Crabby Uno phone call rant.

I am crabby! Crabby with a chip on my shouder. I am venting.

People bug me.

People who phone me and talk. Talk. One. Word. Per. Second. WIth long, sighing, meaningful pauses between each sentence. Empty space into what, I'm supposed to interject some words of wisdom or support? WHen what I really want to do is scream, "Your life would not be so hopelessly pathetic if you were not such a flaming idiot!" Of course, I am able to have these thoughts since I myself have NEVER been a flaming idiot.

I want to stab myself in the eye with a pencil when certain people call me and have something to say, only they can't just say it. No, they have to give me 30 minutes of unimportant, boring, life draining DETAIL that is NOT pertinent to the topic, but oh my dog, they drag the whole thing out while inside I am kneeling on my own neck, choking the life out of myself.

Just so you don't get the idea that I am a callous, uncaring thug, I do care about the people who call and I care about their life situations. However, I am a BUSY person with too much on my plate, probably like each of you. I do not live on a city lot where city workers and sweepers and other public services take care of my infrastructure needs. No. When a mysterious wet spot appears on the septic field, Hubby and I are on shovel duty followed by Phone The Backhoe, duty. I have too much to do each and every day and nothing drive me battier than certain friends who can't just say what it is they have to say. All the horror and personal agony you need to convey can be succinctly summed up in one sentence, "My mother in law is moving in with us, may I borrow your gun?" And if you are any kind of friend you already KNOW why this is bad news and that the gun is for shooting the self and not murdering the other (that call comes later). So while I am here and willing to support you wiht your life trials, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not nail me to the phone for an hour while you share it with me!

I know another lady who, when I first met her, laid it out. I do not like to take rides with people in their vehicles, even if we are going to the same place and I thought, perfect, because I am the same way. She also said she is not a great phone talker, will if she has to but prefers other methods of communication and I COMPLETELY understand that and respect it! It is to me boorish, unforgiveable, atrocious manners to get someone on the phone and yak at them until they want to scream, knowing they are too polite to tell you to shove off. It is a gross abuse of someone else's time to assume that anytime they pick up the phone they have an hour or more right then and there to dedicate to your long, drawn out, bit of drama.

We do not have call display but I am seriously considering getting it because sometimes there are people who are sweet and dear but I simply do not have the energy or will to put myself in the terrible postion of being on the receiving end of one of their long winded phone calls. Like that sentence, a run-on.

Vent over. I need a nap.

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Uno, this sooo hits home with me. I have several friends who will call just for the sake of talking and I have no time for that. Two of them take 40 minutes minimum of my time and speak in one long sentence where I cannot get a word in edgewise. The topic is always about themselves and their meaningless (to me) lives. Never a question about my well being or life. Never any meaningful discussion about world events or thoughtful ideas. Blah! No time for such a boring waste of my time. Call display is a wonderful thing as is the answering machine. Doug has even set up the machine to say I communicate best by email and don't expect a call back for at least a week. My mom was furious when she heard it and said I was unfriendly.

Now don't get me wrong. I relish a juicy, reciprocal conversation about politics, religion, science, social issues, etc. I could spend hours on the phone with Arcticsun, and sometimes do after one of us has had the IQ points sucked out of our brain by a boring caller.

Eleanor Roosevelt said it best.

Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people.

I hear you too, Sue.

While getting certain people on the phone literally makes my heart drop to my feet, I have others whom I love to chat with. Feel invigorated. What is that? Am I truly unfriendly?

As you say, there are people who call in the spirit of sharing, and then people who call who are takers. MAybe they don't know it, don't do it on purpose, but are energy suckers none the less. Does that make sense?

I know a fellow (no, not me) and I always know when his mother is on the phone, because it goes as follows: He answers the phone and then for the next 45 minutes, with a phone pressed to his ear, says nothing but the occasional grunt. When I ask him, what did your mom have to say he shrugs. He has no idea. He has learned to turn his brain to OFF. Her voice flows like water over well worn rocks. There is nothing of importance in that verbal vomit, the unstoppable tsunami of blabbing, that is worth listening to. It has been forced upon him, as his only life defense, to TUNE OUT. Unfortuantely, this has caused some rather life threatening situations with his wife. I know her. She don't take no crap. BUt man...what is it with those people?

Higgins, we do have an answering machine and I do let it take many calls, but too often I stil pick up. FOr the most part the people who call here are just fine, it's not a problem. We get our phone business outo f hte way and get on with the day. But there are a few... frustrating!

I know that I too am plagued with this problem as well however, I have call display. I use it! I like it! I have all the opportunity in the world to avoid any people that are either "flaming idiots" or "having a flaming idiot" day.

I can say there have been days when I have been that "person" and am diligently working on myself to only return said favour to those I leaned on.

But alas very few of my friends and family understand that I too have a life, a farm life. I am not just some random mom wondering around my home looking for something to do, watching daytime soaps eating bon bons. Awaiting the time my children come home and my wonderful husband blows thru the door offering me his briefcase and his ever existance to make me whole again.

