How many of you exist without a cell phone?

[spindrifter]

I am pretty much cell-free, but occasionally I borrow one from a family member if I absolutely have to be contacted.

[auntAgonist]

1. we only have cell phones. no landline at all.

It is cheaper in the long run for us.

[baldguy]

2. I hate cell phones

Used to be, people who walked around in public talking loudly to someone who wasn't there were considered to be insane. Now they've become arrogant & obnoxious too.

[Roon]

5. I know

You liked them better when you though they were talking to themselves.

[Fla Dem]

82. Totally agree. Try waiting on some dolt in a store while they have

an ongoing conversation. I got to the point where I ignore the fact that they are talking on the phone, and do my usual patter; Cash, credit or debit? Did you find everything you were looking for? Can I interest you in (whatever) etc. Eventually they get riled and have to ask the person they are talking with to hold on. I then get their undivided attention.

Recently got a Trac phone. Pay as you go. I travel by myself and have it more for emergencies than anything else.

[supernova]

3. I do, but

I don't have one yet, but I am considering getting one for emergencies because my car is so old, I never know when I will be stranded.

Other than that, I'm hardly a telephone user at all. My family just never got into it. I speak to my sister and her family for about 15 minutes/week. If we have plans, we talk for 5 or 10 minutes the day before. I'm just not much of a chatter.

[ghostsofgiants]

4. I am cell-free...

Mind you I barely leave my bedroom, so it's not that hard to get in touch with me.

[GirlinContempt]

6. I do. I'll let Dylan Moran do the heavy lifting for me

on the cell phone issue:

"You see, most modern technology doesn't work. It's supposed to free you, but it's a terrible trap, of course. Mobile phones everybody has one now I have one and they're awful. They've completely ruined, I mean, people ring you up and say "Hi it's me I'm in the bath!" and well, you're still an asshole, uh mph, I hope you drown, and um hello. And they've completely dispensed with the whole drama of news, the simple idea of having something to relate, you know. When you could bound in from the garden and pick up the old Bakelite phone that weighed seven pounds and say "MIRRIAMS DEAD". You can't do that anymore. You're probably there! (pantomiming being on phone) Yes, her heads rolling back, spits coming out, her eyes are going everywhere, here I'll take a picture. click. you see what I mean. Sheeees fucked."

[ghostsofgiants]

7. Never have I seen it more beautifully articulated.

*tear*

[swag]

11. On a related note,

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/02/nyregion/02diary.html

I had barely sat down when I heard a voice from the other bathroom stall saying, "How are you?" I don't know what got into me, but I answered, somewhat embarrassed, "Doin' just fine." And the other person said, "So what are you up to?" (What kind of a question is that?)

At that point, I was thinking, "This is too bizarre," so I said, "Uh, I'm like you - just traveling." At this point I was just trying to get out as fast as I could when I heard another question. "Can I come over?" O.K., this question was just too weird for me, but I figured I could just be polite and end the conversation. I answered: "No. I'm a little busy right now."

Then I heard the person say, nervously: "Listen, I'll have to call you back. There's an idiot in the next stall who keeps answering all my questions."

[GirlinContempt]

15. ROFL

that is GREAT

[evlbstrd]

8. I hate them.

Got them for my kids as teens, just to be able to find them. But the plans suck, the bills are outrageous, and the brats turn them off when they don't want to be called anyway.
My land line may ring five times a week, and it's rarely for me.

[miss_american_pie]

9. I haven't had one in years.

My husband just cancelled his this weekend.

[hfojvt]

10. Exist? Just exist?

I do more than exist without a cell phone. I thrive. I revel. I dance and sing.

I have about as much use for a cell phone as I do for a microwave or a dishwasher.

[Shine]

12. Frankly, as a mom, I can't imagine NOT having a cell phone

for me anyway, over the years, they've been lifesavers at times.....

just sayin'...
:hi:

[Evergreen Emerald]

42. Me too Shine.

My daughter and I each have one. It is a life saver. I cannot imagine how my mother raised us without one!

[jonnyblitz]

13. I have one and NEVER turn it on unless i am travelling

i forget to check my voicemail even. i just dont like idle phone chitchat.

[Heidi]

17. I've lost the access code to the voicemail on mine.

That's probably a good thing, because we have cell-phone voicemail SPAM here. Do ya'll have that in the states? I _loathe_ it. :grr:

[jonnyblitz]

29. i get text message spam on mine but no voicemail spam.

I am on t-mobile which, i believe, is a german company.

[bigwillq]

40. Did you ever get my text message?

:shrug:

[jonnyblitz]

41. i read it as soon as you told me otherwise i would have let it sit.

it takes me forever to type one out...

