You might remember that back in January, I mentioned how my mom, Cookie, wasn’t very good with technology. You could even say I mocked her. Not meanly-I mean, Hey! I’m not crazy! I want to be invited to Thanksgiving dinner- But, well…maybe mocked just a bit.
Well, it’s true confession time here at The Dose of Reality. I am going to share with you my own brand of technological ineptitude. It regards a little thing you probably use every day. It’s likely you mastered it the first time you used it. In fact, you’ll probably think that I should not be mocking anyone if I can’t master this simple little component of our daily technological lives. Yeah, you’re probably right.
So what is this technological hell beast that eludes me?
Call waiting.
In my own defense, I really hate call waiting, and it doesn’t even stem from my inability to properly use it (mostly)! I dislike it as a concept. It’s irritating to be in the middle of a serious discussion about The Bachelor and miss the point Ashley was making as to why HotSean! should pick Catherine over Lindsay, all because of that little hitch in the call that let’s you know someone else is beeping in. ANNOYING!
It’s also rude when you think about it. Have you ever been on a call and someone announces, “Oh, I’ve got to put you on hold. The dog groomer is beeping in”. I can’t help thinking, “What? I don’t rank higher than the dog groomer? Wait, I don’t even think you have a dog!” See, call waiting makes it obvious where you fall in someone else’s call priority list. That’s not always information you really want to know.
Then there are the people who put you on hold forever. How long are you expected to wait for someone to get back to your call? If it’s been more than 5 minutes should I just hang up or does hanging up make me a jerk? What’s the protocol here?
It’s possible that my extreme dislike for this feature has caused a block in my mind because here is what happens every time I try to use the call waiting feature:
Me: So, do you think Tierra will show up on The Bachelor: The Women Tell All show next week?
Ashley: Of course she will. She’s a fame ho. She’s not missing another chance in the spotlight.
Me: Good point! I thought I read somewhere she was holding out. They’ve got to convince her. That show won’t be the same without her variety of sparkle.
Ashley: I read *pause* and then *pause* shirtless so *pause*… Can you believe it?
Me: Oh! I didn’t catch any of that. Robert is trying to call on the other line. I’ll call him back later. So, what were you saying?
Ashley: Oh, you won’t believe it, but *pause* under the *pause* with a monkey *pause*… So shocking, right?
Me: GAH! Wait..I missed that! Robert is trying to beep in again. Let me just see what he wants. Can you hold on?
Ashley: Sure.
I then press a button on my phone.
Me: Robert?
Ashley: Nope, it’s still me.
Me: Sorry. Hang on. I’ll get it this time.
I press a different button on the phone.
Me: Robert?
Ashley: Nope, it’s still me. I think you need to press the flash button.
Me: Oh, thanks. Which one is that?
Ashley: The one that says flash.
Me: Okay, got it. Hold on.
I press the flash button.
Me: Robert?
Robert: Hi! Do you have a minute?
Me: Not really. I’m having an important blog meeting on the phone with Ashley right now. I’ll call you back in about 30 minutes. Okay?
Robert: Okay. Love you. Bye!
Me: Love you. Bye!
I press the talk button to get back to Ashley…
Me: Ashley?
But what I hear is not Ashley. It’s the dial tone. I’ve somehow disconnected the call. That’s what happens Every.Single.Time.
Now you might think I just need to read my phone’s owner’s manual and figure out how to use the call waiting feature. That would be a good idea but A. I’m too lazy to do that and B. the same thing happens if I’m on my cell phone, too. In fact, I haven’t been able to reconnect to the person who was on hold since about 2002 no matter what phone I’m using.
So basically, I’m resigned to the fact that I’ve become Debbie Reynolds in “Mother”.
It could be worse. At least Debbie Reynolds is a legend.
Oh My Word! I have the same issue. I blame it on my parents because we never had call waiting on our landline growing up… they thought it was rude! 🙂
If I could not have it now, I’d do that. It automatically comes with Caller ID and other features I do like. You can’t un-bundle them. *sob*
I can’t even work the call waiting on my cell phone I end up hanging up on people to where if someone beeps me I don’t even answer. I don’t have it on my house phone because no one hardly calls it I just keep that around for faxing purposes
I can get to the call beeping in on my cell phone because a button pops up on the screen, but I have no idea how not to disconnect the person as I try to get back to them. I hate it.
