A Dream to Ditch the Cell for a Land Line and Answering Machine

It's been a super crazy week at work aka lots of late nights but I have today off! There's a steady stream of rain falling right now and it will probably last ALL day because this is Chicago. My motto: if you can't fight it, join it. It's been my motto through noisy neighbors, messy roommates and food fights.

So I'm on the front porch, having a beer and blogging. Yes I know it's only Noon, but I already ran today so it's completely healthy. Plus, I love the smell of rain.

Anyway - crazy week = excessive need to curl up in bed and laugh. So I've been watching one Friends DVD after another. I kind of forgot how funny they are. Take season three, "The One with the Flashback"...recall Mr. Heckles is the weird old guy who lives upstairs...

Phoebe: [opens apartment door] No! Mr. Heckles, no one is making any noise up here!
Mr. Heckles: You're disturbing my Oboe practice!
Phoebe: You don't play the Oboe!
Mr. Heckles: I could play the Oboe.
Phoebe: ...Then I'm going to have to ask YOU to keep it down!

So long story short, Friends was filmed in the 90's, back when people didn't have cell phones (except Zach Morris and that phone was bigger then my friend's new puppy). Remember the One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break?

Rachel was so upset about her fighting with Ross and forcing a break that she sat by the phone ALL night waiting for him to call because she couldn't harass him on a cell phone by calling or texting him incessantly. And Ross. He finally called Rachel from the bar on a pay phone.

I sat there thinking, I miss days like that when people didn't have cell phones and you couldn't always reach them. The anticipation is gone, the hopefulness and waiting by the phone - pathetic as it may be - is gone, and I think that's kind of sad. It's like a whole fun and sometimes awkward part of relationships has disappeared, whether it be with family, friends or significant others/hopefuls. Today, everyone gets pissed if you don't hear from someone within 30 minutes of contacting them.

So, I started thinking maybe I should get a land line with an answering machine and do away with my cell phone for a year. Economical? Probably not. Maybe actually, I have no clue what land lines cost nowadays. But the idea of being unreachable every minute of the day is kind of inspiring.

I used to get SO excited when I was younger and I'd come home and hear that beep from the answering machine signaling that someone left a message. Now if someone leaves a voicemail on my cell I think "UGHHH I hate having to dial in and listen to these...so time consuming." And that is plain impatience and craziness on my part.

So I'm thinking about it. Would you ever give up your cell for a year?