Wednesday 9 May 2012

'Ring...Ring'...."HELLO?!"

Have you ever noticed that a lot of folks talk so much LOUDER when they are speaking into their mobile phone?  Or, as it's called in North America, a cell phone.  A phone in your cell?   I'm sure that wouldn't be allowed.  However, I saw a documentary on how you get said phone into said cell.  Cell phone equals smell phone.....
Maybe some people insist on talking really loud into their mobile phone because they think I've got to know what's happening in their vastly important lives.  You've probably heard those calls such as, 'HELLO!  YEAH, I'M ON THE BUS AND IT'S ABOUT TO LEAVE THE DEPOT.  NOT BEING FUNNY... TO BE HONEST, AT THE END OF THE DAY, YA KNOW, UM I'M GOING TO PROVE THAT UM THE DNA RESULTS PROVE THE KID UM AINT YOURS AND THAT IT'S ACTUALLY YOUR BROTHER'S KID...LOVE YOU.......  SEE YA LATER!  BYE ....'
On a side note, I wonder why some folks think it's okay to visit me and when their mobile rings, they proceed to have an hour long conversation with somebody else.  Unless it's vital that someone leave their phone switched on, I believe technology has created a whole new rudeness.  I pointed this out to one dude and he hasn't done it since.


I leave you with this and sadly, it's close to the truth....

67 comments:

  1. I hope that in time, people will get sick of cellphones and being constantly available. A good half-hour of my time with Gal Friday gets eaten up with her taking calls from people who know damn well she's working. There are no manners anymore. I will remain a Luddite.
    From beeping and twirping and snatches of rock songs, good lord deliver us.
    Take good care,
    Laura
    x

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    1. Hey Laura,
      Oh the new intrusion that has been created by the cellphone. I recall a time before mobile phones and being a technophobe, I shall stick using two tin cans attached together by string :)
      'Ring ! Bloody Ring!'....oops must go now...
      All the best and keep smiling
      x

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  2. Hello Gary:
    Please do not get us started on manners in general and mobile phones in particular. They are a scourge on society,are so incredibly intrusive and do bring out the worst of manners in people who can and do know better. We have yet to overhear an interesting phone conversation but, sadly, have overheard countless hundreds of extremely tedious ones. Do people imagine for a moment that one is interested in what they are saying?

    Bring back the days of the telephone dialled only at home and calls connected through the operator.....progress, bah, humbug!!

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    1. Greetings Jane and Lance,
      I certainly wouldn't want to get you started on the intrusive nature that is the mobile phone and the new aggravation created by this technology.
      Oh yes, the cringe worthy conversations, complete with all the usual tired clichés. At the end of the day, to be honest, I just don't want to listen to their mundane conversations.
      Bring back those simpler, politer times. Excuse me, my um mobile is ringing :)
      All the best to you both, Gary

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  3. Just yesterday I was in the bathroom and the guy in the stall next to me (who incidentally is one of my bosses) was talking on the phone the whole time he was doing his business. It's just so gross. Then you get these people who have to be on the phone the whole time they're at the grocery store because they can't buy a can of soup unless they call home to get approval. In my day (which wasn't so long ago) you went into the bathroom and at most read a newspaper or magazine and at the grocery store you were on your own. And dadgumit things were better then!

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    1. Hey PT,
      Oh my, perhaps the saving grace with that boss is that his conversation may have drowned out um other noises. Then again, maybe he was talking crap :)
      I so relate to those in the supermarket who have to keep phoning home to double check what to buy and what not to buy. Bring back the good old days.
      Thank you, friend.
      Gary

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  4. I love Dom and his oversize mobile phone! My best one is when he whips it out in a library and starts yelling! Cracks me up all the time!

    Lovely Gary. This is exactly why I do not have a mobile phone. I refuse to have a mobile phone and I never will have a mobile phone.

