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Me ‘n my phone

Jun 28th 2007Karen Hawkins
Karen HawkinsMy Life As A Plebe

I have a confession to make — when I’m in an area where my cell phone won’t work, I get a little . . . nervous . . . agitated . . . jittery.

q5.jpgI tell myself that it’s because I worry something will happen to my kids and I won’t be there to assist them. Although in reality, by the time I get an “I’m in trouble” call, the deed (whatever it is) is done and all that’s left for me to do is yell, “What in the HECK were you thinking?”

The truth is something simpler . . . I’m addicted to my cell phone.

I keep it with me everywhere. I take it to the store, the bookstore, my parents’ house, when I’m driving, at the doctor’s, sitting at McDonald’s . . . it doesn’t matter where I go. If I’m there, my trust Motorola Q is right there with me and I obsessively check it every oh, seven minutes.

Ok, maybe more like five.

I do not, however, talk in public places or while driving because I know that’s annoying or dangerous. See? I do practice Safe Cellphoneage.

woman_cell_phone.jpgLately, though, I’ve noticed OTHER people seem to always have THEIR cellphones with them, too, and seem even more addicted than I am. I was at the doctor’s yesterday for my annual physical where I saw a woman clutching her paper drape with one hand while in the other, she clung desperately to her cell phone with the air of a child holding a precious teddy bear.

The nurse had to ask her to ‘put the phone down’ in the same tone of voice one might use to talk a jumper off the ledge of a building. The woman, I might add, did not wish to release her phone and gave a huge list of reasons why she might need the phone in the middle of her exam (none of which had the least relevance, I might add).

The nurse looked irritated by this dependency, but I have to say, I was in my little room across the hall nodding my head. Of course, I had cleverly hidden MY phone between the exam table and the cushion and had set it on vibrate, so that if it went off, I would be the only one to know, though what I would have done if that HAD happened, I don’t know. “Excuse me, doctor, but I have a strange tingling under my left buttock. Would you mind leaving the room for a moment?”

women_and_cellphones.jpgWhat about you guys? Any of you found yourself a slave to technology? Your cellphone? PDA? Computer? The internet? If so, do you want to be cured or are you sort of enjoying your little addiction? (Btw, did I mention that I’ve downloaded 21 games on my cellphone? AND 121 of my favorite songs? Oh yes!)

62 Comments »

62 Responses to “Me ‘n my phone”

  1. cail on 28 Jun 2007 at 8:18 am #

    i’m a slave to technology. some of my worst hysterics were when my phone broke. i remember the day i tore my ACL… i was roller blading along the west side highway bike path in NYC minding my own business when an idiot driver decided to turn into pedestrian traffic and i landed controted on the ground. the man was nice enough to quickly drive me to the ER cause i couldnt stand on one leg, and i spent the entire day there with my dad (my hero) who came in and met me there. during the tests i cried a little bit (i have a superhero like pain tollerance, which is actually quite frustrating since people don’t realize how badly i’m injured). we’ll after 6 hrs in the ER, a leg imbolizer, a sprained ankle, knee and hip, a torn ACL and meniscus, and bruised bones, i finally made it home. my phone rang, and i went to pick it up from my perch on my bed… it slipped out of my hand and dropped on the floor and finally (it was on its last legs) shattered. (continued.)

  2. cail on 28 Jun 2007 at 8:19 am #

    i burst into a torrent of hysterical tears. MY PHONE!!! forget busted legs, i cared about my phone!

    i think i cried for about 20 minutes over that, yelling about how life wasnt fair.

    i’m sure if it had happened on a good day, it would have been a lesser reaction, but still…

  3. Kasey on 28 Jun 2007 at 8:38 am #

    Cali - that sucks! I hope your knee is doing okay. My sister has had two surgeries on her knee for ACL and meniscus problems. They second time they did ACL surgery they had to replace the ligament with one from a cadaver. She is still going to therapy for the second one but it is recovering nicely so I know it can be a long process before it is healed completely.

    I actually have been working at a wireless phone company for the last 4 years. I am very dependent on my phone and need to have it wherever I go. It’s not that I need to talk on it constantly but it is my life line to the world and without I feel lost.