[erinlough]

64. Same here.

I can't stand to talk on the phone and to take one with me to be bothered by, well...no thanks.

[Mojambo]

14. I did until about a week ago.

I gotta say, I could probably do without it.

It's basically pocket weight.

[SoCalDem]

16. Don't have a cell..don't want one n/t

[RebelOne]

18. I do. I have had the pay-as-you-go TracPhone,

but never really needed it. I have a phone at my office and a phone at home. I actually don't make many phone calls and don't want people tracking me down via phone.

[ScreamingMeemie]

19. I couldn't possibly do my job without it, and in answer to some, no, that

doesn't make me arrogant and obnoxious...it makes me a woman trying to support her family by going out on the road everyday. Cell phones are a good thing.

[Left Is Write]

33. My husband would have difficulty doing his job without one also.

He is away from his office so often, he forwards his office number to his cell also!

[Left Is Write]

34. .

Wrong place. :crazy:

[jus_the_facts]

20. Never had one....and at this point in time don't plan on ever havin' one..

:eyes:

[I Have A Dream]

21. My husband and I have one cell phone between us. For the most part...

it's with him.

[eyepaddle]

22. I made it to the age of thirty-five without one (that's this last fall)

but I broke down and got one. Mainly to make coordinating my hobby easier, doing stuff like finding the put-ins at various rivers, where people are in the voyages to the river, etc. I planned on avoiding the cell phone all together until a friend's car broke down on him AFTER I'd left my house :( I drove more than an hour to the put in, waited for a couple more, then drove home--all without paddling. :cry:

Now that the rivers are pretty much frozen I barely use the thing.

I dislike the cell phone thingy, but I am willing to compromise on that ethic to facilitate my kayaking!

So I'm sorry to have bailed on my people!

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. Only when the battery dies

[newyawker99]

24. I got rid of mine a few years ago.

I say.....Good riddance!!

[Oeditpus Rex]

25. Pretty much

It stays in my truck, and I haven't used it in... I can't even remember. Once in the last year, maybe.

Cell phone and a Triple-A membership are your best friends on the road.

Just in case.

[u4ic]

26. I do

Don't plan to ever have one, either.

[ernstbass]

27. I don't have a cell phone

but it sure is hard to find a pay phone in the airport these days!

[ForrestGump]

28. I wanted to be the last American with one, but

practicality won out -- it suits my fugitive lifestyle and I have no land line. I hated cell 'phones...really, though, it was the way people tended to use them that irked me (and still does). They have their limitations, still, but they are perfect for someone whose life is for now a little less than settled and they do have significant advantages related to mobility. I can move anywhere and keep the same number: as it is, my number is of a state different than the one in which I now reside.

I don't use 'phones much -- never have -- and I am not a slave to the thing. I often neglect to take it with me and very often keep the ring tone off...even if unintentionally, I'll often screen calls just as I did when I had a land line and answering machine. The truth is that I get very little traffic on my 'phone. My relatives are always on the telephone, and their use of cell 'phones almost seems like bowing to the tyranny of the telephone 24/7...I don't like being that available, hence my often keeping the thing muted.

[LaraMN]

30. I don't have one. I can't stand them.

I had one for a year and I either:

a) forgot to bring it with me when I left home, or
b) brought it with and forgot to turn it on.

I have little use for one, although my husband has one.

[GrumpyGreg]

31. I'm 73 years old and have had a cellphone for 12 years---I'm on

my third one but,and it's a big but,I don't leave it on so it's for my convenience and security only.

When I don't want to be reached I cannot be reached.

[mike_c]

32. never had one, don't plan on ever having one....

eom

[Left Is Write]

35. I could get by without one, but I choose not to.

I made the decision to get my first cell phone the night my car got a flat tire on the freeway. I had to walk in the cold, in the dark, alone, to a convenience store to use the payphone to call my husband.

I worked for a cellular broker at the time, and didn't even have my own cell phone.

If I were going to do without a certain type of phone, it would be the landline, not my cell phone. Besides, I feel much better when I'm out alone (or alone with the kids) and/or at night having a phone with me.

[RevCheesehead]

36. I had one about 10 years ago.

I got it primarily for the long-distance trips between NC and WI. But when I moved up here, I cancelled. I lived quite happily without one, and even proudly told people "just leave a message on the machine, and I'll get back to you."

Alas, this, too changed (a few weeks ago). Now I have a new phone, and I am very particular in whom I choose to give the number to. My primary reason is because of my mom's ongoing health problems, and the convenience in having it when travelling to their place and back. But I'm still not going to give it out to church people. (I tell them I'm not that important.)

