the world is small when you have minutes

last week when i was doing the cellphone shuffle, some of you brought up the notion that getting rid of my phone altogether could improve my life. while i completely agree that it's liberating and wonderful not to be chained to the thing as i am, i've been thinking that the little singsongy piece of nonsense adds quite a bit of joy to my existence.

it's obvious that with my schedule, most human contact is via telephone or email. however, i seem to log more minutes with the people farther away than the ones living right here. which doesn't really make sense till you factor in taking for granted the 'i'll just see you at the next gettogether' mentality that we must all maintain to keep our sanity with all the work/errands/chores that are required to stay alive. that said, there are a few things that allow me to reach out and touch someone nearly whenever: mainly a) free nights and weekend calls b) 1,000 daytime minutes a month c) free cellphonecompanyuser-to-cellphonecompanyuser d) car charger e) time differences across the united states

* i get a call from my girl ale several times a week during her lunch hour. this is beneficial for me because my ears have been programmed to ignore the alarm clock and/or rationalize staying in bed for an hour too long and her new york lunchtime coincides with when i should be getting up nearly every day. and her zest for life coupled with hearing the bustling streets of nyc is a great way to nudge me into starting my day. (b, c, e and sometimes a)

* my brother lives in alabama. we talk nearly every day, usually on my way to work or as i'm getting ready, even if it's just to say, 'hey, what's going on-nuthin, you?-not much.' often i ask him for news from my parents, even though they live in the same town as i do, because they harass him in the evenings about eating right and taking medicines and manage to slip in all the good gossip. my brother is my reality check and has no qualms about telling me to chill out when needed. plus he's a student, so he obviously has nothing to do all day. just kidding. (b, c, d and sometimes a)

* my mother calls me to say hello "when she has a break," which roughly translates to 'around the time she knows i should be getting ready to leave the house, but also when i could still make it, in the event of oversleeping, you know, just in case.' nobody knows you better than your mother. (a, d)

* every night on my way home, i talk to H, who lives in california. this works especially beautifully because even if i get off in the middle of the night, it's still two hours earlier for him. he's one of the funniest individuals i know, and on top of that, he can endure my endless whining about parking with a smile. (a, d, e)

* my people right here in chicago, who all work days and whom i must take a chance on harassing at work as i crawl through traffic. these are the folks who i don't talk to as often, but have a better chance of hanging out with in person. miss you guys! (a, b, c, d)


so it's looking like the phone is here to stay. i am a little disappointed because samsung released a very delicious looking new model, precisely one week after i sealed the deal on this one. oh well.

but if you'll excuse me, i have to hurry up and get ready. my brother just called and i lied, saying i was about to go take a shower because i'm supposed to be leaving in fifteen minutes yet here i am, still sitting here in my pajamas. i'll just call him from the road.