Monday, March 18, 2013

A PET PEEVE! : )

Well it's only ten minutes to 7 and I am showered and dressed, picked things up, and have done my devotional and I am on to my Monday blog post already, so I think I am on a pretty good roll, haha.  Actually I have MUCH I want to do today so I have to have every minute accounted for.  Monday's are "my" days.  Mom leaves on Friday evenings so hubby and I have Sat. and Sun's, but Mondays are mine!  lol.  Actually I have to schedule all my doc appointments (not that there is really all that many of them!) dentist, lunch with friends, catching up with some on the phone (even this is kind of hard to do with mom here)  and running around errands for Mondays.  Not always easy to do, but I have managed to work it pretty good.  But sometimes, truthfully, I wish I could just spend the WHOLE day doing absolutely NOTHING.  A long, lazy day is calling my name, lol.  Funny how many of these I use to have, but then I am glad really that the Lord has more in mind for me than that.  Mom gets back here around 4 on Mondays, and I am rested up and soo glad to see her.

The week-end was good.  Nothing too out of the ordinary to write about (all our usual activities) so I decided I am going to write something a little different for me.  It has become my pet peeve.  There isn't really any point in beefing about this as my thoughts on the subject will surely not change a thing.  Some might even find it annoying or hard to understand.  But I am going to do so anyway.  This week-end was such a good example of this.  This world has gone completely CRAZY with phones and CONSTANT electronic communication! Now don't get me wrong.  I am connected to Facebook, blogging is one of my favorite things to do, and I love that getting a hold of someone pretty much whenever you really HAVE to, is just downright wonderful.  I love getting little texts (sometimes anyway!) pictures of my grand kids, and even little videos EVERY day, all of which is made soo easy with these phones.  HOWEVER!  Enough is enough!  Everywhere you go anymore you see people walking around with their heads down reading their phones, texting quickly on their phones, or just plain talking on their phones.  In my opinion is has become downright rude.  On Sat. hubby and I were at lunch eating, chatting, and enjoying our time together.  There was a LARGE party right next to us with 20 (I counted them!) women enjoying a meal together.  Anyway, after we had finished hubby got up to use the restroom and I sat at the table looking around waiting for him to return when I noticed it.  At this table of women (and these were women in the age group of 40 - 50's, a couple maybe even a little older ~ in other words NOT a bunch of young ones, haha!)  when I noticed how many of them had their phones out and were busy doing who knows what on them!  I decided to count them too.  7! of them were on their phones. 7!!  Close to half!  Most looked like they were just browsing, one was talking,  a couple others were texting.  Some of the women who were not on the phone were talking, but several of them (sitting next to those on their phones) were simply staring into space.  It's when it struck me.  It is obviously socially acceptable now to whip out your phone and calmly browse the internet WHILE having lunch with friends.  It just seems soo rude to me.  Honestly I will tell you the truth, I don't even really like to be with someone chatting and have them exchanging texts with someone else while doing so.  Now some are REALLY good at this and don't seem to miss a beat in the conversation, but others not so much.  Sometimes people say, "excuse me a minute" and then do their texting, but honestly I think even that is rude (unless it is an emergency of course).  We have taught our kids (or we used to anyway) NOT to interrupt people who are talking, and yet what is a text (sometimes anyway) if not an interruption in another conversation?  When hubby got back I pointed out my findings and we began to discuss just how ridiculous it has become.  THEN!  We walked across the patio to the movie theaters (this is one of the reasons we love this particular restaurant as it is walking distance to the movie theater!) and hubby went to get his popcorn and I decided maybe I should use the restroom now when it happened.  I saw it coming, but there wasn't really anything I could do.  A LARGE woman was walking quickly down the hallway, looking down and texting on her phone (in other words not beginning to look where she was going ~ and I see this ALL the time btw) and ran into a little girl (maybe around 3) who was walking beside her daddy, and knocked her completely to the ground!  I wanted to stop and tell the woman just what I thought, but I did refrain.  I walked by the group of people helping the little girl and thought again to myself....ridiculous and soo unnecessary.  And then! (yes, there is more! haha) inside the movie theater you could see all the little lights from people's phones during the previews which now have to include a message to PUT AWAY your phones and no talking or texting during the movies.  How crazy that it even has to be said!  Why the need to be CONSTANTLY connected I just don't get.  And finally yesterday as we were driving home from San Diego I noticed a little white car swerving around a little bit and pointed it out to my hubby (a job I take seriously, lol) to be careful of it, and when we drove pass it, sure enough, there was a young woman calmly texting while she was driving.  I know everyone knows the dangers of this, and honestly I have noticed a difference in this recently with the new laws etc., but some people of course continue to do this too.  What in the world they could be thinking I honestly don't know.  Soo I guess there you have it.  Phones are ALWAYS present anymore.  Laying on the table beside someone while your eating, in your pocket or purse, or practically glued to their hands, there they are.  I guess the only thing to do is to concentrate on the good points they bring, NEVER do these pet peeve things myself, (particularly never touching one while I am driving) and move along realizing that not all modern advances are always good.  But if I REALLY had my way, we'd go back to the way it used to be and a telephone would be used for "phone" purposes only, and the online thing just couldn't be done.  And I guess that's all I have to say about that.

