After years of prodding by family and friends – and because my brother and his wife got me one for Christmas – I now have a cordless telephone.
Its not that I have anything against cordless phones, its just that I never felt the need to rush out and buy one when my old-fashioned phone with its cord that plugs into the wall was working just fine, thank you very much.
Mind you, Im not technophobic, in that Im not fearful of new technology, like, say, the Amish. (Do you know how long it would take me to get to work via a horse and buggy?)
I will confess that sometimes I do feel like taking a sledgehammer – which I think the Amish would approve of – to my computer when it wont do what I want it to.
Anyway, what Im trying to say is that Im not a slave to new technology, in that I dont absolutely have to have the latest gadget or doohickey.
While I may now be the proud owner of a cordless phone, I am still one of an estimated two dozen people on the North American continent who does not own a cell phone, and Im okay with that. I like it that sometimes people cant get in touch with me, although I will concede cell phones do come in handy during emergency situations.
Having said that, Im not anxious to purchase a cell phone, because I have a somewhat negative impression of them, in that Im sick of seeing people with cell phones practically glued to their ears, yacking 24 hours a day. I mean is it really necessary to carry on a phone conversation while dining at a restaurant, shopping, driving, sleeping, etc.?
I will, however, admit, that I do enjoy the freedom of movement my new cordless phone allows me. With a receiver that is not tethered to the wall, I have now experienced the heady rush that is carrying on a phone conversation while strolling about my apartment to pursue a variety of activities, such as meal preparation, washing dishes, lounging on the couch or in bed and using the bathroom.
Okay, Im kidding about that last one. I think we – including the Amish – can all agree that it would be rude to use the bathroom and your cordless phone at the same time, although Im sure there are some people out there who do just that.
My Two Cents is a weekly column where the author – who is doing just fine with his VCR, but wouldnt stand in the way of his brother and sister-in-law buying him a DVD player for his birthday – gets in his two cents worth, in spite of the old saying that you only get a penny for your thoughts.
