Cell Phone Sound-Off

A.R. Purnell, Fleetwood, Pa.: "I am a veteran teacher of 30 years. On two different occasions, parent cell phones went off during parent-teacher conferences. Not only did they answer them, but they held conversations with the persons on the other end! The worst part of it was, I continued the conference after the parents ended their conversations!"

Chuck Balog, Alexandria, Va.: "[A woman at the dentist's office] proceeds to whip out her cell phone and start making calls. So, while she's in the middle of her call, the dentist comes in to perform her procedure (which I learn is a root canal). She makes him wait to get started for 5 minutes until she wraps up her call. I watched over the half-wall and he just stood there waiting for her to finish. Personally, I wish he would have shaved the 5 minutes off her anesthetic time."

Greg Winter, Port Washington, N.Y.: "My wife's car was hit by a [driver] talking on his cell phone. The damage to his brand new BMW 525i was minimal, while my wife's Toyota Tercel was totaled. He had been talking on his cell phone and ran a red light. However, what makes the story interesting is that he never stopped talking on his cell phone, even when he got out to see if my wife was alright and during the entire time that he and my wife were being interviewed by the police."

Hard to Say I'm Sorry

Here are a few confessions from readers brave enough to own up. I noted once before that there are so many people who complain about cell phones, but with some 180 million people in our country who tout them, I'm sure that a few people eventually will get their "Physician, Heal Thyself" moment :

Michael Figueroa, Fairfax, Va.: "I recently bought a Motorola v551 with Bluetooth just to get a Jabra headset. I'm only a moderate user, but I admit to using the phone/headset in hallways at work, on the sidewalk outside and when shopping. I think that the work use is fine if the conversation is business (or occasional dinner coordination with my wife). On the sidewalk, I'll admit that it's annoying, but I'll make a pact with all those smokers out there who walk and smoke: I'll quit if you quit!"

Lindsey Clawson, Rockville, Md.: "I've found myself about to, or already, gushing on my cell phone while walking down the street, telling someone about my mother becoming a 'displaced employee' from a local insurance company, or my husband's frightening trip to the doctor a couple weeks ago. I realized in time that the people walking near me did not need to know about my husband's medical history, but I was a bit late in catching myself while spilling the beans to my mother-in-law that my mother was looking for work."

Wendy J. Lewis, Harrisburg, Pa.: "I was on the phone in a public restroom when one of my best friends asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. I was, of course, the only person in the room, but it just put a damper on a happy occasion to find out in that setting. (She tried to tell me in person, but the timing didn't work out.) Thankfully I was walking down the street when I found out that she was pregnant."

Maya Brennan, Highland Park, N.J.: " As much as I try to wait until I have a solitary spot outside, people seem to come out of nowhere when I pull out my cell phone. They get to hear me either in the most icky 'I love you' moments with my husband, or -- and this was the worst -- trying to somehow discreetly make my annual appointment for a GYN exam. If someone put up empty phone booths for cell phone users in need of privacy, I would be the first in line."

A few readers braved the storm and questioned those who have a problem with our mobile, loquacious culture:

Kevin Broom, Washington: "I don't even own a cell phone, but I'm puzzled about why overhearing conversations is so irritating. Now, I can agree with those not wanting to hear phone sex, but is it really that different from two people sucking face on the Metro?"

Bob Meyers, Creswell, Ore.: "Last Friday my 16-year-old daughter left on a church mission to Mexico to build homes for the poor. The group amounted to 25 youths aged 15 to 17, an over-confident, over-energized 23-year-old group leader and three parents as chaperones. In an apparent last-minute power grab, the trip leader decided all kids should leave their cell phones behind. I threw a fit when I found out that night. My daughter just left on a 3,000 mile road trip through areas including the nation's highest crime rates and four significant earthquakes in the prior three days. I risked the dungeon of peer pressure by demanding and arranging for my daughter's cell phone to be there overnight. I sent it FedEx with a new spare battery and a note to only use for emergencies -- no calls to her friends back home, no teenage text messaging."

Thanks to everyone who wrote to me. I look forward to communicating with you again -- silently, via e-mail.

Send links and comments to robertDOTmacmillanATwashingtonpost.com.