With work, I do a bit of traveling a few times per month. Traveling meaning driving to the neighboring city to visit the other offices. One day last week my co-op student Patrick, and I were cruising down one of the country roads and had the windows down, music loud and just enjoying the summer.
Here’s the scene: Maroon 5 — Pay Phone, came on the radio.
Patrick and I got to talking about how we never see pay phone’s around anymore. Am I right? I mean seriously, when’s the last time you saw one?
Which got me thinking and I want to tell you a little story. Let’s go back… wayyyy back to my childhood. I don’t think cell phones existed. I remember pagers did before cells. I won a pager off a local radio station and had my parents “buzz” me when they wanted me to call home. I felt like a drug dealer with one of those pagers. So silly.
Okay sorry, getting off topic. Trying to tell you my story of using a pay phone.
I remember back when I was in Junior High (grades 6, 7, 8) and I always went to the movies with some friends. But instead of putting a quarter in the pay phone, calling home to my parents to pick me up for the evening. I dialed ‘0’ and asked the operator if I could make a collect call. If some of you recall, you remember a voice recording came over the phone then and asked “please speak your name – beeep” _______ and it gives a certain amount of time frame to say your first name only.
Let me tell you folks a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ about me.
I was the QUEEN of collect calls. Because during that allotted time frame I managed to speak so fast to tell my parents where I was and when to pick me up. Basically a huge blurting out of “NancyHereComeGetMeAtAvalonMallBye!” Oh I had it right down pat you guys. I even got my friends doing it! I always saved those quarters for my piggy bank, not the pay phone. My parents always wondered how I was always “in the money”.
Now you know a random fact about me…
Another random fact. I’m off to a Charity Golf tournament for work today — a whole day and evening event. Maybe I’ll be participating in some sort of tailgating food? We all know I love me some food.
5 Comments
Haha I remember in middle school (that’s what we call junior high here!) I wanted a pager so bad, I finally got one and felt like the queen of the world!
i actually had To use the payphone a few months ago. ( i know…what a bizzar thing to say & do, in this day in age!)
But, i had forgot my cell at home, and needed to make a call. i drove a good 5 or 6 blocks in a very vibrant busy core of the city, and finally i spotted one (You’re right Nanc, their like a dieing breed). i rummaged for change in my purse.
This is when two things struck my mind. 1) i have become way too dependant on my cell and 2) i have become way too dependant on my debit card. I had , like NO change.
I was in luck though… through all the pennies and dimes, i had 1 quarter! yes!!
i run to the phone booth ( hopeing no one i knew was around to see me, bahahah!)
and to my shock and disbleif… the payphone now costs $0.50!
i drove home, and made my call from my home land line. Yeah, i still have one of those~
L
Nancy says: hahaha what the hey? 50 cents for a phone call now?!z
I totally did that too! So crafty and cost-effective. It was usually because I had spent all my money that I none left to call home. I wish I could say it was because I didn’t want to spend it!! lol.
reminds me of this commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JxhTnWrKYs
Nancy says: haha that’s the best! I’ve never seen that commercial before – it was exactly what I did.
LOL! Some pay phones here you could dial and listen to the other end, but the microphone wouldn’t turn on without putting money in. Pretty dumb to leave around kids ;) I remember bored afternoons with my brother taking turns to call random numbers to hear what people would shout into the phone.
I don’t memorise phone numbers anymore (apart from my own and my parent’s homeline which is still the same) so I’d be stuffed if my battery died on me and I was stranded.