    As for Internet, I cannot live with out that. When my internet is down I am probably one of the first people to call the cable company and complain. I cannot live without checking my e-mail every couple of hours when I am at home and even more so when I am at work and on a computer for 8 hours a day.

  4. Caren Crane on 28 Jun 2007 at 8:42 am #

    Wow, Karen, you may need an intervention soon. Not that I don’t understand, because I completely do! I have been like that about my phone, usually when some sort of drama was going on and I was afraid to miss a call. BUT, my family and I were in Switzerland recently where my phone didn’t work at all. Neither did my husband’s. We spent a blissful 11 days with no cell phone rings. It was weird the first couple of days, but then we were so busy doing things outdoors, we didn’t think about it.

    The other thing was, there was no TV where we stayed. So my TV-addicted husband and daughters found other things to do. Read books. Play games. Talk to people (face-to-face, in real time!). Of course, the bubble burst once we reached JFK and realized we had reception again. Woo-hoo! But none of us have been as addicted as when we left. It’s nice. Get off the junk, K!

  5. SuzyQ on 28 Jun 2007 at 8:51 am #

    Cail - I hope you’re recovered!

    My phone is always with me but that doesn’t do much good. I work in a computer room where we get absolutely no reception. My problem is keeping the darn thing charged. I always seem to forget to put it on the charger and then when I need it, it’s dead. I have been getting better at this since I now have a charger at work. Hey, since I can’t get reception it should be doing something.

    Some people really do go a little overboard. I was in the bathroom at work and someone started talking in the stall next to me. So, being nice I answered. Then I realized when she started talking again that she was on the phone. I mean really - you can’t wait until AFTER you go to get on the phone. And besides, that can’t be very sanitary. I wouldn’t want to borrow her phone - LOL!

    As for the internet - totally addicted. I don’t think a day goes by where I’m not on Google, ebay, Flickr and of course TGB!!!! Kasey, I’m with you on that one!

  6. ladydawgfan on 28 Jun 2007 at 8:56 am #

    Addicted to my cell phone? I stick it in my pocket but most of the time, I forget to turn it on (hey, it’s for MY convenience, isn’t it?). I had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the cell phone age in the first place. I don’t need to be bothered by people who can’t leave messages when I am at church or at the doctors office or driving. Fifteen years ago, this wasn’t a problem for people in general at all, so why is it a problem now?

  7. Claudia Dain on 28 Jun 2007 at 9:27 am #

    I feel naked without my cell phone. What if I witness a robbery? What if I run out of gas? What if I need to call my husband and ask him to pick up cat food on the way home?

    Of course, for all those out-going calls, I reach into my purse, turn on the phone, make the call, and then turn the phone off. I don’t do anything on my cell phone but make calls. One time, a strange sound was coming from somewhere and I was looking around and this woman next to me said, “I think that’s your phone.” That’s right. I have it on so rarely that I don’t recognize the ring!

    When I got my latest cell phone it came with a tiny camera. I thought that was pretty cool and was showing it to my kids. My daughter said on a snort of laughter, “Like you’ll ever use that.” She was right. I’ve never taken a picture with my phone. I don’t even feel bad about it.

    Cail, I hope you’re all recovered and everything is back to normal. Knee surgery is no fun.

  8. Sabrina Jeffries on 28 Jun 2007 at 9:27 am #

    I do feel a little cut off when I don’t have my cell, but that’s only because I worry that something will happen to my son or a caregiver will cancel and I won’t know.

    The internet is a different matter. I’m totally addicted. I’m walking on the treadmill at this very moment while I type this. It was the only way to get me exercising–the lure of the internet (I have a board across the handlebars). Every day that I consider not walking, I say to myself, “Self, will you be checking your e-mail and the blog and doing research on the internet?” Since the answer is always yes, I never have an excuse. Hey, I’ve already lost 10 pounds–don’t knock it!

