Several times in the past couple of weeks I’ve been asked for my cell phone number. And each time I start to recite it before I remember that that number no longer works (was a company phone for the old job) and that I don’t have a cell phone number. Or a cell phone. And when you tell that to people they pause and look at you and say “Really?”
And I say yes and start to explain and then realize that I don’t have to justify not having a cell phone. That it’s okay to just say no and give them my home number or office number (whichever is appropriate) and offer up Mike’s number if it’s important they can reach someone “at any time”.
It’s been almost 4 weeks since I turned in my phone and I haven’t gotten around to going to the Verizon store and getting a new one. I’m lazy that way, although I have researched what I’m going to get – so maybe I just lack follow through?
At first it was strange to not be able to make a call, send a text message or check my calendar or email at any time, anywhere. Then it was just a bit inconvenient to not be able to call Mike with a question while I was out of the house. Then it kind of became normal. And now it’s enjoyable.
I like being able to make a plan, go do what I need to do and be disconnected for a while. Because really, we all lived for years without having a phone on our person 24×7. The biggest hassle is that there are no longer public pay phones because everyone has a cell phone. And so if you do need to make a call it isn’t just a matter of finding a quarter, it’s a matter of asking permission to use someone else’s phone, cell or land line.
I’m really tempted to just not get one, but then again it is nice to have one for emergencies or to let Mike know I’m running late (like 2.5 hours last night), so likely I will get one this weekend. But I think I’m going to get a very basic phone with a pay as you go plan. No bells and whistles. No email or web access. No syncing with my computer. No plugged in and available at all times. And most likely it will remain turned off unless I think I need to be accessible or make a call.
It’s very much like moving backwards a decade to when cell phone plans were really expensive. When not everyone had a phone and those that did were protective of their minutes. When cell phones were a luxury, not a staple. And I kind of like being just a bit subversive like that. I spend enough time on a computer for work, talking to you guys and reading all kinds of blogs / twitters / feeds and news. Unplugging part of my life is kind of a relief.
Ah, the tyranny of technology. You remind me of a column Ellen Goodman did years ago about how all our ‘gadgets’ and technology have come to cost us more in time and quality of life than they now give us. And now that you have me thinking about it again I realize how rarely I hear any sort of discussion about the double edge sword aspects of technology even as the ice melts…
We have the low-tech pre-pay types just for emergency use. I love it. It’s nice to have the phone there if you really need it….but to not be accessable ALL THE TIME. Go for it, you won’t regret it!
Same here. I dropped the expensive contract for a pay-as-you-go and never looked back. It’s great. I have the phone for travel and other needs, but it generally goes unused. $100 of minutes might last a whole year. Now I find it annoying how often people use their phones- at movies, at restaurants, at the beach. Unplug and enjoy the real live humans you are with, people!
No cell phone here! And the real shocker, none of my children nor husband has one either.
Phone wise we only have the one corded one in the kitchen. That’s the real shocker
) I like it, every phone conversation here is public, now if I could just wean the teens off email and chat!
I’m also in the telephany impaired sect. We have one cell phone for our home phone and it stays with my wife all day. I work in an office and can use that phone if I need to. As for the 15 min communte or occasional after work errand, I can live without a call for that long. Honestly, for me it just comes down to the fact that I just don’t want to be THAT accessible. Once upon a time phones were for convenience. I refuse to be a slave to the phone.
If you can make it four weeks the chances are, you probably don’t NEED it. One day at a time, LOL.
P~
When I hear about people taking their blackberries to bed, I can’t help thinking they’ve come up with a decadent way to eat dessert – wouldn’t that be so much better? I also have a pay-as-you-go mobile – never ever needed a contract and really who needs email on a phone? These days the reception where I live is so hit and miss that the mobile is practically redundant.
It’s nice to hear about some other people with no or limited cell phones! I always feel like such a freak when people realize I have a cell phone but I barely use it. It’s only for emergencies, really, and doesn’t work at the house, so I tend to forget about it. I can’t imagine being tied to it all the time.
I have one of those $5 a month ones that I keep in my glove compartment. It is always turned off, I just have it for emergencies. I don’t even know the phone number. If I’m not home, you can’t reach me and I like it that way! However, I hate talking on the phone so I’m weird like that.
And I still haven’t gotten a phone. I keep meaning to go and pick one up but obviously I’m not feeling like it’s a priority…