The Telephone Game

Let's go back. Way back. Back into time. No, I'm not about break out in that Blackstreet song, but I do want you guys to go back with me. Back to "Do you like me? Circle "yes" or "no" notes or even exchanging notes outside of art class. Back to being so happy just to see his/her mother's name on the Caller ID. Back to wanting to know every single thing about him/her. Back to not being able to or even wanting to get off the phone at all. "You hang up!" "No, you hang up!" "On 3 hang up." "1...2...3....Hello? Why you ain't hang up?!?"

What I'm trying to get at, is why don't people talk on the phone anymore? I don't know if it's just me (I doubt it), but why is that when you give your number to a potential suitor, you don't talk unless it's making plans to see each other? Not even plans to have sex or "hook up", but it seems like the only time people call each other is to make plans, get directions or because whatever they have to say is too much to text. What happened to getting to know a person?????

I know that I'm not in high school anymore and like most people I have a lot going on. A son, two jobs, two blogs, a house to take care of and don't forget my social networking time! So I really don't have a lot of time to be up caking all night, but I'm saying it seems like my phone calls are always about when and where we'll be meeting up.

And it's not like these are the only times I speak to anybody at all, but the other 89% of the time, we communicate via text. What the fuck is up with that? I mean, I know people can't talk all the time and I love the convience of a quick text message, but if we just met why is texting the preferred form of communication? Like, people really ask "Can you text me sometime?"  You mean to tell me you want to text me to death for a week and then when we finally talk you sound like Alvin and you stutter? Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I need to know these things before I get too wrapped up in your text stories!

Jodeci said "Can I talk to you?" not "Can I text you?" I know it's a different time we live in and everything moves so fast but can you really get to know a person via text or Facebook messages? That's insane. And even if you are making plans to see somebody, don't you have the right to know them first? In whatever way you want to? Can you really get to know when they're joking, when they're really mad, hear the emotion in thier voice, know what kind of laugh they have or anything?

I know I'm a hopeless romantic and I guess that makes me old school at the same time. I'll take being old school anytime if it means wanting a person to CALL me and see how my day went or CALL me to let me know they are thinking about me or CALL me just to say hi. I just don't want to be misunderstood when I say what's the point of giving you my number if you aren't going to call?