I used to ride the bus everywhere, and I heard some fascinating conversations, funny, sad, or just plain wierd! Overhearing cellphone conversations can be interesting, but it's usually very mundane. Reminds one of the "underlying sadness of Life"
Favorite (because I wasn't captive, merely passed the speaker on the street) overhead cell phone remarks:
Young woman (late teens) annunciating into her phone with a pained deliberation: "And when you find out, you're going to call me, right? You're not going to text me."
I took Amtrack to my grandmother's funeral somewhat recently. My partner got me in business class in the well-founded hope that they pay more attention to you there and are less likely to let you get off the train at the wrong station because you have a migraine and aren't paying attention.
The thing about business class is, you can plug in your computer. So the whole way I sat across from a woman--who I'd wager has never been *any* sort of individual--who apparently was on two phones and a computer and a PDA negotiating the hostile takeover of a foreign government, without apparently being aware that the miracle of modern telephony means you don't have to actually *shout* to the other coast. At some point, either the takeover was thwarted or accomplished (or else she'd just deafened her agents)and people began hanging up on her.
At which point, apparently bored, she began calling people to tell them she was on a train, and to--I swear to God--read entire newspaper articles at them. Believe me when I tell you that the Wall Street Journal is not aided by narrators doing the voices. (Also, I'm almost positive the president of Lithuania doesn't have a Mexican accent.)
In any event, I came away from this with something of a revelation, which may sound odd from a dedicated IRC and blog addict and compulsive self-conversationalist: some people are not nearly self-contained enough.
I experienced an actual, for real spit take on a train from NYC to Dover, NJ about 6 months ago. It was a mid-day train so our car was not that crowded. For most of the ride a woman sitting directly in front of me was talking on a blue tooth to some friend or relative. She went on and on and on about how she decorated the Christmas Tree for a local Center for Abused Women and their dislocated families. Well, from what I could gather, she didn't really do the decorating. She was complaining that she sent her employees down there with some "very expensive decorations" and how the mothers and children seemed somewhat appreciative but none of them complimented her/them about how "beautiful" the tree looked. "It took those people (her employees) hours to decorate that tree and not one comment!" Even worse, "These were [name brand] decorations." When she got off at her stop this quiet older gentleman who was sitting across the eisle from her turns to me and says, "She's just wonderful. Isn't she?" resulting in a spray of Snapple on the seat in front of me.
I've taken to immediately ignoring anyone who answers their cell phone if they're around me. Like, completely. As in talking about them to others, pretending not to hear their meager whimpers of apology.
So many of the people on the street here talk to themselves, that I long ago relegated it to the "background noise" bin, along with helicopters and celebrities.
Thus, it was only very recently that I noticed that some of them have cellphones...
9 comments:
Yeah, I was so much older then.
I used to ride the bus everywhere, and I heard some fascinating conversations, funny, sad, or just plain wierd! Overhearing cellphone conversations can be interesting, but it's usually very mundane. Reminds one of the "underlying sadness of Life"
Favorite (because I wasn't captive, merely passed the speaker on the street) overhead cell phone remarks:
Young woman (late teens) annunciating into her phone with a pained deliberation: "And when you find out, you're going to call me, right? You're not going to text me."
I took Amtrack to my grandmother's funeral somewhat recently. My partner got me in business class in the well-founded hope that they pay more attention to you there and are less likely to let you get off the train at the wrong station because you have a migraine and aren't paying attention.
The thing about business class is, you can plug in your computer. So the whole way I sat across from a woman--who I'd wager has never been *any* sort of individual--who apparently was on two phones and a computer and a PDA negotiating the hostile takeover of a foreign government, without apparently being aware that the miracle of modern telephony means you don't have to actually *shout* to the other coast. At some point, either the takeover was thwarted or accomplished (or else she'd just deafened her agents)and people began hanging up on her.
At which point, apparently bored, she began calling people to tell them she was on a train, and to--I swear to God--read entire newspaper articles at them. Believe me when I tell you that the Wall Street Journal is not aided by narrators doing the voices. (Also, I'm almost positive the president of Lithuania doesn't have a Mexican accent.)
In any event, I came away from this with something of a revelation, which may sound odd from a dedicated IRC and blog addict and compulsive self-conversationalist: some people are not nearly self-contained enough.
I blame cell phones.
I was in a restaurant the other day, and a woman answered her cell phone WHILE SHE WAS TALKING ON ANOTHER CELL PHONE.
Sorry for the shouting. I was trying to demonstrate her tone of voice.
I experienced an actual, for real spit take on a train from NYC to Dover, NJ about 6 months ago. It was a mid-day train so our car was not that crowded. For most of the ride a woman sitting directly in front of me was talking on a blue tooth to some friend or relative. She went on and on and on about how she decorated the Christmas Tree for a local Center for Abused Women and their dislocated families. Well, from what I could gather, she didn't really do the decorating. She was complaining that she sent her employees down there with some "very expensive decorations" and how the mothers and children seemed somewhat appreciative but none of them complimented her/them about how "beautiful" the tree looked. "It took those people (her employees) hours to decorate that tree and not one comment!" Even worse, "These were [name brand] decorations." When she got off at her stop this quiet older gentleman who was sitting across the eisle from her turns to me and says, "She's just wonderful. Isn't she?" resulting in a spray of Snapple on the seat in front of me.
This is why I never go anywhere without earplugs. Or the iPod. Or both.
Yes, most people are that self-centered and rude.
I've taken to immediately ignoring anyone who answers their cell phone if they're around me. Like, completely. As in talking about them to others, pretending not to hear their meager whimpers of apology.
I find it really easy to be an asshole that way.
Greeetings from Hollywood.
So many of the people on the street here talk to themselves, that I long ago relegated it to the "background noise" bin, along with helicopters and celebrities.
Thus, it was only very recently that I noticed that some of them have cellphones...
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