I only ever answer call waiting if the person calls back repeatedly and it’s messing up my actual phone conversation. I ju
I can’t believe you willingly talk on the phone with enough people to have call waiting problems. I haven’t heard that beep in years….
Oh, I do. I totally do. 😀
I HATE call waiting. And I always end up hanging up on the first call when I don’t mean to. And then I have to call them back. I rarely even talk on the phone, but when I do, it seems I get a beep in. Gah. Hate it!
Exactly. Since none of us can do it, maybe it’s not even POSSIBLE to reconnect to the first call anymore. The phone company might just have us all fooled into thinking we’re inept when really they are laughing at us. Not that I’m paranoid or anything! 🙂
I will fully admit that I sometimes forget how to use call waiting. I agree that it’s just annoying. I always ignore it, so it’s annoying when the person calls back. I’m on the phone! Can’t they wait a few minutes? Text me if there’s an emergency….
Hahahaha. They know if the call didn’t go through to your answering machine, you must be on the phone. So why do they always call right back? My husband ALWAYS does this. So irritating! hahaha 🙂
I never, never use call waiting when I’m on the phone with my Dad. It just feels so rude! Plus, I don’t have caller ID so I can’t see who it is and it’s usually a telemarketer.
I just love that you have important blog meetings with Ashley! That’s awesome.
I’d never switch to another call for my parents (unless it was a school day and the call was from the school nurse). But without caller ID, I’d never switch over! Who wants to interrupt a phone call with someone you love for a telemarketer. UGH!
I hate being put on hold and I hate the beeping when I’m trying to listen or talk. What I really hate is that I have NO idea how to work it on my cell phone. None. At least with my cell phone I have caller i.d. so I know who to call back. With the house phone, I alway have to wonder who it was that called. The “Nope, it’s still me,” cracked me up because that’s the same thing I hear. 🙂
I rarely even try to click over because #1. it’s rude and #2 I don’t know how to do it anyway. But if I didn’t have caller ID I’d really be irritated that I didn’t at least know who to call back!
The click-back is the hardest. I think that sometimes the call disconnects rather than holds. So it is gone before one can ever get back. (As someone with a few technology issues, I always try to find a way to blame technology itself when I have difficulty.)
You are SO right, Kim. The click-over is hard. But the click-back…now THAT is advanced level super hard. It’s just damn near impossible!
So true!! Well I think I always did understand call waiting until I got the iPhone. I still haven’t mastered it yet and I’ve “dropped” my mom a few times. I actually have many technological setbacks. Many! And still I mock my mom and my Uncle. He’ll post seven comments on one Facebook status, without realizing you can delete the previous six if ALL SIX have typos in them that you’re trying seven times to correct. It’s embarrassing. Sheesh.
Hahahahaha. Your poor uncle! hahahaha.
I can totally see my mom doing that on FB, too!!
OMG! You’re my dad!!!!
Whenever the thing beeps it’s hilarious. Each and EVERY time he flips out and says, I got a beep - what do I do???
You’ll get there. Eventually. Surely by then it will be obsolete, but, uhm, kudos for trying!
I am going to take the likeness to your dad as a compliment!
By the time I master call waiting, it will be obsolete. Truer words were never spoken.
Is this the main reason I’ve fallen in love with that trap of texting?! Quite possibly…thanks for helping me come to terms with that!!
Happy to have enabled you to text in happiness!!
Too funny! I can’t figure out the tv remote. I (almost) never watch tv (my family does so sometimes I’ll see programs if I am in the room), but if I ever try to turn it on by myself, I can’t seem to figure out how to do anything with it. My kids think its ridiculous but they’ve resigned themselves to helping me!
For one of our stupid TVs you actually need two different remotes if you want to be able to do anything. One to turn it on and change channels, and the other to adjust volume. It’s ridiculous. Sometimes it’s better for people to just take pity on you and help!!
I’m pretty sure I have call waiting, but I have not been able to use it even once. I just disconnect the call and I swear it has nothing to do with my mother-in-law wanting to beep in…
Hahahahaha! Your secret is safe with me, Kerstin! What your mother-in-law doesn’t know, won’t hurt her.