  9. Aimee on 28 Jun 2007 at 9:31 am #

    I wouldn’t say I am addicted……..I do always have it on me but it is for emergencies only my husband usually calls at least 30 times a day he does pest control and gets bored mind you we both get off work at 5:30 but if he doesn’t tell me right away he forgets………Then I have a 5/3/and 9month old that my mom watch so if she needs to get in touch with me (5 year old and 9month old girls are very accident prone) The only reason we got the cell phones in the first place is when I was pregnant with them. My husband two tore his ACL and still drove stick shift 16 hours to visit me when we first started dating with the immobilizer on his leg and had surgery about a couple months after we were together only for it to still aggrivate him……As a matter of fact I had my phone in my back pocket this past weekend and wound up washing it in the washer and had to get a new one of course I was in florida at the time so everyone had to call my husband’s number which would have been a big

  10. Aimee on 28 Jun 2007 at 9:31 am #

    deal except his mom passed away this past week which is why we were in fl

  11. Karen Hawkins on 28 Jun 2007 at 9:49 am #

    You all are making me feel so much better! (Except Cail - hope your knee is better and your new phone rocks.)

    Like many of you I am also addicted to the internet. Did I mention that my new phone has 24/7 internet. Cooool!

    Sabrina, you win The Multitasking Award with your treadmill/email time. Great way to get rid of Internet Guilt!

  12. darla on 28 Jun 2007 at 9:56 am #

    Its kind of scary how attached we’ve become to cell phones and the like. How did we surive until they came out???

    The internet is where I spend alot of time, because of the authors you can chat with and find out book information, etc.

    I am a slave to Books and I have no intention of changing that at all!

  13. KMB25 on 28 Jun 2007 at 10:03 am #

    I don’t think I can admit to being addicted to my cell phone…that said, I, too, feel like Claudia and tend to feel a bit naked without it! I always check whenever I leave the house to make sure I have it with me, even if I’m on a date night (which the hubby and I have made the rule for no phones on date night!). I just HAVE to have it with me…just in case :)

    ~Kim

  14. Claudia Dain on 28 Jun 2007 at 10:03 am #

    Karen, if my cell phone had internet access, I’d have the thing glued to my hand! I LOVE the internet. Worse, I love it more and more and more. This addiction is only getting stronger, but the way I look at it, if everyone in the known galaxy is hooked to the internet, it no longer classifies as an addiction. It’s purely normal and necessary.

    So, everybody, get on-line! Make me normal again!

  15. Kasey on 28 Jun 2007 at 10:18 am #

    Suzy Q - I am a total e-mail addict. When I was in Italy without internet for 10 days (I almost paid the hotel to use their internet, I was getting desperate), I went through total e-mail withdrawls. The first thing I did when I got home and plopped my bags on the floor was run to check my e-mail. Apparently, I have a problem.

  16. anneriailin on 28 Jun 2007 at 10:19 am #

    Yes, I too am addicted to modern technology. Both of my kids have cell phones and so do I. We have that family talk thing, so we can call each other for free! This is a very good thing, since my son goes to college about 200 miles from home. I’m not the clingy mom, at least I don’t think I am, and don’t call him everyday. But the phones do come in handy. He calls me from the train to tell me how far out they are so I don’t get to the train station and have to sit and twiddle my thumbs waiting for him to arrive!

    Even more though, I am addicted to the internet. LOVE it! There is so much you can do and some much information at your fingertips. I’m in heaven. I can see pictures of places that I’ll never be able get to. I love the webcams. Ah, so much to do and so little time. And for some reason, my boss wants me to do work during the day!! Can’t she see that I am busy!! lol

  17. KMB25 on 28 Jun 2007 at 10:20 am #

    Alright alright…I’ll admit it…I’m addicted to the internet! But not my phone…nope. no way…nopers!

    Sabrina and Claudia–you’re not alone. I’m soooo addicted to internet, even if I have absolutely nothing to look at…even if I’ve already checked my email, read my blogs, etc. I love being connected all the time!!

