to read” — well i got on the train this morning and didn’t have my “book” to read… left it at home on the bed… well, here i go rummaging through my purse for a religious track or something to read on the train trip to work….low and behold, “thinkingoutloud” jumps out at me… and I say to me… “me, you haven’t read this yet, (printed out a week ago)… so, as they say, the rest is history… I laughed so much on the 45 min. ride… the passengers around me, kept looking at me out of the corner of their eye, cause i really couldn’t contain myself. I so much enjoyed all of the blogs Val!!