Friday 13 July 2007

Waiting by the phone

A morning spent mostly on the phone, or waiting for return calls. I don't like the telephone much, so I feel a little edgy now, but I will trot off to the supermarket soon and carefully spend £40 so that I get a reduced petrol price for Ro and, no doubt, that will soothe me.

I do bless the internet phone. I make calls on that, so ensuring that the landline is free for the incoming call I expect. Juggling two conversations is far less annoying than finding you've missed a call, ringing back, getting the answerphone ...

I hate our cordless phone. It was expensive, but it cannot cope with the thick walls of our house, and does not have a decent reception in most rooms. I soon got tired of resetting the time whenever we had a powercut, so now when people leave a message I have no idea what time they did so. It doesn't work out of doors - the old analogue cordless phone wasn't at all bad, but the digital one is useless. Worst of all, it warbles. The handset in the office beeps faux-melodiously at intervals, presumably to keep contact with the one plugged into the phone line. It makes me swear. And shout.

Did I tell you, a few weeks ago, how I shocked Al and Sarah? I was helping in the shop one Saturday, and in came the Sage. I can't remember what we talked about, but he offered to do something helpful, so I thanked him prettily and said nice things and he left the shop.

At that moment, Travis came on the radio (Al has dreadful taste in radio stations and I hate the wallpaper music it has on) whinging, as for years, "Why does it always rain on meeee?" "Oh shut up and go away, you dreadful boring whining man" I snapped. Sarah's head whipped round and she stared in dismay. "Well, it's so annoying!" I said, slightly abashed, and then noticed Al looking startled too. "I hate that song" I explained. "We thought", said Al gently, "that you were talking about Dad."

"Oh no, how could you, nooo, I've never spoken about him like that, surely you wouldn't? Oh dear. Anyway, he isn't" I spluttered incoherently. Or words to that effect.

7 comments:

badgerdaddy said...

Travis does indeed suck - except... Well, their latest single. And I know exactly why - they've robbed the drums off Iggy Pop's Lust For Life, that incredible beat is irresistible. Also, it doesn't sound much like Travis, which can't be a bad thing.

Reminds me of something my mum said to me once in london. She's not long arrived to stay for the weekend, and we were having a cup of coffee and a cigarette. She said: "You know the Corrs?"

"Yes mum."

"I wish they'd shut up."

Z said...

Excellent!

(I don't mean the latest single, of course. I've only heard that if they've been playing it incessantly on Radio Br0@dl@nd and I never know who anyone is anyway)

y.Wendy.y said...

I don't like Travis either. And you made me laugh out loud with your 'rude' comment. That was SO 'Z'.

How do we know said...

ha ha!!

Z said...

I can't deny it, Wendz. I do that sort of thing quite often. To the radio, that is, I don't often get cross with people. But bad music, that really gets me going. So does The Archers.

Rog said...

If you'd been talking to Chris Evans on the Radio that would have been most commendible.

Z said...

I'm afraid Radio Bland doesn't quite run to his fees, Murph. Or maybe I should be glad.