    ~Kim

  18. zambonigirl on 28 Jun 2007 at 10:33 am #

    I’m with ladydawgfan. I have my cell with me, but I rarely remember to recharge it, and if you call it, this is what you hear:

    Hey, it’s Heidi. Sorry I’m not answering the phone. I’d like to have a good excuse, but I probably just forgot to plug it in. Yeah. I suck. So, leave a message, and whenever I plug it in, I’ll call you back, okay? Bye!

    By the middle of the week, my best friend usually calls on my landline and yells, “Plug in your cell phone! God! Why do you even own one? Seriously!”

    I am addicted to the internets, though. I love surfing and looking at cat macros and reading the Encyclopedia Dramatica. It’s fun.

  19. Nicole Jordan on 28 Jun 2007 at 10:33 am #

    Not addicted to my cell phone, even though I carry it everywhere. But I had to laugh, Karen, cause a couple of weeks ago I had to a dentist appointment and sat with in the chair, but in my own defense I was expecting a call from my editor.

    I just got a fab phone with super long battery life and photo, video, songs, e-mail options, etc. And don’t use those very regularly.

    But I am totally addicted to the Internet. If I can’t check e-mail regularly, I go nuts!

    NicoleJ

  20. Bethany Hamilton on 28 Jun 2007 at 10:54 am #

    I am such an addict when it comes to internet and my cell. I had an accident a few years back and my cell battery had died. So there I was; facing the wrong way in the left lane during rush hour on 95 and hoping some other soul, one who had thought to charge their phone, would call the friendly state troopers so I could be rescued. Ever since that day I compulsively charge my phone and check, just to make sure, I have it with me every second of every day, because the ONE time you need it, it won’t be there!

    With the internet…I can’t go ten minutes without checking something. E-mail, blogs, my crit group…anything and everything. I even bring my laptop with me on vacation, and I won’t stay at a hotel unless it has free wifi. I’m so spoiled :P

  21. Karen Hawkins on 28 Jun 2007 at 11:22 am #

    I cant imagine not having internet access! When I travel I always make sure I am somewhere with either net access or an internet cafe nearby. I miss you guys if I am gone for more than a day or two!

    Its funny though, how quickly we begin to feel naked without our technology blankies although if we ever end up facing the wrong way on an interstate (that gave me chills!) we’d all feel legitimately safer with our mobile connections!

  22. SuzyQ on 28 Jun 2007 at 11:49 am #

    Besides the phones and internet, another gadget that I found out I can’t do without is the GPS for the car. My DH was forever getting lost (and refusing to ask directions - you know that guy thing!) and now we can get to places much easier. If there’s traffic, hop on another highway and it recalculates. As long as you have a signal you are good to go! I would be so lost without it - LOL!

  23. DebMarlowe on 28 Jun 2007 at 11:54 am #

    I dropped my cell phone a couple of weeks ago and broke it. Being cheap and nerdy, my dh and I decided to buy a replacement on ebay. Hey, 30 bucks is a lot better than what I would have paid new! It took almost 2 weeks for the dude to send it, though, and I felt weird the whole time. I mean, humans have survived for millenia without this instant connectedness, but once you get a taste….

    I’ve suddenly developed a whole new sympathy for the hive mind of the Borg. (Told ya I was nerdy ;-) )

  24. Suzanne Enoch on 28 Jun 2007 at 12:18 pm #

    I have a cell phone, but I rarely use it. No camera, no games, no music — I don’t even know how to change the ring tone.

    OTOH, after the technology discussion week before last, I went out this weekend and bought an I-pod. It’s been in my ear ever since. OMG, how did I ever live without it? I’ve already loaded 112 albums into it. I could listen to it for 4 days straight and never have a track repeat. *g*

    After rooming with KarenH, though, I may change my mind — she does look cute with the phone stuck to her ear. Ah, as DebMarlowe said, prepare to be assimilated.

  25. Julia London on 28 Jun 2007 at 12:21 pm #

    What happened to my post? :-(. Was it because I said I was moving away from technology? That I am less interested in the internet than I used to be and rarely use my phone, although I have it with me at all times?

    But I can’t live without my iPod, and I, too, have a GPS system that I thought was silly and now can’t live with out. And what about satellite radio? Once you’ve picked up the Chicago station in the middle of the desert in New Mexico, you will be hooked.

