A Little Cell Phone Rant

I've been stewing about this for a week or so, but am just getting around to putting it in writing. At the risk of possibly offending some of my dear readers, I must rant about public cell phone use. Mind you, I am guilty of using my cell phone in public - - let me just make that clear. I frequently call my parents while I am driving (bad, I know). My justification for doing this is that when I am in my car, it seems to be the only time during my waking hours that I can actually "talk". Kids are strapped in and occupied. Yes, I've also talked on my cell phone when inside a store, but I can confidently say that the caller is usually my husband, calling with a question or a request for something he needs while I am out running errands. Now, onto my rant.

Nothing makes me nuttier than walking into a public restroom, choosing a stall, and then discovering that the person in the stall next door is gabbing on her cell phone. I mean, really. In my experience, the conversation is usually loud, and about something that the general population does NOT want to know about. Not only that, but how does a person "take care of business" AND hold a teeny-tiny cell phone between their shoulder and ear? I have no clue.

Next on my list is the person who wanders through the store, talking on their phone the entire time. This is what I encountered last week at my local WalMart Supercenter. There I was, the World's Perfect Cell Phone User, minding my own business, shopping for groceries with my two young sons. Every aisle I entered, I ran into the same woman, talking very loudly about how so-and-so cheated on so-and-so, etc., etc., and plenty more details nobody needed to know. The worst part was that her two daughters were trapped in the grocery cart, looking miserable. We finally met face-to-face over by the pharmacy, when she stopped in the middle of the aisle to really get into her conversation, oblivious to the fact that there were other people trying to do their shopping. I tried to maneuver my cart around hers, when she turned and put her hand in my face as in a "stop" gesture, and glared at me with all her might. To that I replied, "Maybe you ought to pay attention to what you are doing!" I probably should have kept my mouth shut, but I sure felt better!

Okay, so maybe the WalMart Woman feels as I do, when I am in my car. Maybe she only feels that she can "talk" when she is shopping. Maybe the guy in the car behind me (while I'm jabbering on the phone) is pulling his hair out because I am driving 25 in a 50, so caught up in my conversation that I am oblivious to the other drivers around me. In my own defense, at least I'm having my conversation in private. However, I guess operating a motor vehicle should demand one's full attention. So much for my rant!