This is hilarious & I’m laughing with you not at you! I despise call waiting so much. I’m always apologizing if I have to take another call but I really hate when I get put on hold from a loved one…I’m just like you…I SHOULD PULL RANK *3 year old voice*!!!
Exactly. It’s not always good to know where someone places you on their importance hierarchy. It can be downright irritating!
{Melinda} I HATE call waiting, too!! I’ve always thought it was extremely rude, but somehow a necessary evil for that emergency call you won’t want to miss that happens once in a blue moon. But it does happen. Every now and then. But I’m often a call waiting rebel and simply ignore the annoying beep. Is THAT rude? Hmmmm…
You’re right. It’s nice to know for that 1 in a million emergency call, that you will be able to see it come through. The other 999,999 interruptions are still irritating.
Also…OH NO!! Maybe it *is* rude to not click over to the person calling. But it’s also rude to click away from someone. Call waiting makes us rude either way. NOT COOL, call waiting. NOT COOL!
LOL Call Waiting is not my friend! I manage not to hang up on people usually, but other people hang up on me all the time trying to use it! I also hate being less important than {insert name of company who can just leave a message on voice mail here}. *sighs*
And thanks for stopping by my blog on my SITS Day! It wouldn’t have been the same without you! 🙂 <3
It’s always *so* exciting to log in on SITS and see someone we know and love!! Whoo Hoo!!
When we clicked on and saw your picture we let out a SQUEE!!!!
AHHHHH!!! SO SO SO TRUE!!! Omgosh how I loved your convo with Ashley and the “pause…pause…pause” SO funny!!! I absolutely agree about the call waiting deal- ALL OF IT! I simply can’t use it without disconnecting someone, and HATE when it interrupts a convo I am having. I feel like it’s like having a real life talk with someone face to face, and another friend just comes in the very middle of us and starts talking over us. SO annoying!
Chris that’s it EXACTLY!!! And when someone clicks away from your conversation to pick up another call, it’s like someone at a party and having them abruptly turn away from you to talk to someone else. HATE IT!
I don’t blame you, that’s pretty annoying. If it was really a smart phone you would be able to disable this feature.
Excellent point!! You’re on to something there, Bill!!! Hahahaha!
Hahahahaha! Poor thing! I have been using call-waiting since I’ve been a teenager, so I’ve mastered it. I can’t really get the conference thing together though! I always have problems with that! LOL!
When I read on your blog the other day that you were only 16 in 2001, I had an old lady panic attack. (Let’s just say I was TWICE YOUR AGE in 2001..ahem) But, if I hadn’t read that, I would known by the fact that you mastered the call waiting so rapidly. You young’uns are just good with the technology.
I wouldn’t even attempt to try a conference call thingy. No way!
Really funny, Lisa! I have no idea how to get the perosn calling in on the line, much less get back to the original caller. So don’t feel bad. I always just let the call go into voice mail, but really dislike all the beeps and clicks while it’s doing that.
Mother was a great movie, good job on th clip.
I wish my land line call waiting would automatically go to a voice mail if I didn’t answer it like my cell phone does. That would be handy.
The movie “Mother” is one of those movies that I will always stop to watch if I notice it’s on cable…and I always laugh as hard as I did the first time I saw it. I love that movie! (And kudos to Ashley for finding the video and then editing it to grab just that clip. She is a video master!)
I should do like me and just ignore Call Waiting. My motto is, if you really want something you’ll leave my a voicemail (that I don’t check) or you’ll call back. If not, it’s a win-win situation for me. P.S. I love Cookie!
I almost always follow the be-quoted way. I rarely ever click over. (I can’t do it anyway, so why bother). It *is* a win-win!
Thank for giving love to Cookie! She really is awesome! 🙂
*You…these are the kinds of typos that happen when you’re blog hopping and handling business by phone.
I knew what you meant! My fingers are frequently flying faster than my brain! (especially if I haven’t had much coffee!)
I have the same issues. We don’t have it on our home phone anymore because we pared back to the basics. I have it on my cell phone and I just ignore it and make a note of who I need to call back.
That’s the way to go, Rabia! I wish I could take it off of our home phone. Anyone that really needs to get me would know to try my cell phone next anyway—and they could leave a message there!
How can Robert not know what “an important blog meeting” really means? Probably the same reason I never remember that “Some things came up at work” really means, “I spent too much time on my fantasy baseball team today.”