  26. Caren Crane on 28 Jun 2007 at 12:44 pm #

    Deb Marlowe, I feel you about the hive mind of the Borg thing! Although (as stated), I’ve weaned myself off the cell phone a little bit, the internet is a whole ‘nother story. Like Sabrina and Claudia, I am completely addicted. My favorite thing is to snatch a snippet of a thought, conversation, word from a book, mention of a historic figure/musician/book/author from anywhere and just Google the bejesus out of it.

    My name is Caren. I am an internet addict (and also a nerd!).

  27. cail on 28 Jun 2007 at 12:46 pm #

    thanks for all the well wishes. i’m much better now- this was two years ago.

    i actually spent about 4 hours at the verizon store in the last week. some idiot at the tech counter was supposed to order me a battery since they didnt have a replacement for my defective one in stock, and instead he ordered a charger. had to go in and rectify the situation.

    for the 10 minutes that the guy had my phone i felt naked.

    i even take my phone with me to my taekwondo class. it is litterally two buildings down on my street. i don’t even bring my wallet. down the stairs, 20 yards, up the stairs, class, then back home. i dont even think i’d have time to CHECK phone messages on the way there or back!

    i

  28. twolilhahas on 28 Jun 2007 at 1:24 pm #

    Cail, I completely understand. My cell phone is my third child, truly. It goes with me everywhere. I had the software updated in it a few months back, which was truly a good thing as I got a free copy of Monopoly because of it, but it took like 10 whole minutes for the thing to update. So, there I stood in the cell phone store, waiting…with nothing to do. I kept grabbing my hip in search of my phone because, “Hey, I know, I’m bored and I’ll call someone!” haha “Nope, you loser, it’s over there on life support and you’re over here alone!” The good news is, I lived. The bad news is, I need a twelve-step program.

  29. Sabrina Jeffries on 28 Jun 2007 at 1:31 pm #

    My agent got a blackberry (and if you knew how un-techie she is, you’d know what a shocker that was), so now she’s extolling the virtues of that. But I’m sorry, I just can’t hack typing like that. Although if it weren’t so expensive …. ;-)

  30. Lismore on 28 Jun 2007 at 1:34 pm #

    Echoing what others have said about feeling naked without my cell phone.

    I have a teenage daughter (15 is such a fun age, read dripping sarcasm here). Anyway, she is trying to teach me how to text message. I’ve been told that I am totally lame with it. There is a whole lingo that I am trying to grasp. I need text messaging for dummies.

    Also, completly addicted to the internet. I check email before I check phone messages when I get home. I am also realizing that we may not need a land line in the future. Everyone calls on the cell phone now.

  31. Ellen Henson on 28 Jun 2007 at 1:34 pm #

    Phones are not my chocolate. I hate phones. I begrudge every moment spent talking on them and drop to my knees daily to thank the Almighty for emails. I rarely have my cell on, because I like to save the battery. “What is the sense of having a cell phone,” is a common cry in my household.

    What IS the sense? I mean, do we all really need to be talking on the phone while standing on line in the grocery store? AND BY THE WAY, you women who try to show the rest of the line how loving and caring you are when talking to your kids….well…I don’t buy all the “Honey” and “Sweetheart” bull.

    My conversations go more like this. “Hello? Oh hi. Yeah listen, can’t talk right now, I’m on line at the grocery store. Right. Uh huh. Okay. We’ll talk when I get home. Right. U huh. Okay. I’ll be home in five minutes. Right. UH HUH. OKAY! I said I’d be home in five minutes. OKAY THEN….My answer is NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT. There are you happy now??? FINE! Good bye!”

    Ellen
    PS…Remember, I was the one stomping on the cell phone in church. I hate phones.

  32. Kasey on 28 Jun 2007 at 1:45 pm #

    I haven’t had a landline in almost 4 years. Just the cellphone. I got rid of it because everyone called my cellphone and the only calls I would get on my home phone were from telemarketers that were waking me up at 9am on Saturday mornings. After that happening a few times the phone just had to go. Plus I like being able to take the cellphone anywhwere, I honestly don’t know what I would do without one.