    And while I am venting - this was my journey today on the train:
    1) Going to work - woman on her phone explaining to someone where to park
    2) Going to work - man on the phone arranging a date for a meeting
    3) Going home - man ringing a whole group of people - something about a contract and its fine details and who was doing what to this contract
    4) Going home - woman wanting to know "how's your day been"?
    5) Going home - man talking about new car he purchased.
    6) Going home - woman speaking in another language

    Yes I had a very peaceful, very calm journey today. I think noise pollution should be outlawed and punishable by a month of silence.

    Take care
    x

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    1. Hi Old Kitty,
      Good old Dom. I am assuming when you mention him whipping it out in the library, you are referring to his mobile! :) Ignore me :)
      I can sort of understand that in certain situations, a mobile phone can be a lifesaver. However, the intrusive rudeness and disrespect of others right to a peaceful journey, should be realised.
      Those conversations on the train have all the makings of a post on your site. Sometimes I get the urge to shove their mobiles in a spot that would probably get me arrested. Noise pollution and a month of silence, great idea!
      All the best and have a nice, quiet day.
      x

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  5. The phone rudeness started before the popularity of cell phones with "call waiting". "Hi mom...I just called to tell you...oh wait a minute I have another call...okay I'm back I just called to tell you...oh wait a minute I have another call." I made it very clear that from that point on if she was talking to me on the phone the other person could wait until we were done and that if she pulled that stunt again I was hanging up.
    As for cell phones....I thought the whole idea of leaving your house was to get away.

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    1. Hi Delores,
      Of course, call waiting, most infuriating and the decent thing to do would be to tell those other folks that she would call them back and give you the focus you deserve.
      Indeed, I go out of the house to having a nice, pleasant and hopefully, quiet time.
      Take care and hang on, I have another comment waiting :)
      Gary

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  6. The ones in movie theaters annoy me.
    Proud to say I do no own a cell phone!

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    1. Hi Alex,
      You would think that folks would have the decency to switch off their darn phones in the theatre until after the movie. I mean, what did we do before cellphones. Oh yes, some of us made out in the back row....
      Cheers and thanks Alex.
      Gary

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  7. my mom does that yells into her cell phone

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    1. Hi becca,
      Oh my, not your mother. It seems a lot of people raise the volume of their voice when they get on the phone.
      Take care and thanks.
      Gary

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  8. Most definitely (and sadly) too close to the truth...I think I might be guilty of speaking too loudly on a mobile myself - when the sound coming through to me seems muffled, I'm sure I have to speak louder to be heard. Probably deafening someone...oops! ;)

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    1. Hi Kim,
      Is that you I HEAR? Some folks YELL into their mobiles so LOUD...they might as well not use their phone. The person they are talking to can probably hear them without even using the phone!
      Oops indeed and oops, my cellphone is ringing...'HELLO?! HELLO?!' :)

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  9. I don't have a cell phone, and don't want one. I don't imagine that anything I have to say to anyone is so vitally important that it can't wait until later. But you're absolutely right, of course, about the lack of manners and total self-absorption of most of the in-public cell phone users. You may appreciate a joke I heard recently. It seems that this fella was blabbing on and on ad infinitum while riding home on the train. He was obviously talking to his wife, and apologizing for coming home so late. But he went on and on so long, one of the ladies sitting nearby finally had enough. In a very loud voice, she yelled, "Get off that phone and come back to bed, sweetie!"

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    1. Hi Susan,
      Indeed, most conversations would be best left for the privacy of the home, or a more discreet location.
      This society full of those mundane calls are starting to do my head in. Thank joke is perfect. If I witnessed such a scene, I would be cheering, very quietly, of course :)
      Take care and thank you.
      Gary

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  10. I wouldn't be without my phone - many is the time it has come to my rescue, but I do agree with you about it seeming okay these days to be with someone, yet spend ages talking on the phone to someone else! It aint right! And I promise I don't shout into mine :-) I once listened in to a very interesting call in a car park and sat making notes until the guy realised what I was doing and closed his window - oops ;-) x

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    1. Hi Teresa,
      Must agree that there are times that the mobile phone could get one out of a predicament. It does have its merits.
      It hurts my feelings when someone has visited me, yet then ends up spending ages conversing on their mobile. Makes you wonder if they actually came for a visit.
      Of course, you were taking notes as inspiration for your writing prowess. If only the guy had known :) I'm sure you would never yell into your phone.
      x

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  11. No arguments here either. I have a mobile - I bought in when my mother was in hospital and they needed to be able to reach me. It is now a very old phone and spends most of its life turned off. I LOVE being out of reach from time to time. And yes, calls are loud and (mostly) very, very dull.
    On an entirely different note. How are you? Are you starting to feel a little better? I really hope so.

