May become itchy and irritated...

I think I might give up on talking on the phone for a while. I feel like I would get more done and be less irritated. Honestly, how many five minute phone calls do you get during the day that are four minutes too long. Sometimes I get 30 minute phone calls at work that are 29 minutes too long. I go through this all the time (mostly with women). You just end up on the phone talking about NOTHING. And not in the cool, fun way like when you talk to the person you love about nothing for hours... really I'm on the phone with people and nothing is really being discussed.

Example: Someone will call me at work to inform me of some information that has changed about an event. They call me so I can change the announcements. This should take 30 seconds. "Hey, I was just calling to say that the event will be 4PM instead of 3:59PM." "Okay, I will make the change." click.

But what really happens is they take me on the 15 minute journey of why they made that decision. "Well I woke up and after talking it over with Becky... oh by the way Becky had this really funny joke... oh I can't remember it... we laughed really hard... anyway, so we were thinking about the time the event started and... oh I almost remembered what she said... Oh, it was right there... oh well... so" At this point I am flipping a coin to decide if I should hang myself with the phone chord or simply bang my head against the desk until I blackout.

Today, I pull up to the gym I go to and my mom calls on the phone. "Hey are you at work?" "No, I'm at the gym." "Oh, I'm trying to get a hold of Patti (my secretary)... she isn't with you?" "No mom, Patti didn't come with me to the gym (sigh)." "Oh right... well I was just going to get a pedicure and I thought that if Patti was a work..." I cut her off "Mom, I'm AT THE GYM. Are you going to tell me a narration of your thoughts on why you want to get a hold of my secretary of whom I have no idea of her whereabouts and your line up for the rest of your night?" "(laugh) yes" "I love you mom, but" click.

I find myself on the phone almost all day screaming inside "i don't care. I don't care. I DON"T care. I DON'T CARE! GET TO THE POINT!"

So I think if I just decide that I don't take phone calls I can stop this. People can just leave a message with the information, no story needed. It's funny, I don't have this reaction when people are there in the flesh, just on the phone.