Is any place sacred?

[AllezGirl]

I recently took my son to McD's after school one day...in the middle of the dining area was one of the workers, on her break, chatting away LOUDLY on a Nextel!!! I wanted to slap her silly! Cell phones are bad enough, but it's excruciating when you can hear both sides of a pointless conversation with a grating BEEP BEEP in-between sentences!

[wannaduacentury]

I can deal with someone taking a call in a restroom if it's a quick place(corner) to get in to chat, but I don't like stall talkers either. I have a cell phone for bike riding, hiking, and just to have on for commuting down the highway. I'm respectful at concerts, movies, and restaurants to keep it off. That's why phones have voicemail-to call folks back. My biggest pet peeve is restaurant talkers, who have to talk loud and are heard all over, not very appetizing. Just my opinion. Jennifer

[sulis]

You are soooo not alone in this. Sadly there are many ladies in my office who think its ok to chat while taking care of personal business. Gross. If you choose to do that in your own home, fine...but this is a public restroom there are others to consider. And if anyone dares call me while doing this, I will hang up on them without hesitating.

I have a complete love/hate relationship with cell phones. I only carry one for my safety when riding, since I ride alone. Its the most basic plan and only my family and my occassional riding buddy has it. When asked for my cell #, I usually say I don't have one. I love that it is there in case I get in a jam. However, I absolutely hate the loss of common courtesy that has come along with their increased use. Its like we think the more cell phone calls/text messages we get, the more important we are. I think its sad personally.

[HappyAnika]

This is the rule on public restroom conversation: if you are continuing a conversation that started before you entered the stalls, it is permissible to continue it as long as both parties reciprocate. It is not permissible to strike up a conversation while you are both in stalls unless you are either in need of toilet paper or a feminine hygeine product.

Yes, what she said.

I do have a cell phone, but have it mostly for the safety aspect and the free long distance, which I use like I would normally use my home phone, sitting on the couch in my living room talking to my parents on a Sunday afternoon.

In addition to public restroom use, I still have a hard time seeing people everywhere talking loudly to themselves. I momentarily don't realize they have a headset or a bluetooth ear thing and I think they are all crazy. It seems to me that people just don't care about their privacy anymore. I personally don't feel like discussing any aspect of my life while strangers listen in, but I think I'm in the minority these days.

[wannaduacentury]

I have a complete love/hate relationship with cell phones. I only carry one for my safety when riding, since I ride alone. Its the most basic plan and only my family and my occassional riding buddy has it. When asked for my cell #, I usually say I don't have one. I love that it is there in case I get in a jam. However, I absolutely hate the loss of common courtesy that has come along with their increased use. Its like we think the more cell phone calls/text messages we get, the more important we are. I think its sad personally.

I agree, I have a cell for the same reasons you do. I hardly turn it on. As for corporate America, I refuse to have an "electronic noose" around my neck. it's not worth it. When my day is done, it's over and I'n not available unless someone is bleeding or dying. No blackberry for me. Jennifer

[CyclChyk]

thank you for reminding me why i love living in a place that has no cell phone coverage at all!

No cell phone??? I can't imagine how I lived without one. I think I would have serious withdrawal symptoms if I had to give it up.

I luckily have never had the pleasure of walking in on someone using a cell in a public restroom. Can you really be all that careful if you are on the phone in a public restroom? I am not a germaphob but eewwww! Surely at some point one would get a little careless....

What bothers me is people exercising while on the cell. Riding the eliptical or treadmill, etc. Aside from a quick call to/from the babysitter/spouse, do you really have to chat away on the cell? Is your life that busy that you have to multitask calls into your workout??

Just my two cents.........

[Aggie_Ama]

I work with those women!! One day I was in the bathroom feeling not so hot and there was a woman ARGUING with her husband. I was teetering on the edge of throwing up or something just as gross and here she is yelling at him. All I could think is "Does he realize she is in a public restroom?"

The other day another co-worker was hashing out her financial issues in the bathroom with someone. I don't need to know that her husband went through a job change and now makes less or about their debt ratio- I want to use the restroom for the reason it is there.

I do work in a cube farm, but there are plenty of conference rooms that are unlocked and unoccupied at any given moment. I usually take the stairs down 2 floors to the parking garage. You would be amazed how much isolation you can find with just a short walk.

I admit, I am a bit of a cell phone addict. Since DH and all my family are free to call (plus anyone with T-Mobile- anybody want to chat? ), I often find myself jabbering about the stupidest things on my phone. BUT it is usually sitting in my car in our garage at lunch or on my patio after work. The bathroom is for bathroom stuff. PERIOD.

[Trek420]

IMHO your cell has caller id, voice mail...if you're at dinner, out with friends or on a date let the call go to voicemail, that's what these things are there for.

Thoughtfull use of features like call forwarding save you and your callers time. If you call my land line it forwards to my cell if I'm away, if I can take your call safely and politely I will....if there's a reason it'll be a while till I return your call there will be a message there to that effect.

One of my podmates has the most annoying personalized ring tones: one sounds like a cat, the other like a crying baby. I've told her to set the phone to stun. she still has that on.

I'd never call from the bathroom, I'll call you back after that. But you'd be amazed the number of folks who do their business....while doing their....
"how can I help you today?"
"flush"
"ew, we don't know each other well enough for that"

[chickwhorips]

No cell phone??? I can't imagine how I lived without one. I think I would have serious withdrawal symptoms if I had to give it up.

when i first moved here my sister asked me how she would get ahold of me because i no longer had a cell phone. ummmm i still have a regular phone.

caller id, nope don't have that here either. it works for in town, but anywhere else it says unknown. thats what you get for having satellites instead of wires. the connection that has a pause sometimes does get annoying. sometimes there is a 5 second pause between when you talk and when the other person hears it.

[Bikingmomof3]

I have a cell phone but never use it. I do take it with me in case of an emergency, otherwise is is off and in my bag.

[CyclChyk]

Ironically I don't have a land line......... had one. Never used it. Got tired of paying for it. Cancelled it. No regrets. Altho I can't find a cell carrier I like and I have tried about 4 of them...........