Well, now it is almost 8:45 and I need to end this.  I stopped btw in the middle of this and had my breakfast, talked to my Melly and Sam for a while on the phone,  and started up a little laundry.  Multi-tasking is ALWAYS important, haha.  I am hoping to finish up the quilt for Sam's big boy bed today, and hopefully get started at least on the pillow sham and valance to match.  I need to run to Target for a few things, and run the  vacuum too.  Hope you all have a GOOD week!  Many blessings to you! Debbie




14 comments:

  1. I would certainly agree with you in large part. And I even must say an "ouch" instead of an "amen" because sometimes I am guilty of not paying attention to my own husband because of what's going on on that little iPad. I did have to explain to my pastor that I wasn't being rude during his sermon, I was simply taking notes on my iPad with the scriptures and message that he was sharing. It certainly is a whole new world out there! Therefore, it'd be nice to get manners in line.

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  2. People are just plain rude these days ... with or without their electronic devices.

    I rarely am able to sit down and type out my blog posts without some kind of interruption.

    I can't wait to see Sam's new quilt. You've inspired me to take leftover fabric from T#2's quilt and make a sham to match.

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  3. I think in a way its the new 'being social'...people need to immediately let everyone know what they're doing. Friday night we were at dinner and there was a party of four beside us, all on their phones, but talking to one another too. I was dying to get out my phone and take a picture because it looked so ridiculous, but then thought that would be kinda like the pot calling the kettle black : ) Enjoy your day!

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  4. I think what gets to me to see a young couple sitting at a booth at dinner and they aren't even looking at each other but texting away.
    I think it is totally out of hand.
    I do hope you have a wonderful Monday that is all yours. I have Easter vacation next week and I am having those same thoughts. My daughter and I both were crying this morning because this wedding stuff is making us crazy. We both decided we are just given out and we both want a break. We decided that next week, No wedding plans. We are just going to think about other things.
    So have a really lovely Monday.

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  5. I agree with you 100%!!.. I am SO tired of 'being connected" ALL the time. There are days, mostly at night, I turn off the TV, the laptop and the cell phone and I spent my time reading or knitting. I also can not stand being somewhere in public with people who have a phone attached to their ear or are texting whatever. When did society become so self important? I too think it's rude..

    Last night we invited very good friends of ours to dinner. DO you know for the first 20 mins they were here they were BOTH playing with their phones trying to 'show' us something?..I just sat between them at the table thinking to myself, are you serious? I invite you to dinner and you're both actually sitting here playing with your phones? I didn't say anything but I wonder if the disgust showed on my face? LOL...Awesome post!
    Robyn

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  6. I couldn't agree more. We went to dinner a couple of weeks ago and saw many tables just like you described. One table had both children connected, one had a portable dvd player watching a video and the other had an iPad (both were under the age of ten) I carry my phone all the time and the temptation is there to answer it every time it rings....(solution just turn it off)
    When we were in DC it seemed like everyone was connected to something.
    Hope you have a great Monday

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  7. You've said it so well Debbie... it's exactly what I think too. I just wonder what kind of social communication the next generation will have. It's just so crazy, to see people out together and having dinner, while they are talking or texting the whole time. It is a major pet peeve for me too. I find myself turning mine off or muting it more than I ever used to. Great blog my friend!

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  8. Hi there, So glad you got some time to yourself today and had a lovely weekend too. I must confess I do use my phone but try not to when out in public-shopping or dining. I understand your frustration.
    Hope the rest of your day was magnificient, just like you.
    Noreen

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  9. Oh, I just said today, "we are all just way too connected." I agree with you 100% and have to be very mindful myself not to be rude with my electronic gadgets.

    So glad that you do have a few days without caring for you Mom. It is such a demanding job but one you are doing quite well.

    Happy week!

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  10. I think you wrote what many of us think! Even at our school during class parties many of the parents are texting or on their phones. All I can think is your kids are going to grow up so fast. Enjoy this time! And at restaurants nobody seems to want to have a conversation face to face. I am also online as you know but enough is enough already.

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  11. Preach it!! I couldn't agree more. I have tried really hard to teach my daughters not to do this, and I hope and pray they remember this when they are not around me.

    As for me, I have started actually leaving the phone out of my purse these days. I leave it in the car when I go into a store or other place. The way I look at it, I'll be back to the car to check it before too long so even if it's important, I can get to it.

    Another beef of mine (HUGE) is when someone starts talking on the cellphone while a group is driving in a car together. It effectively shuts down conversation for everyone else when they do it because the space is so confined. Ticks me off.

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  12. I can't believe some of the things I hear people walking through a store talking about on their phone. The other day in Target a gal was talking about how her husband threw her pillow and blanket out of their bedroom and locked her out because he was mad.

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  13. Yes, I agree with you. Some days my phone ringing and buzzing can drive me crazy! LOVE, love, love the quilt! It is so adorable!

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I am so glad that you would take the time to comment on my thoughts and feelings, it is such a blessing to me!