When I was growing up in North Dakota a few decades ago, we had one telephone. It was the basic black desk phone that was housed in a specific little phone alcove. We had one outlet so it couldn’t travel very far. We were on a party line - each family had their designated number of rings, but the whole world had the same ring tone. I can remember hearing people on the line when I was talking, and often they would request that someone hang up so they could place an emergent call. When you were on the party-line, there was a code of telephone ethics that was respected. Because we were sharing the air-waves, our phone time was limited. I can remember our phone number was 1173J. We had that number for years until things started to change. The party-lines gave way to private numbers and we all had new seven digit numbers - that seemed to be a real challenge for everyone for awhile. Then they came out with a line of phones known as “princess phones.” They were multiple-colored and stream-lined. People thought that surely signaled a moral change in society. We never owned anything but the desk phone - eventually we switched from black to beige. When Ma Bell “broke” it seems to me that everything went “nutz.”
In my life, some things die hard. Today I still have one beige, desk-top phone at home and a hand-held connection that I can take a short distance. I don’t much like the thing because I have a tendency to turn my head ever so slightly and invariably I disconnect during most conversations - some of you are well aware of that annoyance. I much prefer the desk model with the giant colored buttons. (That’s another story!) I do have an answering machine but that is the extent of my bells & whistles. In May, my daughter provided me with my first “cell-phone”. It is a Tracfone to be used for emergencies when I am out wandering alone & find myself in some kind of trouble. I have yet to use it in the produce department at WalMart. It is incredible what I learn about the love life of absolute strangers when I am innocently trying to select a head of lettuce! Maybe I’ll progress to that phase, but for now, I am still in the education phase of learning how to use the thing. This is the bottom line: if you want to call my cell, I need to call you first so you can get the number. And, I have the standard ring on my phone so I will recognize that it indeed is a phone call. I don’t have music or strange noises or a code for everyone that calls me. My son has song lyrics for his wife, mother, sister and friends. He always knows who is calling and can decide if he is going to answer immediately. Who in the world needs to make a decision when it comes to talking to their mother!?!
And that is the point of this entire tale: RING TONES! On 4-Medicine we all have phones now. I guess it is supposed to be a time saver but it doesn’t cut down much on noise. My favorite feature is the text message. Mind you, I can’t send a text message but I like receiving them: to the point and no noise! At the beginning of my shift, I am designated a specific number and have to log it in. Each day I have a new number that I tape on the back of the phone so I know it when I need a call back. I really need my own personal number but that doesn’t seem to happen. I think it is a flaw in the system. Then, I select a ring tone. I ALWAYS go to the classic ring because then I seem to recognize when the phone is actually ringing. I have about 30 ring choices: saxophone, chime, clockshop, Jamaica, mucic box, drums, Koto effect, and, a parrot-like voice that abruptly shouts “Are you there? Are you there?” When I here all these weird sounds throughout the day, they seem to be an intrusion into my “designated oto space” And, in the middle of the day when I hear that lonesome saxophone, I think I am on Beale Street, alone in the rain on a Saturday night - you get the picture.
I’m not sure what happened with the telephone. It is now a camera, a computer, a music machine... It gives you the time in London, the temperature in Japan and pork belly futures from the Board of Trade. The telephone is used far beyond my wants, needs or desires. In reality, I am like that crazy parrot - I am out here in the wilderness shouting, “Are you there? Are you there?”
Sherry Holden
To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Registered Nursing Opportunities Indiana.
Search for available Nursing Jobs at Clarian Health by Nurse Specialty
In my life, some things die hard. Today I still have one beige, desk-top phone at home and a hand-held connection that I can take a short distance. I don’t much like the thing because I have a tendency to turn my head ever so slightly and invariably I disconnect during most conversations - some of you are well aware of that annoyance. I much prefer the desk model with the giant colored buttons. (That’s another story!) I do have an answering machine but that is the extent of my bells & whistles. In May, my daughter provided me with my first “cell-phone”. It is a Tracfone to be used for emergencies when I am out wandering alone & find myself in some kind of trouble. I have yet to use it in the produce department at WalMart. It is incredible what I learn about the love life of absolute strangers when I am innocently trying to select a head of lettuce! Maybe I’ll progress to that phase, but for now, I am still in the education phase of learning how to use the thing. This is the bottom line: if you want to call my cell, I need to call you first so you can get the number. And, I have the standard ring on my phone so I will recognize that it indeed is a phone call. I don’t have music or strange noises or a code for everyone that calls me. My son has song lyrics for his wife, mother, sister and friends. He always knows who is calling and can decide if he is going to answer immediately. Who in the world needs to make a decision when it comes to talking to their mother!?!
And that is the point of this entire tale: RING TONES! On 4-Medicine we all have phones now. I guess it is supposed to be a time saver but it doesn’t cut down much on noise. My favorite feature is the text message. Mind you, I can’t send a text message but I like receiving them: to the point and no noise! At the beginning of my shift, I am designated a specific number and have to log it in. Each day I have a new number that I tape on the back of the phone so I know it when I need a call back. I really need my own personal number but that doesn’t seem to happen. I think it is a flaw in the system. Then, I select a ring tone. I ALWAYS go to the classic ring because then I seem to recognize when the phone is actually ringing. I have about 30 ring choices: saxophone, chime, clockshop, Jamaica, mucic box, drums, Koto effect, and, a parrot-like voice that abruptly shouts “Are you there? Are you there?” When I here all these weird sounds throughout the day, they seem to be an intrusion into my “designated oto space” And, in the middle of the day when I hear that lonesome saxophone, I think I am on Beale Street, alone in the rain on a Saturday night - you get the picture.
I’m not sure what happened with the telephone. It is now a camera, a computer, a music machine... It gives you the time in London, the temperature in Japan and pork belly futures from the Board of Trade. The telephone is used far beyond my wants, needs or desires. In reality, I am like that crazy parrot - I am out here in the wilderness shouting, “Are you there? Are you there?”
Sherry Holden
To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Registered Nursing Opportunities Indiana.
Search for available Nursing Jobs at Clarian Health by Nurse Specialty
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