Monday, September 11, 2006

The joys of talking beneath the surface of the earth

I don't need to be able to use my phone in the Metro, I told myself as I was comparing cell plans. Why pay a lot extra for Verizon when I really never have a need to talk underground?

Ahh! Beauteous "theory," thine fair academic reasoning that seems so convincing within a vaccuum. What I failed to realize was that I do a LOT of phone talking on the Metro. That I often call someone as I'm leaving work or class, and I like to continue the conversation as I descend into the subway. That when I'm standing on the platform and the sign says I'll be there for another 6 or 9 or, God forbid, 16 minutes before a train arrives, that's the PERFECT time for a quick phone call, to let someone know where I am and when I'll be back, or to order SuperPanda and have it ready by the time I get there.

What I failed to realize was that, in my two years here in DC, I became very accustomed to being able to make a call on the Metro, and having that ability stripped away now feels almost like a violation of the 8th Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. I don't like circling the Metro entrance for five minutes, waiting to go downstairs, because I'm still on the phone.

I want my underground freedom back!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

i know how you feel, matt. well, not exactly how you feel. but i can relate to your sadness. it's kind of like when we don't have internet for a few months at home or when we switched to a new satellite plan in the beginning of the summer and i had no tv for 2-3 weeks! try living with no tv and no internet and just mom and dad! ahhhhhhhhh! so, in that sense, you're lucky. look at it that way. :-) love you, miss you! xoxo liz

Cuatro said...

I also pondered the existential question: "To Verizon or not to Verizon", when I was looking into new phones/plans. Unfortunately for me, the new blackberry that I received for free was already programmed for Cingular network's use, and I didn't want to go through the hassle of unlocking the device for Verizon use. I agree with Liz that you should look on the bright side -- you once only had a cell phone, and now you have a Blackberry! Life IS sweet!