When I’m talking to a close friend or family member and they take another call, I just hang up. They’ll call back. Or not. It’s not as rude as it sounds, since they all know I’m going to do it!
Bwahahaha! Exactly! As long as Robert is not on to my “important blog meeting” I’ll over look that he mysteriously disappears when it’s time to do the dishes.
Haha! I don’t even bother with call waiting because I know I’ll hang up on the person that first called me.
I mostly do too, Amber, for that same reason!
Oh. My. Goodness. I am laughing so hard right now, I have stomach cramps. Trying to ignore the beeps, but cant hear the other person correctly is so annoying. Visualizing the entire exchange was hilarious. What I really loved was
“Robert: Hi! Do you have a minute?
Me: Not really. I’m having an important blog meeting on the phone with Ashley right now. I’ll call you back in about 30 minutes. Okay?” LOLOL!!!!
hahahaha! Thanks, Hope.
I sure hope Robert doesn’t read this post!! 😀
HAHAHAHA!
I KNEW the article had to be about this when I read the title-LOL. Perhaps you and Frances can both picket the phone companies and have the feature banned 🙂
You knew because you have probably been on the line when I’ve been unable to click over to someone!
Frances and I together would be a very formidable pair! I’m game!! 🙂
That is hilarious!! I totally hang up on people on my BlackBerry - I canNOT figure out how to get back to the original caller. And I usually ignore call-waiting to avoid hanging up on someone - but I’ll switch over if I’m already in the middle of a game of phone tag with the second caller. In my defense, however, I will say that I am fine on a land line. 🙂
You can do the land line? You are totally better than me, Erin! I’m really beginning to think there is no way to get back to the original caller on a cell phone since none of us can do it!
I hate call waiting. I won’t even have it on my phone. I used to have a friend that would leave me on hold for forever. I figure if you’re going to be more than 30 seconds you should at least go back to the first caller and say “sorry, I’m going to be a bit - can I call you back later?” If you don’t do that, I’m completely going to hang up on you.
Good point, Vanessa! If you are going to be awhile, at least you could go back and tell the original caller that you will call back. But that would require a LOT of clicking back and forth which would mean I would probably end up disconnecting both calls.
I have the same problem! I can never figure it out and I always end up hanging up on someone or doing the “hello, hello, are you there?” 200,000 times. Hilarious post and I love the movie reference as Mother is one of my all time favorites!
Hahaha! EXACTLY! There is no way to do call waiting without saying hello a million times.
That movie is one of my very favorites, too! SO funny!! I also love the part where she tries to have the video phone conversation with her younger son. Oh, I love SO many parts of that movie!
That picture is hilarious! Loved the whole thing. We now have caller ID/call waiting so we can see who is calling and begging for money. Most of the time I just let em ring. If I wanted to give you money, I would be calling you!!
Thanks, Stacey!
You’ve got it! Half the people that are trying to beep in are begging for money. That’s adding insult to injury.
I dread call waiting on my cell phone, its SO annoying and I am just like my mom where in I totally forget that someone else is on the other line. When my mom (manages) to click over I just hang up because I know its a lost cause. ear not my dear, you are not alone!
Exactly. Plus, I’m starting to realize, if you just hang up when someone clicks away from you…they will probably just think they goofed it up when they tried to reconnect to you anyway. They won’t even realize you just hung up. Now I feel like I can hang up without feeling guilty! YAY!
*fear! 🙂
I liked “ear not”, too! 🙂
Hee, hee! This is so cute!! I’m not going to mock you for not knowing how to use it, Lisa, but heehehehe 😀
I don’t know, Xae…that sounds a little mock-y!! (But I can’t blame you!! ) Hahahahaha 😀
It took me an entire year to learn how to use call waiting on the cell phone that I have now. If I had a nickel for every dropped call I had due to hanging up on the person I was talking to to take another call. Or in reality, is that just Karma for knocking that person down on my priority list to pick up the dog groomer on the other line???
Oh, gosh! If call waiting is working on some karmic principle, I’ve clearly done something REALLY wrong in my past!! 🙂
I can’t stand being put on hold for long periods of time. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve had to hang up on my father because of that. But then again, I do know how to use it!
Hahahaha. Teach me, Leslie!! Teach me!!
That happens to me all the time too!!! It’s the worst.
