tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post8893695351448576195..comments2023-11-10T04:17:00.492-05:00Comments on View From The Porch: I'll ask the questions around here.Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-33722008230150263032012-04-01T00:12:08.778-04:002012-04-01T00:12:08.778-04:00My most memorable phone mixup was in college aroun...My most memorable phone mixup was in college around Valentine's day. I answered the phone one evening and a very sultry female voice said "Thank you for the roses and the hot tub and back rub idea sounds great." It was my roommate's girlfriend and she hadn't noticed the difference in our voices. I answered "Sounds like fun but I'm not . I'll tell him you called"<br /><br />Roommate got very red when I asked him about hot tubs and back rubs.Hat Trickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08789313677285831256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-28356277337118891582012-03-26T14:46:45.295-04:002012-03-26T14:46:45.295-04:00Bram,
That's what my dad did.
Another one o...Bram, <br /><br />That's what my dad did.<br /><br />Another one of his favorites was:<br /><br />{Ring, ring}<br /><br />"Hello, Colonel R___'s quarters, how may I help you?"<br /><br />"Um. . . can I talk to {insert name of family member here}?"<br /><br />"Yes." {Click}<br /><br />(Dad was REAL big on the difference between "can" and "may". Also on the obligation of the caller to identify themselves upfront.)<br /><br />GeodkytAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-13098510297141518242012-03-25T10:44:53.961-04:002012-03-25T10:44:53.961-04:00I got one once. I remember it because it was someo...I got one once. I remember it because it was someone looking for someone that I didn't know, had no clue who it was.<br /><br />And then at the end of the phone call, the caller had the gall to ask me if I had some idea of how to get ahold of said person. Which was mildly frustrating.Sentenzahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09433433322798374481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-86192195418337712942012-03-24T16:24:22.272-04:002012-03-24T16:24:22.272-04:00Caller: "Who is this?"
Dial Tone...Caller: "Who is this?"<br /><br />Dial Tone...Bramnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-45228469835224557982012-03-24T12:41:52.150-04:002012-03-24T12:41:52.150-04:00Ygolonac:
Just buy a trac-fone or some other disp...Ygolonac:<br /><br />Just buy a trac-fone or some other disposable phone, and put a one year card on it.<br /><br />Use it for emergencies, and never give out the number, especially to AAA during a road call, since they sell it immediately ( I got call spam while I was waiting for the tow! ).<br /><br />When it is a year old, leave it on a park bench, and buy another one for $20 + the 1 year card.Kristophrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08370888276707569365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-28055970846104161192012-03-24T10:33:02.218-04:002012-03-24T10:33:02.218-04:00I don't answer the phone unless I'm expect...I don't answer the phone unless I'm expecting a call from someone I want to talk to.<br /><br />My answering machine message is "You've reached [area code and number]. Record after the beep." More than 90% of the callers who hang on long enough to start the answering machine don't leave a message. Another large number hang up before the machine kicks in.Bruce H.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-60984951225158722182012-03-24T10:32:50.375-04:002012-03-24T10:32:50.375-04:00My outmessage on VM is simple:
"If you want ...My outmessage on VM is simple:<br /><br />"If you want to speak to a person later, you need to speak to the machine now."<br /><br />Mariner: I was taught something the like 40+ years ago as well. Problem is, the reasons for masking a residential telephone presence have metastasized in the interval. It's no longer prudent to announce your name or any other identifiers that could be used by a social-engineering miscreant. <br /><br />Sometimes, I wonder if it's even wise to answer the phone at all.<br /><br />In any case, I take the view that the caller has intruded into MY space and should be prepared to take what he gets, including my gratuitous and puerile rudeness.<br /><br />MMark Algerhttp://www.babytrollblog.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-44239481312624707582012-03-24T09:43:05.629-04:002012-03-24T09:43:05.629-04:00my usual respone to "Who is this?" is &q...my usual respone to "Who is this?" is "that depends, who are you?" it usually gets silence, and if they actually have business they might get a little huffy. oh well, ya can't please everyone.<br /><br />my voice mail message is simply: "State your business." it keeps meesages to a mininum.<br /><br />telemarketers, although a dying breed can be very annoying. back when i had a land line and the number was generally known i got a lot of these, condos for some reason. i found that if i showed interest they would natter on and i would begin to breathe heavily: :"mmmm....tell me about your condo...condos are so hot...ooooh...tell me about it...mmmmm...oooh....condos...." etc. usually i didn't get a second call from that source.Critterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04452486400885521156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-25415496609081970032012-03-24T07:36:02.954-04:002012-03-24T07:36:02.954-04:00I N G and O