  33. Claudia Dain on 28 Jun 2007 at 2:28 pm #

    I keep thinking that I’ll ditch the landline, but since I never have my cell phone with me or even on…

    Plus, the only people who have my cell number are my immediate family and maybe 2 friends (hello, Sabrina!). I really, really think of a cell phone as an Emergency Device, like a gas-powered generator. I don’t even know my cell number!

    My thinking is, it’s horrible to be interrupted while washing the dishes to answer the phone, but how much worse to be in the middle of trying on a bra at a busy store and get a call from my agent! Uh, can’t talk now!

  34. Brandy on 28 Jun 2007 at 2:36 pm #

    I don’t go anywhere without my cell phone. As it is the only one who calls it is my hubs and every now and then, the in-laws. I never answer the home phone and I am so addicted to the internet it’s sad. Being a SAHM, it’s my only link to the ‘outside world’.

  35. Brandy on 28 Jun 2007 at 2:37 pm #

    Oh, btw, my hubs works for a cell phone company in a call center (where you call if there is trouble with the phone), as a supervisor, and the stories he comes home and tells me……….*G* .

  36. Julia London on 28 Jun 2007 at 2:53 pm #

    Come on, Brandy — give us some good ones to make us laugh :)

  37. Karen Hawkins on 28 Jun 2007 at 2:57 pm #

    Ah a GPS! I have a friend who never goes to the corner drug store without mapping it. I just put it on my birthday list too.

    And dont get me started on my XM radio. I love it and because of the indy station, I have packed my Ipod with goodies. I dont think I could write without my Ipod!

    Hey have any of you seen google earth? That an addictive technology too!

  38. Bethany Hamilton on 28 Jun 2007 at 3:00 pm #

    Ellen -

    LOL!!! I remember being on the other end of those conversations ;) Except my mother was usually at work and getting aggravated because her boss was giving her dirty looks. I look at my ten month old daughter and I know it’s just a matter of time until the whole “payback” philosophy kicks in!

  39. Karen Hawkins on 28 Jun 2007 at 3:00 pm #

    Wait… Brandy, ARE there any funny stories? Julie L may be onto something there! Do tell!

  40. KMB25 on 28 Jun 2007 at 3:29 pm #

    We don’t have GPS, but now that y’all are mentioning it, I’m seriously considering it for my husband. How he ever manages to get around baffles me…he is really THAT BAD at directions.

    Anyhoo, I’ll definitely have to look into that!

    As for my phone…well, I have an excuse: It’s my watch..since I don’t wear one. So I need it so I can keep track of time. So there. (hehe…isn’t it funny how we justify things sometimes???)

    Brandy–do give us the scoop on the funny stories!

    ~Kim

  41. cookeemama on 28 Jun 2007 at 3:56 pm #

    My name is Margaret and I”m addicted to several things. Chief among them is my cell phone. The ugly truth is I have it with me always. Except in the shower, of course. There are 2 things I never leave home without. One is my cell and the other is one or two romance novels. Paperbacks, prefrerably. If I find that I’ve accidentally left either one behind when I leave the nest, I will make a u-ie and head back for whichever one it is. It’s always on in case my daughter or one of the grandkids need me.

    My cell has a camera but the only pictures I’ve ever taken with it is the inside of my pants pocket when my hip accidentally turns it on. Don’t know how that happens, but it does. All I want a cell phone for is to talk on. No texting, no camera, no Internet. I’m a plain vanilla kind of woman.

  42. cookeemama on 28 Jun 2007 at 3:58 pm #

    Oh yeah. I keep the cordless phone right by the shower when I’m bathing. A couple of years back, I was ailing quite a bit. I was in the bath one day. The house phone rang. I couldn’t jump and run. Knew it was my daughter by the special tone playing. Then, the cell phone rang. I had it charging by the bed.

    In a very short time, one scared woman and 2 scared teens came bursting thru the door to be sure I wasn’t lying dead on the floor!

