At one time I was so against cell phones, thinking they were going to control us, and you know what? On some level they do. And it's not just verbal communicating, it's the incessant texting, which I thought was merely the beginning of the de-evolution of the written language. But okay, I've started to come around. I see the necessity, the convenience, and I see how it makes us more efficient communicators. We can plan better, meet better, connect better... it has many advantages. Plus, the texting, if not done to excess, is a very expeditious way to communicate. This past weekend, it really hit home how important a cell phone can be, especially when plans seemingly go awry. The fast communication makes it easier to troubleshoot and avert awkward situations. Let me give you an example of what I mean.
I recently met this guy named Dave. He works at Walmart, and his daughter used to attend gymnastics with Aziza. Everytime I do my grocery shopping at Walmart, he'd come up and say hello and chat briefy, until one day he asked me out. We had coffee once and it went well. However the next date... not so good. Since it's hard for me to date and get out, I try to work around Aziza's schedule, like when she has playdates or parties to attend. Anyway, he offered to do my grocery shopping with me, as a way to spend time merely, while Aziza was at a birthday party. I found it odd but sweet in some way too.
So I take Aziza to the party at noon, only to realize that I screwed up and the party starts at 1pm, but I've already arranged to meet Dave at Walmart at 12:30. Does Dave have a cell phone that I can call him on to tell him we need to move our afternoon excursion to 1:30? Of course he doesn't. So at 12:10 I have to drive to Walmart, hang out with Aziza in the foyer and wait for him to arrive to give him the update.
Okay, we head to Barnes and Noble to kill a little time until I have to take Aziza back to the party. When we're ready to leave the bookstore, we head into the parking lot and Dave says, "I have to go into Dick's Sporting Goods to look for something, and it shouldn't take me long." I said, "Okay, I'll take Aziza to the party and meet you back here." So basically, I agreed to meet him back at Dick's. But you see, if he had a cell phone, I could call him, or even send a quick text, as I'm returning from the roller rink, to tell him to meet me at Walmart. But no, that would just make too much sense. Instead, I get back to Dick's, have to park the car, go inside, and then proceed to walk around the store until I find him. I just don't know how we wasted so much time before we had cell phones. After all that, I knew this was not going to be any romantic walk together around Walmart. I was too annoyed with the ridiculousness of how this day was shaping up.
As you could probably guess, we walked around the grocery store like an old married couple that hasn't seen the sites of romance or flirting in 20 years. I know they say grocery stores are a great place to meet people, but please, don't schedule dates there! Not only that. If you don't have a cell phone, get one! They're not so expensive anymore, and they come without the committed plans. If you plan to date, have kids, have a job, have a life... you need a cell phone!
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