telephone game

I left my phone at home today.

It felt like leaving home with no pants on, breezy and exposed.

As I walked, I thought to myself, "It's fine. I can go one day without it. I lived for years and years without knowing that I needed it. I have a watch on. I will know the time."

Except of course, that today I would go up to my US Senator's office only to discover that I needed to call the office, only to discover that I needed a phone and the guy at the security desk was not going to let me use any of the five on his desk, the payphone "around the corner" was non-existent, and I didn't have any change for the call anyway.

There was an answer to this problem. I borrowed the landline of a restaurant using the old,"Hi, I need to call my US senator's office and I forgot my cell, can I borrow your phone for one local call, I swear it won't last more than 5 minutes."

If you are ever in a pinch this might work for you too. And then you got back to standing in the lobby of the building haranging the security guy to call the office for you a few more times until someone friendly and well dressed comes down to shake your hand, give you a card, take your documents and smiles politely, listening to your rant.

And then I would make spontaneous plans with CK and have to try to figure out how to coordinate the old fashioned way but setting a specific time and a specific place and sticking to it no matter what.

It wasn't soooo bad. I kept reaching for the pocket of my purse where the cell phone lives.

But it was all fine, I got to tell Sen Gillibrand's aide that I and 11 of my neighbors are NOT in favor or extending the Bush tax cuts.

I met up with CK and we had burgers and wine.

And when I got home, I didn't have any calls or texts anyway. I saved myself at least 40 minutes of the day that I would have wasted checking my phone for calls or messages. The only thing I didn't get to do was further torment my parents with a call.

Maybe I don't need a smartphone. Maybe I don't need any phone at all.