Oh sorry rant.......

get call display, I love my DH, take naps and deep long breaths. Oh and I love "flaming idiots" Uno. Hope you feel better.

Uno, the best thing Doug ever taught me is,

'There is no obligation to answer a ringing phone.'

Get call display and use it. If someone calls and you don't want to talk then send them an email prefixed with 'I am busy this week, so I thought I would shoot you an email.'

This drives me crazy too. My sister is the worst!!! Calls me 4 or 5 times a day sometimes. Can drive me insane. I think she is just happy to have me back in the country, but geez.
Hubby will ask what she wanted and I will just say I don't know.

I have call display and an answering machine and sometimes I just don't pick up if I am doing books or ranch work. I often feel guilty, but I just don't want to stop what I am doing sometimes. If I know for sure it is for hubby sometimes I will leave it so the message is right for him to listen to.

I remember once saying to her that I can't plan that far ahead and she said she had to because she works. That really rotted me. I work way harder and longer hours than her, but because I can be a little flexible I think she thinks I don't do much.

Uno, get an answering machine, then you can listen for who it is and pick up if you want to talk.

I don't remember where I got the quote, but it's my favourite phone quote: "The phone is there for MY convenience. Not anyone else's."

We have call display AND voice mail. If it's important, they'll leave a message. If it's not important, we'll see that they called and know that they were thinking of us.

Everyone I know only has my cell phone number which conveniently does not work here. Mom knows the landline number. That's it, cuz I sure as shit don't have the time myself. Hell I don't even have time to make posts here most of the time!

I have a land line that I keep solely to accomodate the monitoring of my home alarm (I have dogs home all day while I'm gone - I couldn't give a rip about my possessions but if there was a fire.... so I pay for a monitored smoke alarm) and a cel phone. I almost never answer my land line because I don't think anyone but telemarketers have the number.

If you're someone I want to hear from I have given you my cel number. If not, I just don't mind listening to the phone ring and ring. My cel phone has call display.

Well,this seems to be a secret peeve of many out there!

FarmChiq...you gave me your home number.
Gee.
Read my post about my heart problems. My terrible, crippling, practically fatal heart problems.

Feel guilty. Feel very VERY guilty!

Oh you lucky people to have someone whe cares enough to call. My phone doesn't ring for days on end, and when it does I only answer if I want to. I have no cell. I have an answering machine that doesn't work, calls just go to fax. When my answering machine did work the message was;" Due to circumstances beyond my control I am making a few changes in my life, If I don't call you back you are one of the changes". Even telemarketers stopped phone, I made them hang up on ME. I think it is just I am such a miserable old cuss!!

Best.
Rant.
EVER!

I so agree with you. I have a million stories just like this. I will call you today, just before suppertime, and tell you alllllll about them. Like this one time in band camp... hold on, I better get a tea and a chair...

I don't know, I think I'd much rather people call, so I can lie and say "Oh someone's at the door... gotta go" than have someone show up and stand there yacking and yacking and there is nowhere to run to.
Maybe that's just me, I have no trouble lying my butt off and saying "oh, animal just got loose" or whatever and hanging up.

Haaahaahahaaaa!

I dont know how many time I have done that, suddenly shouting into the phone LOOSE DOG! GOTTA GO!
It is always followed by a "OH! Chat later!" *click*

Heeheheeeee, people knowing I have huskies has its perks!

Arcticsun wrote:Haaahaahahaaaa!

I dont know how many time I have done that, suddenly shouting into the phone LOOSE DOG! GOTTA GO!
It is always followed by a "OH! Chat later!" *click*

Heeheheeeee, people knowing I have huskies has its perks!

Arctic, how could you! Last week, remember, I was telling you about all the cute things my nephew has been doing. We had only been talking an hour when you said you had a loose dog! Now I know! Sniff!

Schipperkesue wrote:40 minutes minimum of my time and speak in one long sentence where I cannot get a word in edgewise.

40 minutes would be a dream. I don't have many people in my life that are friends maybe one or two. One of them is a dear friend from high school but I tell you she can talk, when she calls we are on the phone for a minimum of 4 hrs. I know if i answer the phone i can forget about getting anything done for that day. It gets to the point i have to do house hold chores while listening.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind lending an ear for a friend. I will listen and give some advice, after all to me that is what friendship is all about. I just wish we could wrap things up quicker. It gets to the point that I am afraid to call and see how she is doing because I just don't have the hours to spend on the phone.

Now that i think about it, the friends that I have had in my life in the past have always been long winded phone talkers. Maybe that is why i can only have a couple friends at a time...Hahaha

Years ago when i lived in Kelowna i actually fell asleep while on the phone with one of these long winded talkers...Oopps!

Four hours!!!

I would never pick up the phone!

Prairie Chick wrote:It gets to the point i have to do house hold chores while listening.

I ALWAYS do housework when I'm on the phone ... unless it's with a client. Then I'm doing paying work. lol

Prairie Chick you need a headset phone! I couldn't do it either, but I'd get a crink in my neck from trying to hold the phone with my shoulder for that length of time.

I fell asleep listening to someone on the phone once too. Oops is right.