I have a friend that would just hang up whenever I put him on hold. He’d say he would hold, and then he’d just hang up because he didn’t like waiting. So I’d call him back and then we’d talk again. Weird.
That is weird. For me the first caller is always gone, but because I’ve disconnected them, so I always end up having to call them back anyway.
I hate call waiting! I always hang up on people, or by the time I click over the other person has hung up plus I’ve lost the person I was talking to. I think it’s a useless and dead technology. If people need to get a hold of me so desperately send me a text message.
BINGO!! Exactly! If it’s really important they can text or message on my cell. Down with call waiting!
I’ve totally been the chump who has waited forever while being put on hold for someone’s call waiting. Inevitably when I get another call on call-waiting I end up missing whoever called cause I try to wait for an appropriate pause in the conversation, which seems to take a lot longer than you would think (or maybe it’s just whoever I’m talking to goes on and on and on…)
I wait forever when I’m put on hold because I don’t want to be rude. I’m a total chump, too.
The whole call waiting thing is just a landmine when it comes to manners.
Confession time - call waiting is the tech equivalent of parallel parking for me. Can’t do it. Will avoid at all costs! LOL
Hahahahaha! YES!! You can sit over here with the rest of us who can’t seem to work it. We’ll all listen to the annoying beeps and pauses together and scowl.
Giggled at this post because omigosh — been there done that — and it drives me crazy everytime! You summed it up beautifully for all us techno-challenged rubes!
Hahaha! Thanks, Darcy. We rubes have to stick together!
Hey SITStah!
I love this post: I can’t relate in general, but since I became an iPhone user a couple of years ago, I cannot for the life of me switch back and forth between calls. The ridiculous thing is that I rarely actually talk on the phone (textaholic) but inevitably once I am on a call, that’s when everyone else wants to call too and I end up feeling like I was suddenly transported here from 1930 🙂
Best,
Cory
Quirky town.
Newest Post: “HELP:I’ve Turned Into a Morning Person!!!!”
See!! I think that Apple has made it IMPOSSIBLE to switch back to the original caller. I don’t know ANYONE that knows how to successfully do this. I think they did it on purpose and are just laughing at us now.
Love this. We don’t even have it on our house phone. It just goes to voice mail. I hate call waiting. Despise it. I apparently have it on my cell phone, but don’t know how to use it.
I want your house phone. That’s EXACTLY what I want. I want to not get the clicks and just send someone to voice mail. I’m still in 1988 at my house because there is no house phone voice mail. It’s the standard answering machine (that can’t pick up if you’re on the phone, of course) I wonder if I could get what you have. I know you’re in NC, too!!
So glad it’s not just me! Of course, that’s just the beginning of my technical ineptitude…
Ha!
I’m pretty good with most other things…I think. My husband and kids might say otherwise. Let’s just say that nobody wants to be on my team if we are playing a game on the Wii U.
Lol! It is, indeed, quite the debacle!
It is, Jamie. It is!
I always hang up on the person I put on hold so I either tell them I have to go or I don’t take the call. I have zero clue how to click back. And yes, that’s on a cell phone. Who has a land line any…oops.
Hahahahaha. I am not cool enough to get rid of the land line, Carli! I totally admit it!! 🙂
I don’t think one person has posted a comment who knows how to get the first caller back after using call waiting on a cell phone. NOT ONE!! I’m more convinced than ever that there is no way to do it and the phone makers are mocking us.
NO call waiting here. None!
lol we had call waiting growing up, no calling waiting now. we needs a landline when you have cell phones. Don’t see the point in it. Thanks for stopping by my blog Inspiring Working Moms! 🙂 Add me on facebook! http://facebook.com/vsconion Love to stay in touch and connect!
I’m not a big fan of call waiting either but I’m glad I can successfully switch back and forth when necessary 🙂
Ha ha this did make me laugh and soooo many people would be the same! I reckon we’ve all done this at some point. We don’t have it now although I find most of the time I talk on my mobile my friends never call my home phone. God I’ve just realised I don’t even know my best mates home number! She has just moved house, well she move around 5 months ago but… Oh
🙂
LOL! I am not on phone calls much anymore now that most of my family and friends text. I know what you mean about reading manuals. I cannot figure out my car phone features but have not bothered to read the manual. Why can’t all directions be infographs?