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    1. Hi The Elephant's Child,
      You purchased your mobile for a very important reason. Like you, my phone is mostly switched off. Then again, it is a rare occasion that it rings. To just go out and enjoy some peaceful outdoors. Then, just as you are admiring the tranquillity of the countryside, someone yells into their mobile.
      I'm getting better now, thank you. Trying to get back into a more regular habit of commenting on other blogs. Being still rather exhausted, I'm finding it a bit tough to get into the groove. Very kind of you to ask and I hope all is well with you and your loved ones.
      In kindness, Gary

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    2. Your health (mental and physical) and well being are much more important than commenting on other people's blogs. Much more. When you are ready we will be glad to hear from you, but don't push yourself too hard.

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    3. Thanks for that. Of course, you are correct. I'm trying to be proactive at my own pace and without putting any undue pressure on myself.
      As we both know, mental health and physical health are conducive to the realising of a positive environment.
      Thanks again, your kind thoughts are treasured.

      Delete
  12. That cell phone and visitor thing annoys me too.

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    1. Hi Carole,
      Indeed and one time I got so aggravated by it, I left my house, went for a stroll. Came back thirty minutes later and they were still gabbing away on their mobile. Stopped just long enough to ask me if I had gone out...

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  13. Hi Gary. As soon as I started reading this, like Old Kitty, above, I thought of Dom Jolly and was pleased to see him in the video clip. I adhere to the following in public - "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt" Abraham Lincoln.
    By the way I enjoyed the made-up quote on the train you gave - I hope it was made-up!
    Click here for Bazza’s Blog ‘To Discover Ice’

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    1. Hi bazza,
      Ah yes, Dom and his video clips sum up the state of it all. There are a lot of folks who do not know or pay heed to Mr. Lincoln's profound words.
      Worryingly, that conversation was partly correct. I was on a bus full of folks chatting away on their phones and one of them mentioned DNA results. I suddenly thought I was on a bus full of folks auditioning for the Jeremy Kyle show...

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  14. My husband talks louder when he's on the phone. After a lot of decades together, I'm still not sure why he does this. Yet, when I call home and talk to him, it doesn't sound as if he's yelling at me. Come to think of it, the only time I'm annoyed is when I'm watching my favourite shows and he starts talking on the phone, so loudly, I'm slowly turning the telly louder and louder. LOL. Guess I'll have to get used to it.

    Hi Gary. Sorry I'm late. My connection timed out and I had no internet for a whole day! I know! It was dreadful!

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    1. Hi Joylene,
      Yelling in the phone seems to be a strange habit that occurs to many folks. Perhaps they think that the person on the other end will not be able to hear them. Perhaps some people yell into the phone because they are showing off. Ooh look at me, I'm talking on the phone!
      Maybe you should send your hubby to a different room when you are trying to listen to your favourite shows. Or failing that, dance in front of him and wink :)
      No worries, Joylene. I appreciate your comments at any time. And when you cannot surf the web, if you're like me, you get different types of waves happening. Waves of panic and withdrawal :)

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  15. I too hate having to listen to other people's conversations on the phone, especially on the bus. In fact whenever I get on the bus I make sure I have my earphones in to drown it all out.

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    1. OK I don't know how to edit my comments, apologies for spamming your blog.

      But I realised after posting that I wanted to add the other thing that annoys me is the ringtones. You're just wanting a bit of peace and then suddenly Lady Gaga (or something equally awful) blares out at full blast and you can't get the song out of your head. Obviously I mean the generic 'you', not you personally.

