Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Oscar the Grouch is cooler than me

Jim and I are considering dropping our cell phone and getting pay-as-you-go cell phones for emergencies only. When I broached the subject, Jim kept saying over and over again, "But you can't use it. Emergencies only." And as Jim put it last night, calling to tell him to put dinner in the oven does not qualify.

When I think about my recent cell phone usage, it hardly seems worth the nearly $50 a month we pay. In the past week, I've used it to call family members while stuck in traffic, to let family members know of our imminent arrival and to get in touch with friends while away from home. I opened my cell phone this morning to find calls from both my mom and dad and from some toll free number I didn't recognize. We have a land line and I'm home most of the time. I can be reached at work by phone or email; so can Jim.

Before cell phones (or B.C.), there wasn't the luxury of phoning in the entertainment while stuck in traffic. Also B.C., people knew when to expect us based on the time we left and when away from home, we could always use the phone at our host's home, a pay phone or a hotel phone. Other than these "conveniences," it seems the only thing I'm really paying for is the privilege of being always available to whomever wants to reach me. And who wants that? Not me.

Even Oscar the Grouch has a cell phone these days. He must be way cooler than us.

No comments: