“That’s why I’m so pissed off about modern gasoline additives.”
“Agreed, and if I get another lecture about recycling I’m gonna’…”
“Yes! Also, the bastards in DC can kiss my…”
Click!
I’d been having a delightful conversation with a good friend. We were listing all the things that suck and therefore it was a long conversation. I’d only gotten partway through enumerating reasons why most politicians should be roasted on a spit and fed to weasels when the phone went dead.
Text still worked. I sent out a text:
“Drive through a tunnel?”
The response was quick:
“I’m at my house dumbass.”
So much for that theory. I postulated another:
“Pissed off the NSA?”
My conversation partner had a more reasonable theory:
“You’re out of minutes again aren’t you?”
Ah, yes. That would be the thing. I’m the last living person who buys minutes for his “pay as you go” phone. Even homeless crack addicts and illicit mafia goons have generous monthly plans.
Not me! I’m sticking with the geezeriffic business model of buying minutes of cell phone time, consuming them, running out at inconvenient times, and then buying more. It’s the last gasping breath of a world where people bought shit and subsequently used the shit they’d already purchased. I loathe the modern approach of slapping a monthly payment on everything and then watching your money inexorably fade. I’ll pay up front and avoid the feeling of a vampire that shows up every night to take a little more blood.
That’s just how I roll; pre-paid cell phones fit my life. I don’t talk much. When I do talk, I talk until the minutes are gone. Then I shut up until I get around to buying more minutes. In the long run I save so much it would make the average consumer cry… except the average consumer can’t do math so they wouldn’t understand.
“So, buy more minutes eh?”
I’d forgotten I was still having a text exchange. Then I responded with the most subversive statement any citizen in 2021 can say.
“No.”
“WTF?”
“I’m done talking. I’ll just quit making voice calls.”
“Dude, you NEED a phone.”
“Meh. I’ll write you a letter sometime.”
And that was it. I’d officially checked out of modern society.
You were being sarcastic??? Otherwise, I have to wonder why you don’t get the bare minimum of minutes, then set the phone to use your home internet instead of minutes. You do maintain your blog from home, don’t you? Therefore, you’re already payng for the ‘net. Move your cell phne to yourrouter and save the minutes for when you’re away from home.
My only excuse is that I’m lazy. I don’t talk much so I don’t think about it much. I’ll rectify this oversight because it does seem like I should have known better.
Rectified.
“You can’t do that!”…or, maybe you can. You do have that curmudgeon thing going on.
Hope all is well.
I’m still on pre-paid cell service. Spend $30 every three months for talk, text, and data. Everything rolls over. Have over 2900 minutes,2700 texts, and over 3 GB of data (which I don’t normally use. Less than year old 4G FLIP PHONE (Android). I cry all the way to the bank when I hear what others pay.
Laxt time I had a pre-pay was over a year ago. Been with out a spy device since then.
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