Cell phone overload

By NAN BROWN
As published Sept. 17, 2008

Cell phone usage – it’s out of control, and I, for one, am sick of it. Everywhere you go you see cell phones either cemented to people’s ears or else held in front of their noses while they punch tiny buttons like squinty-eyed fanatics texting heaven only knows what worthless messages to others.

And I’m sure you’ve seen people walking around with a bluetooth (would the plural of that be teeth?) attached to their ears. The first time I saw a guy with one he appeared as though he had lost his mind because he was walking around and talking to himself - rather loudly I might add. Finally he turned around and I saw a thing sticking out of his ear that looked like an overgrown hearing aid with a handle.

Sure, I have a cell phone and so does my husband, but they’re not extra appendages to our bodies. We basically only use them to communicate with each other when necessary, with friends on occasion, and always in a phone mode, never via texting. I don’t even know how to text, and, quite frankly, I don’t care to learn.

We never take our phones into restaurants with us as I can’t conceive of any call important enough to interrupt a dinner out with my husband. If someone wants to reach me, they can leave a message, which brings me to address the great annoyance I find with people who do have their cell phones armed and ready at all times.

Inevitably a loud blaring ring tone from a nearby table pierces the ears of fellow diners. These unwanted musical interludes involve anything from rock music to Beethoven and everything else in between. Recently I heard someone’s phone playing “Turkey in the Straw.” The turkey was evident but there wasn’t any straw around.

More often than not, the ensuing one-sided conversation we are privy to is usually conducted loudly and goes something like this: “Hi. How’re ya doin’? No, nothin’ much is new. How about you? Okay, I’ll talk to ya later. Bye.” Earth shattering, isn’t it? What a pointless waste of everybody’s time, including ours for having to listen to this nonsense.

Cell phones can also be dangerous little instruments of destruction. Countless serious accidents involving the loss of life and limb have been caused by drivers distracted while talking on their phones. Now with the advent of texting even more serious problems are created. There are those who try to text while driving, and, in my opinion, these menaces should be banned from the roads.

Recently there was an article in our local paper entitled “Perils of Text Messaging.” It pointed out, “Emergency physicians are seeing a dangerous trend that can go hand-in-hand with texting: a rise in injuries and deaths related to sending text messages at inappropriate times, such as while walking, driving, biking or rollerblading.”

The article goes on to state that physicians are reporting cases “…among teens and young adults, in particular, who are arriving in emergency departments with serious and sometimes fatal injuries because they were not paying attention while texting.”

The article continued quoting the head of an ER department who said, “People are texting and they trip and fall on their faces – usually people in their 20’s. We see a lot of face, chin, mouth and eye injuries from falls.”

I watched an interview with a group of teenage girls on the local news recently who readily admitted they had injured themselves while texting. One girl said she walked head first into a pole while another stated she had walked into the path of an oncoming car.

Is it just me or does this seem rather abnormal that so many people have taken leave of their senses? When is it all going to end? I can’t wait until the day that every state in the U.S. bans cell phone usage of any kind while driving, whether it be talking or texting.

Don’t get me wrong. I think modern technology is great – in the right hands and as long as it’s not intrusive to others. Cell phones and texting are both handy in emergencies as in a case I heard about a teenage girl who was home alone when a prowler entered the house. She grabbed her cell phone, ran to her bedroom and hid in her closet where she sent a text message to her mom about what was happening. Her mom called police who then were able to catch the intruder.

So in conclusion I say if you can use your cell phone safely and without bugging others, more power to you. Otherwise to all the texting maniacs out there, I say: OMG! U R never going to be my bff!

Thinking about my bucket list

By NAN BROWN
As published Sept. 3, 2008

Believe it or not, Jack and I recently ordered our first Pay Per View movie on Direct TV. It was so cool – the entire ordering process was done on screen with our remote control. Who would have ever thunk it – Jack and Nan have finally arrived in the 21st century!

We ordered a great movie, The Bucket List, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, and at the PPV price of $3.99 we considered it quite a bargain. We popped some corn and settled in to watch the movie, me in my nightgown and Jack in his lounge pants. You can’t experience that kind of comfort in any theater.

I’ll try not to give too much away about this delightful flick, but it was about two older gentlemen, both of whom had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. They ended up being hospital roommates and eventually became friends. In light of the plight they found themselves in, they decided to make a list of things they wanted to do before they kicked the bucket.

Nicholson portrayed a rich, crotchety loner which was quite a contrast to Freeman’s portrayal of a loving, contented family man. Together they were quite a pair.

With list in hand they set out together on various adventures crossing off the items one by one as they were fulfilled.

This may sound a bit morbid but the movie prompted me to start thinking about my own bucket list. What would I want to do if, heaven forbid, I was given a grim diagnosis? What would my priorities be? After all, none of us know when our time may be up.

One item on my bucket list would definitely be to go to Alaska again. Jack and I fell in love with the state when we visited there in 1989. The two of us, along with his mom, flew to Fairbanks then traveled to Denali National Park, Anchorage, Seward and back to Fairbanks in ten of the most wonderful days we ever spent in our lives.

It certainly didn’t hurt to have our own personal tour guide as Jack’s sister lived in Fairbanks at the time. It was the only vacation we ever took where we didn’t care if we came home again.

Probably the only potentially dangerous item on my list would be to do the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Walk which is held once a year. The bridge is closed off to traffic and thousands of people make the trek across.

I’ve always had an irrational fear of bridges, and I think maybe that would help me free myself of it. Either that or I would take the first few steps and lay down on the bridge hugging the pavement for dear life until someone peeled me off.

I would also try to mend fences with the people I haven’t seen eye to eye with over the years. It could involve a great deal of pride swallowing, but in the end forgiveness would be worth it on the part of all parties concerned.

Now this one might not make any sense in light of the above fence mending, but I’d like to give a piece of my mind to a few people I’ve encountered who need a kick in the butt to enlighten them on how ungrateful, insensitive and selfish they’ve been over the years. Who knows, it might just be the wake-up call they need to finally straighten up and fly right. Besides that, maybe my tongue would finally heal after having bitten it all these years.

I think it would be really neat to have a big reunion of all the school friends I’ve lost track of over the years. Although I have never attended any of my reunions, I have managed to remain in touch with one high school friend as well as one from college, but other than that I don’t know what has become of anyone else.

We could all catch up and become reacquainted and spend some quality time with one another just one more time. The same would apply to former neighbors and other friends we’ve lost touch with over the years.

Probably the most important item on my list would be to make a video of remembrances of all the good times Jack and I have experienced during our life together. They would include recollections of happy celebrations, milestones, our repertoire of silly songs, pet names and inside jokes that only he and I share. It would be my final gift to him.

When we placed that PPV order, I never realized the movie would churn up such deep thoughts on my part. I hope and pray my bucket list can be put aside for many years to come. Have you ever thought about yours?