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[linnea]

Ugh. So not only do I get to bitch like Pat about my terrible rate plan, but Cingular/ATT recycled my phone number and gave me some bitch named Nicole's old phone number. I keep getting irritating calls from her friends who then disbelieve me when I say that this is no longer her cellphone number. I just finished a long text message exchange with some douche named Ryan. What the hell is a girl to do? All my friends have this number, and it's on all the damn resumes I've been papering my fair city with, so I can't just call the stupid cell company and demand a new number. Sigh.

**text exchange 15 minutes ago with some douche**
douche: hey how are you (12:47AM on a Saturday night, maybe he was trying for a booty call)
me: Who is this?
douche: Ryan
me: This is not Nicole's number anymore. I have no idea who she is. Sorry.
douche: How did you know I was texting nicole then
me: Because I get dozens of messages for her and I don't know anyone called Ryan. Occam's razor. (I wanted to add, "Google it, bitch!" but decided to keep it civil)
douche: who is this
me: You have the wrong number, sorry.
douche: Ok just saying hi but ok
me: (slams phone shut, puts it on silent)
**end of text convo**

[mavies]

Oh man! You could totally have some fun with that. "oh my god ryan i want your babies SO HARD" or some such. You got a splendid opportunity to be a prick to a total stranger! Make the most of it! But then, they know your phone number, so it might not end that well.

[Golfhaus]

It would probably increase the chances of Nicole getting the word out that she doesn't have that number, though. I say go for it.

I'm going through the same thing. The wife and I switched our cell phones to our new area code a few weeks ago, and I'm getting calls for the person who had it before. Sadly, this person doesn't seem to have so much of a social life, as he/she did financial problems - the calls I get are mainly from collection agencies.

[side_show]

Oh man... linnea, I love you, but I fuckin' hate cellphones. 

Don't have a cellphone.  That is the best solution to removing unwanted annoyance from your life.  Seriously.  Be it random people calling/texting you thinking you're someone else, forgetting to turn it off and then pissing everyone else off or getting woken up, to just being interrupted.  They're such an intrusion.  I'm very Pat-like on this one.  Who calls anyone anymore anyway?  I mean, I hardly even answer my phone at all anymore. 

Don't use cellphones people, you really don't need them.  You think you do, but seriously you don't.  Don't invite that shit into your life.  Don't choose to give people 24 hour access to you wherever you are.  No one can provide me with a logic I find reasonable as to why they need one.  It can not be done.  In my books you're only important enough to need to be able to be reached at all times if you're running a country.  That is about the only reason.  So if you're a president or prime minister... maybe.  But really, I still see no reason - life shouldn't be so urgent or so talky. 

I don't care what your job is, you should only be doing it when you are at your job, and if your job is mobile or related to addressing emergencies you should have a radio, walkie talkie, or maybe, maybe a cell phone for work only.   Only!  Boo to cellphones.  Boo.

I know I am unreasonable about this, but really, if people were more protective of their solitude, I believe the world would be a much better place.

[CortJstr]

My SO can't figure out why I turn my phone off when I'm at home. Because the best cell phone sounds like crap compared to at $5 real phone, and since I have a landline people are going to use it. And if you call my cell phone while I'm at work it had better damned sure be an emergency.

[Nabubrush]

I still get calls for Jeremy on my cell number, and I've had it for four years or so. And I think usually they are people wanting him to settle up old debts. "Sorry, collections agency - Jermey fucked you hard."

Also - I think I discussed it here - I once got a 220 page cell phone bill when I had my identity stolen. That was a good time.

[Golfhaus]

Don't use cellphones people, you really don't need them.  You think you do, but seriously you don't.  Don't invite that shit into your life.  Don't choose to give people 24 hour access to you wherever you are.  No one can provide me with a logic I find reasonable as to why they need one.  It can not be done.  In my books you're only important enough to need to be able to be reached at all times if you're running a country.  That is about the only reason.  So if you're a president or prime minister... maybe.  But really, I still see no reason - life shouldn't be so urgent or so talky. 

Eh... I have created a lifestyle for myself that doesn't allow me that option. I don't need a cellphone in the sense that I will die or lose my job without it, but I need it. I need it to call my wife to tell her my plane has landed and I'll be home in 40. I need it so that when my friends fly in, they can call me and see where I am so we know where to meet. If I had to choose between dropping my cell phone or dropping my landline, there would be no debate - the landline would get snuffed out.

