voice mail is for people who are not me

[jlh]

I've gotten to the point where I pretty much hate the telephone. I only talk to a few people on it regularly, all people who are not local. I used to talk on the phone all the time. And the oddest thing is, most of the people I talk to on the phone are male friends! (This is particularly true now that Mother has gone deaf, so we communicate via email.)

I also hate voice mail—hate it to the extent that I stopped checking it at some point and so Cingular or AT&T or whatever just turned the thing off, and I can't say as I care that much. If you want me, send me a text or an email, please. Anyway, apparently I'm not the only one hating on voice mail—there's a whole piece about it at the NYTimes, which I saw via Jezebel, and the blogger there hates voice mail, too.

At least my anxieties are trendy. I have to agree with that one guy who talks about how there are so many ways to reach anyone—I'd rather just cut off one of them.

Comments

[locumtenens.livejournal.com]

just tell me what it is they are calling about in the message

This is the key, though. As opposed to my mom who still insists on saying things like, "Hi, when you get a chance please call me back."

And still doesn't get the concept that 1) I can see that she called and will therefore call her back regardless, and 2) I could've called her back and been done with the conversation in the the time it takes to actually check and listen to the message.

To refer to other parts of Clio's post - I absolutely ABHOR talking on the phone for the most part. I even hate calling for something as simple as ordering a pizza. It stresses me out and I have to go into a room away from other people to do so and like, pump myself up for it. *is a freak*

[shakespearechic.livejournal.com]

Very true. That does apply more for either people I don't recognize the number for or at work. When people call me at work and only leave a name and number and no account or reason why I can then ignore it with my boss' agreement (we're usually not allowed to talk to them anyway - only their attorney). :-P