    Hence the cordless nearby at bathtime. LOL

  43. SuzyQ on 28 Jun 2007 at 4:41 pm #

    Karen - Google Earth! Yes, a very good tool for exploring. Do you know you can view Area 51? I thought that would be blocked for some reason . . .

    Kim - I use my cell phone instead of a watch too. I have a friend who works for a watch company and their sales have dropped because so many people are not buying watches anymore due to cell phones.

  44. Brandy on 28 Jun 2007 at 4:54 pm #

    Yes, there are funny stories. One is when someone called in and was haivng trouble with the phone. The first thing a technician will tell them is to power it off. The next thing they know, they technician hears “click”. *G* They had called WITH the cell phone!
    Another is that many prople call in and say they are having trouble with their cell phone because there is no dial tone. DUH! Cell phones don’t HAVE dial tones!
    Maybe I just think these are cute because of Hubs job.

    You don’t want to know how many people call in wondering if their warranty covers their phone if they dropped it in the toilet!

  45. Brandy on 28 Jun 2007 at 4:55 pm #

    AGH, excuse the typos. Having an off day.

  46. colinfirthfan on 28 Jun 2007 at 5:10 pm #

    I just lost my blue tooth and I feel like I can’t use my phone wihtout it anymore…. I have to ‘fess up to my DH soon.
    Totally addicted to the internet though.

  47. twolilhahas on 28 Jun 2007 at 5:21 pm #

    Oh, I’m about to get a bluetooth headset for my phone. Can’t wait. That sure will make it more comfortable to talk on the phone AND play on the internet at the same time. haha

    I don’t even want to admit how many close calls I’ve had with my phone and the toilet. Those little clips pop off at really inopportune times sometimes. lol

  48. RachelG on 28 Jun 2007 at 5:25 pm #

    I take my cell phone everywhere, but I don’t really like to talk on it all that much. I have a pink Razor, but I don’t really do anything with it and don’t know what it’s capable of doing. Except, I did accidentally discover that it takes video.

  49. twolilhahas on 28 Jun 2007 at 5:49 pm #

    A giant rainstorm stands between me and the romance novel I’ve been reading. Darn irresponsible of me to leave it in the car!

  50. Karen Hawkins on 28 Jun 2007 at 7:21 pm #

    Left your book in your car in the rain? Been there. Made a granny rain cap out of a grocery bag and made the mad dash. It was a Kleypas and totally worth it.

    You guys are SO making me feel better about the whole cant-go-without-my-phone thing! Thank you!

    By the by, once you go bluetooth, you never go back.

  51. twolilhahas on 28 Jun 2007 at 7:50 pm #

    I’m glad to hear you say so, Karen…I can’t wait for my bluetooth. :)

    While I haven’t read but two Kleypas books, they were both worth getting wet over…um…yeah, I’m going to leave that alone. lol

  52. Kelly Ann on 28 Jun 2007 at 8:03 pm #

    My mother is 65 & has a bluetooth! Not only was I shocked that she had one, but she can use it too (she could probably teach me a few things about computer too)!

    I love technology & I love my cell phone, my lap top, my under the counter dvd/tv/radio for the kitchen & next on my list is an iPod - I only recently learned that you can put books on them, before I didn’t need one, but now I do! Yes, perfect for work & cleaning & shopping! Very excited. My B-day is coming & I better get one! I don’t bother just dropping hints now, I have a picture in the color I want, posted on the fridge. As I see it, it’s my hubbys fault anyway - he told me about them!

    Have you watched any old movies lately & seen the 1st cell phones - they were like 20 lbs. & bigger then a my home cordless. Can’t fit that in your pocket - probably even throws your back out!

    Sabrina - great goddess of multi-tasking! Maybe I should be asking for a treadmill instead of an iPod for my Bday! I should be ashamed!

  53. Kay on 28 Jun 2007 at 8:07 pm #

    I can’t live without my iPod. :-) The cell phone is (mostly) for emergencies. I have a special ringtone for the kids and my DH, and a general one. Sometimes I go days w/o using it. Now that the kids are out of school, I forget to charge it LOL

    My latest toy is a new “can’t live without it” and I’ve only had it a day. It’s my new laptop. My days as a luddite are over for good.