I N G and O
I N G and O
And INGO is he...I N G and O<br />I N G and O<br />I N G and O<br />And INGO is her tribe-o!<br />Sat morning earworm. Sing it all day. :-)<br /><br />CIIIChrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-10795352615839038092012-03-24T06:54:28.108-04:002012-03-24T06:54:28.108-04:00RE: Etiquette, civility and politeness
One of my ...RE: Etiquette, civility and politeness<br /><br />One of my pleasures in life in O'Brien's Aubrey / Maturin series, especially the audiobooks read by Patrick Tull. One thing that I find oddly pleasing about them is the way that the characters speak to each other, even outside the formal atmosphere of the quarterdeck. It's, "How do you do?", not "Whazzup?" It's, "May I name my particular friend, Dil", not "This is Dil." When they write to each other, it's "My dear Stephen" and "Your humble servant" or "Your devoted friend", not "Hey" and "LOL!" and "Later".<br /><br />But I guess I'm just an old fuddy-duddy.<br /><br />There's a certain graAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-86923178315380043962012-03-24T06:46:19.883-04:002012-03-24T06:46:19.883-04:00I once dialed a wrong nunber (back when phones had...I once dialed a wrong nunber (back when phones had dials) trying to call a buddy of mine.<br /> I got a gas station way outside of town, but they just said "Hello?"<br /> When I asked if my buddy was there (still thinking I had reached his house) there was a long pause and then "Hang on, I'll get him". <br /> He was out at the pump filling up.Old Radar Techhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05331046874114107904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-23744833395146278992012-03-24T03:24:32.965-04:002012-03-24T03:24:32.965-04:00@Tirno:
ME: "S3, xxth MI BN, SFC Drang, th...@Tirno: <br />ME: "S3, xxth MI BN, SFC Drang, this is an unsecured line"<br />CALLER: "Hi, this is Ralph, would you be interested in a subscription to Playboy?"<br />ME: "I don;t think so."Dranghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08082177597135236652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-73606559808886809902012-03-23T22:28:55.158-04:002012-03-23T22:28:55.158-04:00I frequently answer the telephone with the first t...I frequently answer the telephone with the first thing that comes to mind, whatever it is. If it's a friend, they know I do that. If it isn't, well -- they called me; they get what they get.Roberta Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-73227472663066874752012-03-23T21:43:06.039-04:002012-03-23T21:43:06.039-04:00I remember hearing some guy who recorded himself a...I remember hearing some guy who recorded himself answering the phone to wrong number callers with several great shticks. In one, he pretended to be a homicide detective investigating the murder of the person supposedly being called by the wrong-number-dialer. It was an evil riot.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08015544320906146949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-33669714271984674592012-03-23T20:43:53.019-04:002012-03-23T20:43:53.019-04:00http://shiningpearlsofsomething.blogspot.com/2011/...http://shiningpearlsofsomething.blogspot.com/2011/10/oopsie.html<br /><br />The kind of wrong number calls one can expect in rural Indiana...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06896718673192738974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-35339792499276797032012-03-23T20:31:55.050-04:002012-03-23T20:31:55.050-04:00My usual response is, "I dunno, who's THI...My usual response is, "I dunno, who's THIS???" :-)Old NFOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16404197287935017147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-41472287620012495082012-03-23T20:22:52.582-04:002012-03-23T20:22:52.582-04:00It's interesting how our definition of "g...It's interesting how our definition of "good manners" has changed in the last 50 years.<br /><br />I remember being taught to answer the phone, "Good morning/afternoon/evening, xxx residence, yyy speaking."marinerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03435598676103731157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-26210375532085083872012-03-23T20:10:54.209-04:002012-03-23T20:10:54.209-04:00Years ago my aged aunt, a stickler for manners, wo...Years ago my aged aunt, a stickler for manners, would reply to the "Who's this?" question with, "I don't know, I can't see you!"doubletroublehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04378163493817522427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-84350856699271859342012-03-23T20:01:21.501-04:002012-03-23T20:01:21.501-04:00Awww, it dropped all my sound effects:
click
&qu...Awww, it dropped all my sound effects:<br /><br />click<br /><br />"Yo."<br /><br />dead silence<br /><br />dead silence<br /><br />dead silence<br /><br />click<br /><br />(Follwed by "Yeah..." and the rest of my blathering)<br /><br />Hmmm, maybe it doesn't like angle-brackets used in that manner.Ygolonacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-31119509340116943122012-03-23T19:58:28.209-04:002012-03-23T19:58:28.209-04:00"Yo."
