I think the internet has been around long enough that people

would not take everything they read on a website or email for

truth. I went in to my favorite gas station today for a cappucino,

and on the counter there was an email printed off of the internet

and taped down with the header…PLZ READ. It is the still circulating

email about Starbucks not supporting our soldiers yada yada. I had

to wonder, didn’t anyone take the time to research this and find out

if it was true. I don’t generally believe these types of things, but if I

think there might be a grain of truth in it, I go to snopes.com and check

it out. There are a couple of good websites that have researched these

rumors and will tell you if they are true or not. It worries me that people

will so blindly believe everything they hear or read. Has this blindness

encouraged leaders to dismiss us as intelligent citizens? Are our children

going to grow up without independent thought? Much to ponder for sure.

First, I have to find a new favorite gas station.

One thing I forgot to include in my blog on cell phone

etiquette was answering your cell phone while in class. I

guess the reason I skipped this one is because it is so very

wrong that surely no one would ever do it. Wrong. I witnessed

this stupidity myself. A girl that sits next to me in one of my

literature classes answered her phone to tell the caller that she

was in class. Are you kidding me? What makes this worse is that

she had just asked the professor something and he was in the

middle of an explanation. She ducked behind the girl in front of

her and had her little conversation, and didn’t give a second thought

to the situation. Can I just say.. what an idiot. Just because a phone

rings does NOT mean it has to be answered. Come on. Let’s use a little

better judgment on appropriate times to talk on cell phones.

While sitting in the doctor’s office the other day, I was lucky enough to hear a woman’s

cell phone conversation. Yes, I was privy to the going’s on in her personal life and

how deeply she was affected by her boyfriend’s lack of maturity that caused him to kiss

another girl in a bar. Lack of maturity. I’m thinking more along the lines of respect.

Anyway, I cannot believe that people do this. It is rude. It is disruptive. It is space rape.

I hate that people do not practice cell phone etiquette. I think I might start a page about

cell phone conversations that I hear every day and see how many I rack up by this time

next year. Come on Margaret, go out into the hallway and tell Donna how you will get

even with this cheating loser.

I think cell phones are great, and in some cases they are a necessity. I also think there

is a responsibility that comes with them. It is a gentle mix of manners and common

sense. Turn your phone off before entering buildings. Especially libraries and funeral

homes. Have intimate conversations in private. Do not talk on the phone while you

order food at the drive-thru, do your banking, or pay for groceries at Kroger. Turn

down your obnoxious ring tone. It is not really music. Or even enjoyable. Lastly, do not

yell in to the phone when you cannot hear the person on the other end. This will not

help you hear him or her better. It makes you look ridiculous.