    I have asked “Santa” for a GPS thing –I can’t find my way out of a paper bag. :-)

    Does anyone have a GPS thing that they love? I’m looking for ideas.

  54. Karen Hawkins on 28 Jun 2007 at 8:30 pm #

    Oooooh! A new laptop! How awesome!

    My mother uses her pda to read books on. I am thinking I need to get one myself. That would be awesome for trips!

    CAN you put books on an ipod? I already have one of those and oh, that would be schweet.

    I am not touching the Keypas/wet comment tho I did snicker loudly!

  55. KMB25 on 28 Jun 2007 at 9:00 pm #

    Ok, I love Kleypas’ new book Sugar Daddy…as well as her last historical quartet, but I’m so not going near that last comment *g*……

    and I’m wanting to jump on the techno bandwagon, and forgive my ignorance…but I have a macbook that is bluetooth capable…but I really don’t know what bluetooth is….help anyone?

    Methinks my hubby needs GPS more than I need bluetooth…but it might make a nice present for me if I have some extra cash!

    ~Kim

  56. Kay on 28 Jun 2007 at 9:25 pm #

    My iPod does books on CD, but not the text. My B-I-L has over 200 books on his PDA/extra chips. He takes it everywhere and reads all the time. I like the books on disk. I f I’m going to read a book, a screen jsut doesn’t work for me.

  57. twolilhahas on 28 Jun 2007 at 9:45 pm #

    Oh, KMB25, bluetooth is really cool. There are a lot of bluetooth devices. I’m getting a bluetooth headset for my phone. Basically, it’s a wireless headset. It’s a way to connect devices wirelessly. If I’m correct, the Nintendo Wii uses bluetooth technology for their wireless controllers.

  58. Karen Hawkins on 28 Jun 2007 at 10:04 pm #

    I looove technology, but I hesitate at ebooks. I just love the smell and feel of real paper. My kids, however, looove their ebooks, so perhaps it’s a generational thing.

    Sigh. I feel old!

  59. twolilhahas on 28 Jun 2007 at 10:07 pm #

    I think ebooks and real books both have their place. I love being able to read on my laptop while the kids are asleep. We all sleep together. :) The joys of single motherhood. With my laptop, I can read all night if I want to because of the backlight. Real books are better during the day when I’m running around doing this and that because they can travel with me.

  60. Wendy on 28 Jun 2007 at 11:31 pm #

    I was recently at a Woman’s festival with my oldest daughter, age 5. My husband was home with my 3 year old and 16 month old. I am always with the kids, so I was nervous going away. My husband and I text all the time and send pics back and forth, so I knew altho I was a few hours a way, that I wouldn’t miss much.

    Little did I know that there was ABSOLUTLEY NO CELL service. I felt panicked. Luckily I was able to get a land line calling card but even then I felt so disconnected. I had to call home every few hours just to get a fix, lol. Whereas, if I had my phone, it could be a quick text, “Hi. You guys ok? Miss you. Love you.” Then I would of been like a normal person. But, no, I was like a herion addict going thru withdrawal cause I didn’t have instant contact with my family.

    So yes, count me in with the Me and My phone, lol.

  61. cookeemama on 29 Jun 2007 at 11:11 am #

    Kay, my daughter and I both have GPS. The portable kind. Not the built in. My daughter is like you. I call her geographically challenged. lol I felt guilty for getting once because I tend to carry a map around in my head and have a good grasp on which way is North.

    It has save my bacon more than once in trying to find a location. Addresses mostly. We both have Garmin. Hers has a roll bar at the bottom to scroll thru the screens and spell things. I got a touch screen. Faboo! Don’t get any other sort.

    I don’t know about any others but hear that Tom Tom and Magellan are both very good. I hope Santa is very good to you. Too bad Christmas is so far away. Anything you can do to hurry him along?

  62. Karen Hawkins on 01 Jul 2007 at 8:27 pm #

    Two words … Columbus Day. We should all celebrate it cause ah, it’s important and it ah, means a lot to ah, people from . . . Ohio?