Three Cent Stamp
Amusing musings and streams of consciousness

In a matter of days, I have gone from being a person who sneers at people for using cell phones and other high priced gadgets in nice restaurants, to actually behaving like one of those people!

It’s embarrassing to admit. I’ve never quite understood people who feel compelled to chat while walking through a crosswalk. Or the guy (or gal) who holds up the morning coffee line (we’re all rushing to work), because they can’t put their friends on hold fast enough when it’s their turn to place their order. And then there are those people who can’t even shop for food without incessantly chatting. But the ones who usually drive me the most crazy are those with a penchant for cell phones in a nice, upscale, or romantic restaurant. I guess they forget that some of us try to escape such intrusions by going to nice, upscale, or romantic places to eat and enjoy good conversation. What’s so interesting that you’ve suddenly become obsessed enough to ignore the person you came to share a nice meal with anyway? But as I said, this has all changed for me since my acquisition of an iPhone.

Ever since I’ve gotten one (less than a week now), I can’t keep my hands off it! This includes, last night, when my husband and I went to dinner at a nice restaurant with outdoor dining (I’m not sure why I feel the need to embellish with the outdoor dining part as if it makes me less guilty). I did resist for a short while, but then I couldn’t help but reach into the pocket of my pants, whip it out and start to play with it. I told myself that I was just getting myself acquainted with it, and that I needed to learn how to use it. Which is a pretty ill excuse because, unlike other phones, it really doesn’t take rocket science, or reading pages of instruction to figure it out. But then I convinced myself that I had to see how many signal bars I had. Five. I could have put it back in my pocket then. But I had to see if I could launch Safari and get to the web (as if there were really any doubt). Then I had the brilliant idea, “Can I get to my photography web page?” Yes, I could get there. So it was then that I should have put it away, or maybe after I checked to see if the pictures I uploaded through iPhoto looked good on the iPhone’s screen, both vertically and horizontally. Did they look good? Yup, damned good, even if I did think so myself. But wait, there’s more … I then remembered that a friend was going into the doctor’s office for a procedure tomorrow, and I should send her a message to let her know that I was thinking of her. So out went the email. It was then, for some reason, that I suddenly became self-conscious, because I realized it had been awhile since I looked up at my husband, Bill, patiently sitting there watching me in my high-tech crazed gadget state. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m being rude. I’ll put it away.” And I promptly did … for about as long as it took me to finish dinner (I do proudly state that I did not rush, but ate at a relaxed, leisurely pace all the while TALKING about the iPhone). And then, as soon as the fork when down, and as if it were a completely involuntary muscle action, my hand pulled it back out of my pocket and there I was, back in my little frenzy. In not wanting to be too selfish, I looked up at my husband and offered it to him. “Oh no,” he said. “After a few minutes you’ll be agitated with me if I don’t give your toy back. I’m not even going there with you.” Sigh … back in my pocket. And so the amusing (or maybe not) little routine continued until the waiter arrived with our dessert options.

It was then that I noticed a table of 4, several tables over, looking my way. Were they sneering, I wondered? Nope. There was a familiar grin, which is when I noticed a woman at the table, who, like me, had an iPhone that she couldn’t keep in her purse. Kindred spirits! Yes!

Alas, dinner and dessert were over and the check came and went, as did we. My husband suggested coffee. Good idea. It was at the coffee house that I handed over the iPhone. His turn. And it was only moments before I saw that his pupils were dilated and his face wore a mildly crazed look (and I was feeling ignored), and I knew then that he had become stricken with the same affliction as I: iPhone fever!

In the end, when all is said and done, the iPhone is addictive! I no longer feel quite so high-and-mighty with license to sneer (although I will try to justify my actions with the fact that It’s not JUST a phone!). On the other hand, I am sincerely convinced that I will find a balance between my unbridled enthusiasm and joy for the iPhone and my enthusiasm for conversation and companionship at the dinner table. And I will be in “like” company before too long when my husband gets his own iPhone (which shouldn’t be too long from now given the fact that he can’t seem to keep his hands off mine)!

Meanwhile, iSneer no more. I’ve lost my sneering rights.

Tags: Apple, Geek, iPhone, Technology, Web/Tech