Telephones

My telephone number is 760 702 6531. It may seem strange to some for me to just put it out there like that. But there is a story, of course

I have only recently learned that currently my phone number is not listed in any kind of public directory. When we moved to this retirement community last year the number we got is the number assigned to this room (and not to the name of the room occupant). The only public listing is the name of this community. This has resulted in some problems. Out of town relatives who were in the area and wanted to call and stop by could not find us listed anywhere. Several international callers have been unable to find my number anywhere and in the process a very important contact was never made. A blog reader who wanted to call knew there were Kieschnicks serving as ministers in the Lutheran Church, found an official directory and reached my sister- in- law who provided my number

When I was growing up in rural Texas there was no telephone listing for my family, simply because we did not have phone service. Then came the old party line. When there was one long and two short rings we knew it was for us.

In the 1950’s in Hong Kong we were told that only through the payment of significant under the table bribes could one secure a telephone without a year or more wait. However, we just applied for ourselves and for our school and within a week the phones were installed. During my years with The Lutheran Schools Association of Metropolitan New York we did not yet have emails, but plenty of phone calls. I still remember when I had been out of my office for two days and returned to my very full answering machine with 51 calls waiting to be returned. (Now my email aficionados say, “I had 100 emails yesterday.” The response: “Lucky you, I had 150 by 10:30 am!")

Last week I met my next-door neighbor returning to his unit muttering. I asked, “What’s up?” “Oh, I forgot my (expletive deleted) cell phone! “Would you believe that I am going just a few blocks to the dog park with my dog. I have my GPS to get me there but I don’t dare go without my cell phone!” Then he mused, “What will it be like a hundred years from now? I bet all this stuff will be embedded in our bodies. I just bet that cell phones, I-phones, I-pods, direction finders, blood pressure, radar units, etc. etc. will all be right in my cells! But for now I’ve got to find my cell phone!”