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    2. Hey Lost in Space,
      Being on public transport and listening to those mind numbing conversations, is enough to make me want to get off the bus, ten miles before my destination. Earphones are good. Of course, then you get looks from loud folks yelling on their phones, who can hear the music coming from your earphones :)
      And no worries about the additional comment :) Oh those ring tones. Enough to give me a 'poker face' :)
      All the best and happy writing,
      Gary

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  16. Hi Gary,
    Mobile phones are annoying, or should that be, people on mobile phones?! What got to me when I was employed in the service industry was people talking on these instruments as you served them, the other way around and a complaint would have been made! You are right, technology has created a new kind of rudeness!
    J
    Follow me at HEDGELAND TALES

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    1. Hi John,
      Oh yes, those who continue conversing away while you served them was very disrespectful of you and no doubt, if you did the same thing in reverse, they would be outraged.
      Technology and a new rudeness. I wonder what's next..
      Take very good care.
      In kindness, Gary

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  17. I've often wondered this myself. I never answer my mobile when I'm talking to someone else or in line at the market or whatever. It's so rude! Once I was having dinner with my husband and son at a Cheesecake factory and the woman behind us started shouting into her phone. I gave many dirty looks but she ignored me and everyone else, too. I even asked the waiter to have the manager ask her to talk quietly or go outside, but he wouldn't. After nearly 15 minutes, I got out of my seat, walked up to her table, snatched her phone and closed it before putting back on to her table. Everyone around us applauded! I know I was rude, but it was called for I think! What the hell is wrong with people?!

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    1. Hey Nancy,
      I could tell you were the considerate type. Of course, the big question here is what is your favourite flavour of cheesecake?
      Seriously, you did what a lot of folks would love to do. Good for you, I say. If you had any spare cheesecake, I think it might have been tempting to shove some in her mouth. I applaud you!
      Thanks Nancy and happy writing :)

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  18. I wonder why people feel the need to over-compensate when talking into a cell phone. Speakers, I assume, have been much improved over the last few decades . . .

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    1. Hi Golden Eagle,
      I have a theory that a lot of folks yell into their phones because they are showing off and believing their conversations are vitally important to our lives :)
      Take care and happy blogging :)

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  19. Ah Dom Joly...I used to love Trigger Happy, so funny. I'm sure I've been guilt on occasion of talking over loud on my mobile (not in the Gents i hasten to add). I love listening to other people's conversations. They make me laugh and I'm extremely nosy too :)

    Hope all is well with you?

    Sorry have to go now, my mobile's ringing ;)

    take Care

    GEM

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    1. Hi GEM,
      I believe you when you say you have not spoken loudly into your mobile in the Gents :)
      All is well, thank you. Hope you are smiling and staying positive.
      'HI GEM! YES IT'S ME CALLING YOU! WHAT DO YOU MEAN? WHY AM I YELLING?'
      All the best to you,
      Gary

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  20. The rather old-fashioned Sir Tom Eagerly says:
    Can't be doing with all these new-fangled devices Gary. I still use a land line with a wind-up handle on the side and an ear-trumpet. Am I behind the times do you think?
    Bottoms up! Ahoy, ahoy! (That's what the ancients used to say when they answered their telephonic devices).

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    1. Ah, Sir Tom. And here's me thinking you used two tin cans attached to a piece of string. I've heard a rumour that your profession used to be that of Town Crier. 'HEAR YE! HEAR YE!

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  21. I tend to agree with you, Gary. This technology has made it possible for inconsiderate people to continue their bad behavioral patterns. I've written about this subject a number of times too. I think in many cases that it is not simply inconsiderate of others, but can be extremely dangerous, such as the number of texting while driving (TWD)/texting while walking (TWW)/texting while pooping (TWP)/texting while masturbating (TWM)/texting while eating cereal (TWEC) accidents.. FFS! I think the human race might be doomed.