Yeah, I guess the robodia..."Yo."<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Yeah, I guess the robodialers can't quite identify me as a human. I'm fair, I give 'em a whole three seconds of dead air before hanging up.<br /><br />Then again, I have nearly a full minute of smartass commentary as a voicemail message ("This is voicemail, I can't hear you at all, this is not Toys 'r' Us or Pacific Petroleum, leave a message and if I feel like it I'll replay..." - the two businesses were one digit off my phone number for quite some time), and I only answer the phone if it's late enough to be a known human calling for good reason, if I'm actually expecting a call, or if I have a gut feel it might be important. (Gut feel is running 35% accuracy over 10+ years.)<br /><br />I also have no cellphone, which is downright stunning to several goons of my acquaintance. I've had *need* of a cellphone roughly... twice, over the past seven or so years I've thought about getting one. <br /><br />Hmmm. I've actually had more need of a cellphone than I have a concealed handgun. Of course, the *downsides* of the phone far outweigh even my doublestack .45 1911...Ygolonacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-36785293369938448022012-03-23T19:09:36.087-04:002012-03-23T19:09:36.087-04:00The entire concept of having a stranger ring a bel...The entire concept of having a stranger ring a bell at you in your personal space, and expect you to drop whatever you are doing that instant and come talk to them would have been very odd to our GreatGrandparents.<br /><br />In fact, it seems very odd to me at this very moment, now that I think about it.Goobernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-41366199257813466062012-03-23T18:15:34.334-04:002012-03-23T18:15:34.334-04:00My best was answering the phone to a tirade about ...My best was answering the phone to a tirade about 'who did I think I was', and many other things...I really didn't pay much attention, but this guy was PISSED. He, fortunately, asked what I had to say for myself, to which I responded, "I think you've got a wrong number?"<br /><br />The other one that boggles my mind is the messages on my answering machine, despite it clearly announcing the number they've reached. There is, sadly, someone out there who never knows that they where the wood lives for the fireplace in the cabin they're borrowing, and presumably spent a few cold winter nights with no heat.<br /><br />Oh, and Sarah, Margaret will never be calling you back, and I can't let you know since you didn't leave a number.cjnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-81874230491793640092012-03-23T18:13:26.632-04:002012-03-23T18:13:26.632-04:00Heh, I can play this game.
My favorite is only ro...Heh, I can play this game.<br /><br />My favorite is only rolled out during election time and I've only gotten a good hard bite once but....<br /><br />It should be noted that the land line is barely used. Family and friends know to use my cell so any incoming call to the land line has to be some sort of sales pitch.<br /><br />*RINGRING*<br /><br />Me: Local County Communist Party. How can I help you comrade?<br /><br />Campaign Volunteer (local candidate for recorder or somesuch: Ummmmmmm.......... Is this a private business?<br /><br />Me: Ummm....Well, it really belongs to the people. Can I help you?<br /><br />CV: (Forging ahead with determination) My name is Jane Derp and I'm calling on behalf of the Local County Major Party and<br /><br />Me: OH! Would you like some information?<br /><br />CV: Uhh... yes...er wait... I....<br /><br />Me: So where are you calling from? Downtown right? Corner of Number and Cross street?<br /><br />CV: Uh... yeah... see I'm trying to...<br /><br />Me: (Not letting the poor dear complete a thought, ain't I a stinker?) Okay, I know where that is. I'll have an information packet mailed out right away. Would you like a yard sign?<br /><br />CV: Uhhhhhhh..... I....<br /><br />Me: Great, thanks for calling.<br /><br />*CLICK*<br /><br /><br />Now comes the evil bit. <br />I knew the address for the local party office she was calling from. So I went online to the Socialist Party USA's website and ordered all the literature I could to be mailed to the party office attention Jane Derp. <br /><br />And to add to my joy a couple of weeks later I heard from a friend of a friend that was working the phone bank one day a week or so later when a large envelope was delivered containing socialist literature. Apparently Jane Derp was moved to yard sign duty or something.<br /><br />Ahhhh..... and my chance approaches again soon...<br /><br />BGMBGMillernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-44081598539917499592012-03-23T18:04:46.158-04:002012-03-23T18:04:46.158-04:00All substances are water soluble. eventually.All substances are water soluble. eventually.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-60051568555287800082012-03-23T17:43:54.588-04:002012-03-23T17:43:54.588-04:00I misdialed MrsZ this past weekend. A female voice...I misdialed MrsZ this past weekend. A female voice that wasn't her answered the phone, and I said, "Is MrsZ there?" ... long pause ...<br />... I glanced at the screen on my phone and noted the transposed digit, and brought the phone back to my ear in time to hear, "... trying to reach?"<br /><br />"Sorry, I dialed the wrong number! *click*"ZerCoolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08347518441827166007noreply@blogger.com