I am not a phone person.

Obviously my life requires me to talk on the phone; to family, to existing and potential customers, and to make inquiries, but in general I much prefer person to person chats.

On the phone you can't see where the other person's attention is focused; are they surfing the web? Driving? Peeing? Do they sound abrupt because they are in the middle of something or because they don't want to talk to me?

I used to do some telephone tech support for a software company, and it was so much harder to know if someone actually understood what you were saying if you couldn't see them....typically they would say they understood so they didn't feel stupid, but if I could see them, I felt that I would see the glazed look of lack of comprehension (kind of the look Joan gives me when I tell her to jump something....see Joan, I told you I would fit you into the blog!).

It also can also be easier to take something the wrong way over the phone, or to not realize how important/upsetting a topic is to someone, whereas in person you would read those signals. And then it turns into an argument over the phone and that is perhaps the most frustrating form of argument!

And then with a cell phone, I feel more pressure to be 100% accessible by phone...which is dumb. I hate calling someone and having them answer only to say they can't talk right then! (I could have left a message easier on your vmail if you hadn't answered!) But then I am worried it might be something urgent, or with Rob away, that he may worry if I don't answer, so I answer at inappropriate times such as when bringing horses in, or riding...but then I feel rude telling the person that I can't really talk then.

I remember "back when I was young", and not only did we not have cell phones, but we also didn't have answering machines! Nor email! And yet we survived! I think I drove my parents crazy talking to my friends on the phone for hours! And it was a little frustrating to be calling home for a ride (from a pay phone) only to reach a busy signal over and over and over.

Ah yes, the "good old days".

Do you think that video phones will be a "thing" in my lifetime? Gosh, that would be scary! I would have to do my hair and be careful what I did and where I went while talking on the phone... Yikes!

Karen