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    1. Greetings Static,
      Thank you for adding some of the other dangers that can occur due to the silly phone practices of idiots. I even heard of someone Texting While Acting Tough and we can work out the abbreviation for that.
      I appreciate your thoughtful input, my friend.
      In kindness, Gary

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  22. I'm sorry, but the number you have reached cannot be answered. The party you'recalling has fallen and can't get up.sigh.

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    1. Hey Dixie,
      I read your posting and commented before I replied here. Gardening can be a right pain. May all be well for you after Wednesday.
      Take extra care,
      Gary

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  23. Very funny Gary but sadly it is the truth. It seems our whole society and particularly the young don't understand what good manners are. It's not only cell phones. Try going through a drive through and before you can even get thank you out of your mouth, the window is being slammed shut in your face. They don't count change back either. And so many things I could mention. Thank for the laugh my dear, it was so welcome. Big Hugs.

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    1. Hi Heather,
      Bad manners and lack of consideration seems to plague a lot of society. I have seen some older people be very rude to young folks who were minding their own business and not bothering anybody.
      And sadly, I can relate to your list. A pet gripe of mine is when I've been in a store and the cashier talks away on their phone and only takes my money while continuing to gab away on the phone. Very rude and one time I flipped out over such a thing.
      Big hugs and I shall grace you with one of my eagerly anticipated comments on your latest posting, very soon.
      Gary

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  24. Cell phone talking at someone's house for any longer than
    5-10 minutes is rude in my book. Whoever visited you and did that was rude. I have had friends do the same shit to me in the past with their cell phones. a good cure for that is usually leaving the room and doing whatever else besides trying to have a decent visit with the person- which- you would think- would be the original intention upon visiting someone like a friend or family member.

    Loudness on the cell or mobile phone, is ,of course, rude, too, especially when they're talking about something personal or mundane. Love the yelling guy in your video. I don't know about you but I've had people almost get to that level in decibels when it comes to talking on their phones and pissing next to me in a public restroom. What I really hate is the loudness of someone (dumbass) yapping away on the phone while shitting in a stall next to me. That has happened and the guy is talking, kinda of loudly (I think speech is echoed and it sounds louder in a stall, anyway)while he will interrupt his conversation on the phone with a succession of farts.

    And he still had his mouth open, yapping away, breathing in his own shit and fart smell while jabbering away.

    Ehhh... people can be crazy and rude on so on.
    Take care, dude.

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    1. Hey Kelly,
      Although I didn't mention it in the posting, I got so fed up with my friend gabbing away on the phone, that I actually went out of my house for a stroll and did a bit of gardening. When I came back in about thirty minutes later, the guy stopped talking just long enough to ask me if I had gone out.
      That guy in the video is named Dom Joly and he is a bit of a legend in Britain. What you should do is let rip with a fart so loud it out-volumes the dude having a shit. Then again, he would probably retaliate by farting louder and talking louder.
      I think you have created a shit, sorry, a skit that you can put on to PooTube. You will be even more famous! :)
      Right then, must go now and fart into someone's smell phone, sorry, cell phone.
      Take care, you wild n'crazy dude, n' stuff :)

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  25. Dear Gary,
    I do so like to use my mobile phone for annoying, unnecessary calls. I particularly like it when I get a call in a restaurant and I have to speak ever so loudly into my phone. Don't tell anyone, but I even got a call once during a concert given by a string quartet, and my ring tone was louder than what was going on on stage. Annoying, aren't I!
    Toodle pip and Very Best Wishes, your way,
    David.

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  26. Dear David,
    Ah yes, but in your case, the world is fascinated by your incredibly loud yet incredibly important conversations on your mobile. YELL away, my friend. Scream into your phone at a minute's silence for whoever it maybe at some sporting event.
    Thank goodness you are annoying! Now I know why we are friends.
    Look forward to our next CHAT on the phone, David.
    Kind wishes and a megaphone, your way, Gary

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  27. Those folks drive me nuts as well! They have highly inflated self esteems!

