This weekend while doing hair I was treated to the phenomenon of Disney's High School Musical on DVD. This blog post is not a review or anything. Instead, I just want to talk about a few random thoughts this movie inspired. Via this movie I was able to witness a mating ritual that, because of my age and present circumstances (i.e., married), has passed me over. See, at one point in the movie boy meets girl and before they part they agree to exchange telephone numbers. What they did next was something I had only heard of: they gave each other their cell phones, snapped their own photo, and texted-in their cell phone numbers before giving the cell phones back.
What a far cry from my days at a teen at parties and under-21 dance clubs and whatnot. I flashbacked to that final announcement by the DJ (e.g., "You don't hafta go home, butcha gotta get the hell outta here...") The young man I've been dancing with has worked up the nerve to ask me for my telephone number. Assuming I agree, his next move is crucial. He can then search and ask around for a writing implement and scrap paper. Or, he can pull a nice pen and little note book of some sort from his pocket, ready to receive dictation.
Actually, from what I can remember, a young man could be doomed either way. The former move could get awkward and annoying. Plus it often made a big show out of the whole transaction--not good, assuming one didn't want to appear the type of young lady who gave up her number easily. The latter move, though smoother and perhaps indicating superior organizational skills, could mark a young man as a "player." Who wanted to be yet another entry in some boy's little black book?
Somehow, though, we all managed. Well. Except for those few months in high school when my father discontinued our telephone service because he was so frustrated at never being able to use it, a la one of my favorite Brady Bunch episodes (except without the installation of a pay phone--we simply had no phone period). But that is a trauma I do not care to re-live.
I can still sometimes remember one of my old telephone numbers from years ago. It comes to me at odd moments, likely a sure sign of some organic brain disturbance. Paradoxically, however, of the people I call on a regular basis currently, I barely know anyone's telephone number at all. Not "don't remember." Don't know. Of course that is because these numbers are programmed into my land line and cell phone memories--I have never had to memorize them. If I were ever stranded somewhere without my cell phone and needed to call someone to come get me...well, I'd likely just remain stranded.
Which made me think of this test of what I will call your musical genre cultural identification. Which of these telephone numbers from songs could you complete if I began singing them: (a) 867-____, (b) 777-____, (c) both, (d) neither?
If you could finish the first one (...fivethree-oh-niiiine) you are rock-identified. If you could complete the second telephone number (...ninetythree-eeeeleven) you identify firmly with the funk. Both? Congratulations, you are musically bi-cultural. Neither? Possibly you are much younger or much older than me, or you do not listen to nearly enough American popular music.
Which makes me wonder: Do folks still record phone number songs? The only one I can think of recently was something about "having ho's in every area code."
Hmmm. And to think I used to find it rude when a young man would demand, "Yo, baby, you gonna give me those digits or what?"
Posted by perry032 at September 18, 2007 05:36 PM | TrackBackI got a kick out of this post. I know exactly what you mean. Though I'm probably younger... but it still applies. When I was in say junior high, no one had cell phones. (I think one kid did) We wen't through the same thing everyone else went though. Awkward fumbling for pen and paper to transcribe the ever holy phone number.
Though I do remember a time, when I was quite a bit older (last year), when I was in a mall and my friend had a new bluetooth ready phone and had figured out how to 'hack' into other peoples phones via bluetooth. Long story short, he got close enough to the girl he was eyeing, some how got her phone number off of her phone (without permission) and proceeded to call her. Some how it worked. They dated for about a week (better than nothing I guess).
Ahhh. technology. (great blog btw)
Posted by: Website Design at September 27, 2007 09:55 AM408-353-2627 -- my first phone number when i was a kid. Then....408-353-4697 when my parents, much like yours who were sick of not being able to use their own phone with 6 kids in the house, took a different tactic and bought a second line! yeah for us kids.
Posted by: joan at September 28, 2007 02:59 PMmy first number +6281055987 < when i was kid
my first number umm....
i can't remember it coz i'm keep change my cell phone number frequently