Disconnected

I disconnected my home phone line today after 17 years of having the same land line.  I highly recommend it; it was liberating.  No more monthly bill for a phone whose main purpose was to give salespeople and politicians unlimited, unwanted and undeserved access to my home, especially at dinnertime. In Los Angeles, a basic land line costs over $45 every month after all of the City taxes. Since my friends tend to call me on my cell phone, the ring of my home phone became, at best, an unwanted interruption – comparable to a bratty kid screaming when you are trying to carry on a conversation with an adult. There are few things I could like less, and I certainly shouldn't be paying for $45 a month for that experience.

 As soon as I disconnected the home phone, I sent an email to my friends and family, updating them and reminding them that I could be reached via my cell phone.  Most of them would have probably figured that out, anyway, but one or two of my in-laws would have probably assumed I had forgotten to pay the bill, since I chose not to provide a forwarding number.  Why would I provide a forwarding number? So more needy politicians and salespeople and survey-takers could track me down? No, thanks!  Funnily, the first reaction to my "disconnect notice" sounded slightly -- maybe unintentionally --  hostile: "Well, you never answer it anyway, so you may as well disconnect it," emailed one family member almost immediately. Well, of course, that's my point!

 To celebrate my move into the 21^st century, I decided to start blogging again.  My girlfriend, a very successful blogger, has been encouraging me to restart my blog for a while. Today was different, though, because just as she was insisting that I couldn’t really be a writer if I didn’t maintain a blog, Popcornopolis delivered a bunch of free popcorn right to her door.  Apparently, this gift was the result of blog in which she mentioned her passion for Popcornopolis, and I took it as a sign that, at the very least, I should write a blog in which I mention how much I, too, love Popcornopolis popcorn.  I mean, I LOVE Popcornopolis popcorn, especially its mouthwatering cinnamon toast popcorn, though my all-time favorite is probably the almond caramel.

 

Comments

[جريدة مصر]

This is an interesting topic
http://www.jareditmisr.com/

[Abigayle Soderstrom]

LOL! I get what you're trying to do! Still, blogging is more than just its popcorn freebies. It's definitely helpful for your communication skills, which could be beneficial for your job (if it's in those lines). You can even earn by blogging, should you need to pay a phone reconnection bill. =D

[Gina Chen]

I'm a mom, a blogger, and a Ph.D. student, and I need your help. I'm doing a study about why women blog, and you have been selected at random to participate in a short survey about what motivates you to blog and what you get out of blogging.

I hope you will take it by clicking this link. Please do not forward the link. (If the link does not show up in your browser when you click on “clicking this link,” you can click here or copy and paste this link into your browser: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/231228/women-bloggers

Thanks in advance for your help. Feel free to contact me at gmmasull@syr.edu if you have any questions.

Gina M. Chen
Ph.D. student
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
Syracuse University
215 University Place
Syracuse, NY 13244-2100