Dec 18, 2007

Cell Phones: End of Civilization

Early this morning I was standing in the checkout line of my local Safeway grocer, waiting my turn. In front of me was a woman on her cell phone, blabbering away loudly. Annoying? Of course.

Then it was her turn at the checkout counter. Still talking nonstop, she got out her personal organizer while the cashier rang up her groceries. The woman started flipping through the phone book portion of her organizer, still talking nonstop on the cell phone. The cashier, who had finished totalling up the woman's grocery tab, was waiting. I was waiting.

The woman, STILL talking non-stop on her cell phone, suddenly pushed her datebook in my face, pointing to an entry in her address listings. She stopped talking on the cell phone long enough to ask me, "Can you read that address for me?". The cashier and I exchanged wide-eyed looks of amazement. I looked at the cell phone woman and said, "I can't read it either. Maybe you should ask the person you're talking to what their address is." And then I smiled my best smile. The cell phone woman, without pausing in her conversation on the cell phone, closed her datebook, paid for her groceries, and left the store.

The cashier and I watched her walk away, talking on her cell phone. By sheer coincidence, after I paid for my groceries, walked to my car, and headed for the exit, who ended up in front of me at the stop light? Cell phone woman. Driving her SUV. Still talking.

I'll repeat the words of the grocery store cashier, because I agree: "People are so self-centered these days. It's all about me..me..me..that lady was so involved with herself she had no idea how rude she was".

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