Back in my day, phones were communal

When Blue-eyed Ultimate Player called my cell phone one day, it was because none of my sons were answering their cell phones. I didn’t know where my sons were — probably throwing a disc around somewhere — but I chatted with Blue-eyed Ultimate Player for a few minutes.

After I hung up, I thought about how I miss having one landline for the whole family. I used to chat with my kids’ friends or my husband’s friends when they called. I wonder if, with the proliferation of cell phones, that kind of small talk is a lost art.

I can remember the first phone call I ever made, back in first grade. I stood on a wooden chair in the kitchen, reaching up to the black phone that hung on the wall, and carefully dialed the number that Kindergarten Friend had written down. I was painfully shy, so calling anyone on the phone was a very big deal.

I called, and the phone made this weird noise. “That means no one is home,” Red-haired Sister said. I hung up the phone.

Then I called again. I got the weird noise again I called again, and got the weird noise again. I called again, and hung up again. I was frustrated because I knew that she was home; it didn’t make sense.

“Their phone must be broken,” I said to my sister. I dialed again, just to show her. I held out the phone to let her hear the weird noise.

Just then a man’s voice said, “Hello?”

I answered shyly, “Hello?”

Then I said the line I’d practiced. “May I speak to Kindergarten Friend?”

“I’m her Dad,” he said. “Was that you calling before?"

I was terrified — his asking me a question was not in the script! But his voice seemed gentle.

“Yes,” I managed to squeak out that one syllable.

“See, you need to let it ring awhile to give people time to get to the phone,” he said. “When you hear the ringing noise, count until you hear it ring ten times before you hang up.”

What he said made sense. For the rest of my life, I always counted until I heard the dial tone ten times before I hung up. That is, until people started getting cell phones and answering on the first ring.

For a shy child, chatting with the parents of friends I called was often terrifying, but it forced me to learn the skill of making small talk. I had to identify myself, say something polite, and then ask for my friend. That was the formula.

I miss the days of the landline, the way that sharing a phone helped integrate a community. Sure, the cell phone is convenient, but I’m sad that we’ve lost those conversations between generations. I guess I have to look instead for messages from my kids’ friends on my facebook wall.

Weekend In Wichita

Triple Feature at the Drive-In 

Cop Out

Directed by Kevin Smith from somebody else's script, this doesn't really feel like a Smith film. That can be good or bad, depending on your tastes. It started out a little rough, but turned out to be a decent but by-the-books buddy cop flick.  Besides, it had that drug dealer from Weeds in it, and he's pretty much a badass.

The Crazies

 I have heard some people complain that this movie was just a rehash of 28 Days Later placed in a rural setting. In actuality, 28 Days Later was an urbanized rehash of the original The Crazies (along with a certain other trio of Romero films). This remake isn't going to crack your Top Ten unless you have only seen nine other movies, but at least it's honest in the fact that it's a remake and doesn't hide between the claim that it's an homage.

Shutter Island

My wife and I had already seen this one, but were willing to watch it again. Unfortunately the fact that we had put in a full days work before the 3 hour drive to Wichita, and that we had already been up for approximately 22 hours caused us to call it quits about halfway through. Still, I think we got our ten bucks worth.

My Purchases

Black Hole by Charles Burns (Graphic Novel)

Borders, $18.95

Been wanting to read this one for quite a while.  Don't really know why it took me so long to get around to buying it.
 

Books of Blood Vol.3 by Clive Barker (Book)

Book-A-Holic, $1.75

I've already read Vol.1, and Vol.2 is still languishing on my shelf, but this volume is difficult to find in used bookstores, so I had to pick it up.  And it was oh-so-affordable, too!

The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams (Book)

Book-A-Holic, $2.50

This book probably can't live up to the manic genius of the Hitchiker series, but the idea of Douglas Adams writing a detective novel is far too sweet to pass up.

Offbeat: Collaborating with Kerouac by David Amram (Book)

Book-A-Holic, $7.00

Slap the word 'Kerouac' on any book, and my wallet flies open like your uncle's belt after Thanksgiving dinner.

The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia (Book w/ Free Digital Copy)

Book-A-Holic, $20.00

I love Bob Dylan, I love encyclopedias (I'm a geek, I know), I have a bookself AND I have a Kindle, so this one was a slamdunk.

Greatest American Hero Season 1 & 2 (DVD 2-Pack)

Target, $12.99

Believe it or not, I'm walking on air.  I never knew I could feel so free.

Arctic Monkeys:  Humbug (CD)

Best Buy, $12.99

I love pretty much any band that has the word 'monkey' in the name. Arctic Monkeys. Sprung Monkey. The Monkees.  Atomic Death Monkeys.  Monkey Ate My Baby.  Monkey Monk and The Monk-Lites.  (Okay, so maybe I made a few of those up.)

Spoon: Transference (CD)

FYE, $9.99

I was listening to Spoon before that cellphone commercial made it cool. Or, at least that's what I tell people.

Cult Classics 20 Movie Pack (DVD Box Set)

Borders, $4.99 

Featuring the following titles, how could you not fork over a fiver?

1. Chained for Life
2. Child Bride
3. Cocaine Fiends
4. Delinquent Daughters
5. Escort Girl
6. Gambling with Souls
7. Joyless Street,
8. Mad Youth
9. Marihuana
10. Marijuana Menace, The
11. Omoo-Omoo, The Shark God
12. Reefer Madness
13. Road to Ruin
14. Sex Madness
15. She Shoulda' Said "No"!
16. Slaves in Bondage
17. Ten Nights in a Barroom
18. Terror of Tiny Town
19. Test Tube Babies
20. Wild and The Wicked

Oh, come on. You know you're jealous...
--J/Metro