We've had telephone answering machines almost as long as we've had other family members to do it for us, and yet after all those decades of mechanized messaging, the vast majority of us seem completely incapable of understanding what these devices are really intended to do.
I've had two calls today from the baby of the family, now approaching middle age, and happily married with three children and a busy life. He hasn't called me for months, and yet we're in the same province, and the same time zone. And when he encounters my phone saying "Please leave a message after the tone" he mumbles something obvious and escapes without leaving any useful information. I can't tell if there's been a family emergency, or a financial difficulty, or a workplace problem, or just plain loneliness.
And I haven't picked up the phone to answer it because I'm trying to see if he will ever figure out what it's really for, and begin using it like it should be used.
So far, I've determined that he does know my number, his voice seems normal, and therefore he must be OK, and something unknown is prompting him to call this old man who has been enjoying not being bothered by bitching relatives. Otherwise, I haven't a clue. But it can't be too serious, or I would have heard sooner by either phone or email. I don't Facebook. I blog instead. Frequently! Any questions?
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