[bikebloke]

37. Have no desire for one.

I survive just fine without one. If someone wants to reach me they leave a message on my landline's machine(picked one up when I changed cities for the job search). If I'm out pedalling, I don't want someone ringing me up. I'm not important, so there's nothing that can't wait.

[EstimatedProphet]

38. My existence is not dependent on a cell phone

But I do have one

[FLSurfer]

39. No cell phone here.

I'm not a no-cell snob. If people want one great, but I have no need.
Hopefully I will never need one.
Sure, there have been times when one would have been handy. But I live so close to the bottom line I couldn't imagine paying for it.

My 14 y/o daughter wants one so bad, I feel like a bad parent for not buying her one. I've read too many stories of cell bills totaling hundreds of dollars, to really consider getting one for her.

[qanda]

43. I have a cell phone

And I use about 10 minutes a month (on average) over the course of a year. I truly believe a cell phone should be for emergencies only-- like when you can't find your husband in the mall.

[Dangerously Amused]

44. Hmm.

"How many of you exist without a cell phone?"


Well, if I didn't exist without a cell phone... would I know it?

I'm sorry, but I think this question is more appropriate for the philosophy forum.


Just sayin'

[spindrifter]

48. I chose the word "exist",

as I know countless people who apparently don't exist unless they are connected or potentially connected to their relatives, friends, business associates, the internet, games and music at all times. :crazy:

[Dangerously Amused]

51. I know. I was teasing.

My humor (?) is a little too dry sometimes. :7

[ForrestGump]

67. Too dry? Here, let's slather ourselves with this stuff

and see what happens...

[mwooldri]

45. I have a phone but I am not tied to it. Unless it's vital of course.

Which is quite funny since I work in a telephone call center!

However I do notice one thing: around campus I see an increasing number of people (mainly (IMO) cute looking girls) that are absolutely tied to the cellphone - talking the hind legs off a donkey (sometimes I wish we could talk the legs off an elephant but that's something else). Me? I just have the cellphone on me. It's on me for pre-arranged times, like when I'm without a car or being separated from my wife on joint trips (e.g. she wants to go shopping in Place A, and I want to go into Place B). Right now, as my son's in hospital I have it on me 24/7 but normally I have it in the car, going flat.

My wife has complained to me that I am incommunicado from time to time. She however is wedded to the phone.

Mark.

[Straight Shooter]

46. Maybe in the future I will buy one for emergencies.

But I will never be one of those people who talk on the phone while driving, while walking down the street, or for cryin' out loud, in the grocery line.

*tap tap* "'scuse me, I don't care to hear what you're planning to do tonight."

[Redstone]

47. I only take the phone with me if I'm on a business trip.

Otherwise, Mrs R has it, and she's welcome to the damn annoying thing. I don't want to talk on the phone while I'm driving, dammit!

Redstone

[CatholicEdHead]

49. Only use it for travelling

it is on for only brief times when it is needed. The number is not well known so I do not get many calls.

[BikeWriter]

50. I haven't had a cell phone in years. It's not too horrible a thing.

[newportdadde]

52. I have a prepaid one I use.

I have to put 20 bucks in it every 3 months I think it is, then its 25 cents a minute unless I use a large number of minutes in one day then the rate lowers.

I use it occassionally, if I'm stuck in traffic to call my wife or to make sure my son isn't napping so I don't use the garage door and wake him up that kind of thing.

I also use it as part of my job is I get called and have to use my land line to dial into HQ.

[KamaAina]

53. I thought I was the only sentient being over age 6 without one out here

where they became very popular because they offered free interisland calls. Finally I met a fellow non-traveler a couple of weeks ago.

Hell, if my land line rings, I know it's Mom, this one guy I know, or a telemarketer. :eyes:

[NashVegas]

54. I Don't Anymore

I finally broke down and got one, mainly because I'm more worried about my car breaking down - I have a job where I'd have to reach people immediately to cover me.

I use the cell phone about once per week (company pays for it).

[Neshanic]

55. Tolerate them. I will not be a Bluetooth Borg though, Never.

Is it just me but the Bluetooth thing that hangs on your ear gives you the right to be more obnoxious than having the cellphone to your ear? Was there a problem with lifting the phone to your ear injuries? "Doctor, I can't seem to lift my cell phone to the side of my cranium in the area that has my ear lobe."

The attack of the Starbucks Bluetooth Borg...