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  28. Hey Jemi,
    Exactly! And not like I would show off and YELL into my phone. Oh no way :)

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  29. Ah yes Dom Jolly did lots of those loud mobile phone sketches in a programme called Trigger Happy as I recall.
    Yes people do seem to shout on them. We once overhead a conversation from a Mr Brown who wished to talk to a Mrs Green. The whole train carriage erupted in laughter and forced the guy to joke about Mrs Pink...

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    1. Hi Madeleine,
      Those Dom Joly skits were indeed from Trigger Happy TV.
      Aha and that colourful conversation may have ended up with the guy having a red face :)
      Take care and happy writing.
      Gary

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  30. There's definitely a bad case of technology-enabled rudeness going on. Just ask yourself, if you were talking to someone, would you think it OK to just turn away and start a different conversation with someone else next to you, ignoring the first person? Of course not, yet that is exactly what you're doing.

    Having said that, I find a cell phone handy. Many times my wife & I have gone our separate ways in a large mall or country fair, knowing we can find each other again when we need to, or we've been able to let the other know we're going to be late to a pre-arranged meeting. In those circumstances, it's been a huge stress-avoider.

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    1. Hi Ian,
      You have nailed it with your comment. I find it beyond belief how somebody could be so insensitive and start gabbing away on their mobile while visiting. They would probably not do the same thing in other circumstances without their phone.
      Of course, the mobile phone can be a vital asset and in some cases, a life saver.
      Thanks Ian and I hope you had a pleasant weekend.
      Gary

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  31. Very funny, and quite true! I also find it annoying when women answer their phones in bathroom stalls. I try not to imagine how they're juggling everything! Julie

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    1. Hi Julie,
      Very true, most annoying when women answer their phones in bathroom stalls. I had to kindly ask the lady in the next stall to shut up and stop juggling. Oh, I'm so kidding :)
      Take care and happy writing.
      Gary

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  32. And how about the folks so addicted to their e-mails and texting that they fidget and fiddle in the midst of a nice conversation one thinks one is having, finally giving in to pulling out their mobile/cell phones (yes, you're right, why do we over this side of the pond say cell?) and start madly texting/flipping through e-mails, eyes down. There is a woman I must meet with for work, among others, who is so engrossed in her e-mails that I must constantly say to her, "X, I need your attention now." Her head jerks up toward me, almost in a daze, but after about a split second of providing the needed attention, it's dive, dive, downward, back to the e-mail.

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    1. Hi Susan,
      Ah yes, you added some of the other dimensions that technology has added to social rudeness. I sort of remember the good old days when someone would almost pay attention to you without all those distractions.
      Which reminds me, must get back to sending an email, text a message of vital importance and gab away on my cell, oops mobile phone :)

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  33. I know, it's an outrage! Rudeness drives me crazy. Here, you can go into a shop and while you're being served the guy is on his mobile chatting away the whole time! I usually find lots of questions to ask him so he has to put it down and then tell him it would have been easier had he just rang them back when I came to the counter. The general reaction is a blank face. Slack-jawed even. Sometimes they remember and don't do it again, some of them just hide when they see me. Hahahaha :D

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    1. Hi All Consuming,
      Oh I so relate to what you mention. It is the epitome of rudeness when you, the customer, are basically being ignored. I had a similar situation in a restaurant when the guy behind the counter was chatting away on his mobile and just handed me over the bill. I told him to put the phone down and give me some direct attention. Rather sheepishly, he put the phone off to one side and then he got paid.
      Trust me, I would never dream of talking on the phone if you were in a store I worked in :)
      All the best.

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  34. That was absolutely awesome, Gary. I must send it on to my son. He hates cell phones in enclosed rooms, elevators, etc.

    good to see your name again!

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    1. Hi Susan,
      Thanks for that and your son seems like he would so relate to this article.
      Nice seeing you and I'm endeavouring to get around to several blogs. See you soon :)

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I do try to comment back to each commenter individually. However, I might have to shorten my replies or give a group thank you. That way, I can spend more time commenting on your blogs. Thank you and peace, my friend.