[Nabubrush]

Eh... I have created a lifestyle for myself that doesn't allow me that option. I don't need a cellphone in the sense that I will die or lose my job without it, but I need it. I need it to call my wife to tell her my plane has landed and I'll be home in 40. I need it so that when my friends fly in, they can call me and see where I am so we know where to meet. If I had to choose between dropping my cell phone or dropping my landline, there would be no debate - the landline would get snuffed out.

I am in the same boat. The amount I travel, I'd have to be on pay phones in airports all the time, and most of the time I am running through the airport with just enough time to make my next plane. It would be a pain to have to find a pay phone to update my wife on when I am coming home and shit.

[CortJstr]

I don't think I could dump my cell phone totally either. It makes life too convenient when trying to pick somebody up at the airport or waiting at the mall. But I then I also have a $10/year plan from T-Mobile.

[jay-ell]

Don't invite that shit into your life.  Don't choose to give people 24 hour access to you wherever you are. 

Actually, I dropped my land line for this reason.  The beauty of a cell phone is twofold: 1) it's unlisted and (in the US) illegal to call a mobile number for marketing purposes, and 2) cell phones can be turned off.  I got tired of having to answer the damn phone six times a day so that I could listen to a recording tell me about an important program for senior citizens.  And yes, I *was* on the Do Not Call registry. 

After I'd had my cell for about 2 years, I started getting calls for Mr. Howard regarding his delinquent account with a BMW dealership, among other creditors.  I think he was intentionally giving out a false number, which just happened to be mine. 

I hope they eventually found the bastard.  The calls stopped, so presumably they either got his real number or ate the costs. 

[linnea]

Actually, I dropped my land line for this reason.  The beauty of a cell phone is twofold: 1) it's unlisted and (in the US) illegal to call a mobile number for marketing purposes, and 2) cell phones can be turned off.  I got tired of having to answer the damn phone six times a day so that I could listen to a recording tell me about an important program for senior citizens.  And yes, I *was* on the Do Not Call registry. 

After I'd had my cell for about 2 years, I started getting calls for Mr. Howard regarding his delinquent account with a BMW dealership, among other creditors.  I think he was intentionally giving out a false number, which just happened to be mine. 

I hope they eventually found the bastard.  The calls stopped, so presumably they either got his real number or ate the costs. 

I am renting a house with friends, and I occasionally use our landline, but in my entire adult life I have never had a landline of my own. I have always just had a cellphone.

1. JL's compelling argument about the privacy. Cellphones have more privacy than a landline, although there are still issues.  I don't like having my number listed, having a cellphone ensures that the only people who have the number are people I gave it to (and unfortunately in my case, everyone that Nicole gave her number to). Similar story: when my dad returned from Vietnam in 1970 he got a new landline, and the former owner of the number had been a drug dealer, so he got calls for drugs at all hours. He finally got the number switched.

2. Free long distance. This is seriously awesome.

3. Texting. When you don't want to talk to someone but still want to communicate, you have a mini TTY and you get to send a mini fuck*ng telegram! How awesome is that? You can even send out a mini bulletin to several friends at once, like I did after my recent job interview to let everyone know that it had gone well.

[smick]

My house phone is where the fast internet comes from.  I don't ever bother answering it, as anyone who knows me and wants to talk to me knows my cellphone.

My career affords me a different take though.  I've carried one without cost for the past 7 years.  My son is now 11.  Half of me believes that 11 is far too young to have a phone.   The other half of me feels that with my job, this is a resource like water.   I built and run the network.  Why the hell don't each of my cats have a cellphone?

[Nabubrush]

My house phone is where the fast internet comes from.  I don't ever bother answering it, as anyone who knows me and wants to talk to me knows my cellphone.

My career affords me a different take though.  I've carried one without cost for the past 7 years.  My son is now 11.  Half of me believes that 11 is far too young to have a phone.   The other half of me feels that with my job, this is a resource like water.   I built and run the network.  Why the hell don't each of my cats have a cellphone?

No shit. I needed to get in touch with your cats the other day and I was fucked. What am I supposed to use? Smoke signals?

[theinevitable]

I love my cellphone. I mean, actually, I love the concept of my cell phone. Except that we have horrible service here, and my phone is really quiet no matter how high I put the volume.

one time I got a threatening answering machine message in a thick southern accent to the effect of "tammy! pick up the phone! I know you're there!"

[KeithHernandez]

My cell hasn't been working for about 2 months and I have no landline so, well, it has sucked.  I just so up places and usually I am right.