[Left Is Write]

56. What is a Bluetooth?

[Neshanic]

57. Venture here, and see the awfull future.

http://www.bluetooth.com/

[lizziegrace]

62. I can't stand those things! n/t

[ScreamingMeemie]

69. Ummm no, it was the problem with trying to write down info and hold

the phone to my ear and search for paperwork that did it for me. :hi:

[lizziegrace]

58. I've had one for 10 years

Mainly because my spouse at the time was gone all the time and I wanted it for emergencies if I was out with my daughter. I got one for my daughter when I worked at a job that took me away from my desk for long periods. She was also going through some panic issues and it was the easiest way to calm her fears. It's always on and she can always reach me. That's our deal.

She, on the other hand, forgets to turn hers on and until a month ago, didn't bother to find out how to retrieve the messages I was leaving... :shrug:

I can't imagine being without it and my AAA membership. Security. Very expensive security.

[liberaltrucker]

59. Couldn't exist without it in my line of work

When Contel(later Verizon Wireless) started offering nationwide rate plans in early 1999, it was a godsend for OTR truckers.

[trackfan]

60. I keep one - turned off - in the glove compartment of my car

in case I have a road emergency. I just got that last summer. When the minutes - $20 worth every 3 months - are about to expire, I make some calls on it, then charge it up for the next 3 months and put it back in the glove compartment.

[Neshanic]

61. I can't believe I am saying this, Verizon Broadband for laptops ROCKS!

Now that is a great use of cell technology.

[Fox Mulder]

63. I don't have one.

Don't plan on getting one. I hate those fucking things.

[swag]

65. You call this existing?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

66. I have a pay-as-you-go

and I don't go much.

I got it in July. My card tops up automatically $15 every 3 months, and minutes roll over. In October, at the last top up, I had $12 left on my card.

[Blue_In_AK]

68. No cell here...

We never go anywhere.

[newspeak]

70. well, I got one three weeks ago

through working assets. My hubby asks me when are you going to start carrying it? I haven't even used it yet and it's been three weeks. I like having one in case of an emergency. However, i truly loathe people on the freeway glued to their cell phone. I think it's dangerous. I thought about getting a bumper sticker that says "hang up and drive."

[NMMNG]

71. I held out until shortly after my 37th birthday

Then this past September I finally broke down and got one.

[bridgit]

72. we do, but with my new job we'll reactivate them, hubby says...

we'll need to be in touch, doesn't want me standing around on corners waiting for a yada-yada ride or whatever, they are always used for business however; never the ever popular, "i'm on isle #3 standing in front of the clausen pickles where are you and what are YOU doing?" kind of silly-ass shit :thumbsdown:

[madeline_con]

73. I got one for X-mas...

It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

It's a pay as you go, I don't yak on it all the time.

[William Bloode]

74. I have no cell phone.

Never have. In fact i have a fear of phones. I can't stand talking to someone if i can't see them to get a handle on their reactions, and body language. To me it's like i am only getting 1/2 the story.

I'm a very paranoid kinda guy.

[lpbk2713]

75. I have a pager and that's as far as I'll concede to technology.

And only a handful of people know the number.

[Strong Atheist]

76. I did till two months ago. Still don't want one.

:(

[swimboy]

77. I don't have one and I have no plans to acquire one.

Life is good when inaccessibility is an option.

[StaggerLee]

80. I'm with you Swimboy

I felt like I had a ball and chain when I did have a cell phone.

I know people who need a mobile phone for self validation. It's pretty damn sad.

Nothing against people who actually need one.

Oh, and there was the time that I got my voicemails three days late. That really burned me. That was the last straw.

[swimboy]

81. .

:thumbsup:

[Magrittes Pipe]

78. I used to be so proud of being cell-free.

Then I had a blowout on the highway, and had to rely on the kindness of a cell-phone wielding stranger.

Now, I don't have a land line.

[LynneSin]

79. I use to think that way but now I love my cell phone

First, I get a better calling plan through my cell phone than my regular lanline (which has been stripped of everything except local calling - I have Verizon DSL).

I brokedown and got a cell phone after 9/11. I was working night shift so my regular phone was always turned off during the daytime so I could sleep. I guess my mother tried to reach me about a dozen times but couldn't get an answer since the phone was off (no I wasn't living in NYC, I was safely asleep in Wilmington DE).

I try to be considerate when using my cellphone and if I don't want to be disturbed I simply turn off the ringer.

But it's nice with the system I have. The annoying phone calls are all directed to my home phone number which doesn't even have a telephone connected to it. Trust me, if I give you my home (not cell) phone number it means I really don't want to hear from you ever again.

[noonwitch]

83. I have a work one only, not a personal one

The work one is for emergencies only. Or for long distance, work-related calls from home. I carry it with me when I drive out of town in case of an emergency-if my car breaks down when I'm going to visit family, I'll pay the employer back for the call.

[Bassic]

84. I have a pager and it's enough for me. nt