Ring, Ring!
Have you ever felt inadequate, out of tune from what other people seem entwine to do? I have a peeve about cell phones, I’m referring to all functions that come with it like texting, twitter, music, apps,Twitter, Facebook and other applications. It seems to me, while I’m busy with photography and birds I’m practically going in the opposite direction that most people who are following a trend with the new phone gadgets. By the way I do not own a cell phone. I tell my wife, who owns and loves her cell phone that most people have lost the use of one hand since the invention of the cell phone, it doesn’t matter where they are, they are mostly limited to use only one hand because the other hand is always holding the cell phone!
While I do food shopping at the grocery market. I see people taking pictures of grocery products and emailing it to someone and then asking for a decision to buy or not. In another instance I hear someone make a call standing in the middle of an isle, oblivious that is blocking the way, a couple of minutes later I hear the caller tell someone just steps away “there you are!”.
I could go on for ever with stories similar to those mentioned. Going a little further on why I obviously don’t go crazy for cell phones I’ll tell you a true story:
A few years back I was driving with my wife going home, just finished from having a delicious dinner in a fancy restaurant, it’s about 9 p.m. on our wedding anniversary. I’m driving on the third lane from the right lane on a four lane road when I see in the rear view mirror lights from a car approaching rapidly on the left lane. I kept and eye on it and moved my car to the second lane to the right as a precaution measure. The car kept approaching and suddenly veered to my lane and hit my side hard but I was ready for the collision and moved to the first lane quickly in full control of the vehicle, another car hit the corner of my car on the first lane. Not terribly but damaged the rear lights and bumper.
I still remember like in slow motion the moment the speeding car was about to hit mine I saw the driver scared face and steering back the other way so fast that his car turned left almost 90 degree angle and hit the road’s concrete divider and flipped in the air falling back on the road upside down facing the wrong way. A bunch of cars coming in both directions braked to a halt! I stopped on the side of the road and Lucy told me that she was shaken but okay. I ran to see the car that hit us, the engine was starting to catch fire, I looked for the driver and he wasn’t there at the steering wheel I was dumbfounded, then I see a guy in the back seat with a cell phone in his hand, looking dazed and his eyes wide open in fear when the car flipped he had been thrown to the back. I quickly grabbed him by the lapels and pulled him out of the car, by then I saw other people ran from other cars on the road with fire stinguishers putting the fire out. I was very upset because the guy admitted that he was on the phone and without the seat belt on. I shook him and asked him if he had been drinking he said no, he was distracted when he transferred lanes. He was minutes from getting a beating! I was so angry. By then the police patrols, ambulances and firetrucks were there. Luckily Lucy and I were okay, my SUV had damages, the other guy’s car was destroyed and half burned, a total loss. Other drivers kept telling us how lucky we were. They so the whole thing from afar!
Good thing that I felt the danger approaching and maneuvered precisely to reduce the force of the impact.
My wife has for years kept me a cell phone but I never used it. Three years ago I decided to disconnect it permanently!
Here are some photos for you. Enjoy!
Text and photographs © HJ Ruiz -Avian101
H.J. Ruiz - Avian101 
I don’t know HJ. These days living without a cell phone can be quite dangerous.. Back in the day we used to have payphones if you needed to reach someone while you were out or if your car broke down etc. I absolutely hate when people use cellphones while driving. I have been bumped in the back by someone who was on the phone while driving and I felt a similar rage. The craziest thing is I had a feeling she was going to hot me at the light we stopped at before. So I got out of her Lane so she was no longer behind me but then she pproceeded get behind me again and at the very next light she bumped me. I could not believe my luck..
She was a teenager and thankfully it was just a small bump but man I was irritated. AL I can’t tell you how many times on I95 I have seen someone driving along at a good clip and then boom they get a phone call and the next thing you know their speed drops 10 miles below the speed limit and they are of course in the fast lane of a 4 Lane Highway…. Slowing down every one else and they don’t even realize it. Then you have angry drivers doing things to try and get around them that may possibly cause am accident… .
But on the other hand I love my cell phone . I use it for more than I use a computer and it is incredibly handy using that to run a business. I no longer take handwritten notes because I can keep everything I need right next to me instead of on pieces of paper hereand tthere. And frankly it has saved me money numerous times. Just recently I was at Mr Tire looking to purchase a set of tires for my wife’s truck. The price they quoted me was some what high so I went online and did a quick search. Found out that Sears was selling the same set of tires for $125 less. Showed them the ad and they price matched it right then and there from the just looking at my phone screen.
Also it is very very very handy as my GPS. Google updates their maps regularly and I use it all the time to get to clients homes or wedding venues and it saves me so much time and possibly money. Especially driving around cities that I have not been to before.
I have a stand alone GPS but that was purchased 5 years ago and a lot has changed since then. I used to get irritated because sometimes it would take try and take me down a one way street etc etc.. And to upgrade for the new maps yearly was about 1/2 the price I paid for the device to begin with. With our phones the maps get updated daily and for free.
These days if you were to break down on the side of the road not too many people are willing to pullover and help out. I eexperienced this last year when something happened to my car on a rural road and I was about 50 miles away from home. Sadly I forgot to charge my phone the night before so there I am at 9pm stuck and the nearest place that I could possibly make a phone call from was a gas station I passed about 2miles back. Long story short my wife picked me up but I learned my lesson and small sure to buy two car Chargers as just in case measures.
My phone also serves as an entertainment device because from my phone I can stream Netflix or YouTube directly to my TV. That’s just a small perk lol. Not counting the fact that I have not listened to the radio in my car for over three years now. I use my phone to play mainly photography podcasts thru my speakers while I drive. I can honestly say I would cancel cable way before cancelling my smartphone.
I find the downsides of owning a smartphone to befar too many people drive and text or drive and talk on the phone and have no consideration for others on the road.I also notice people can be in the same room together and have no need for no want to conversate with one another anymore these days.and I’m sure there are other negative but for me the positives far outweigh the negatives. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to the grocery store and my wife will send me a quick message letting me know to pick something up.it saves me a trip from having to run out that same day for a few days later. But on one hand you could say it caused me to spend more money lol because I may not have bought that same item if I never received the text and kept that money in my wallet.. I think your topic makes for an interesting the bank though. But we have not had a home phone since 2004. When we bought our house the only people that were calling on our land line were solicitors. I dealt with that for 3 months and then said why am I paying Verizon $50 a month to be bugged and beg for money. Anybody that knew us would have our call call phone number’s anyway.. and I have never look back 🙂
Don’t worry my friend, I was just voicing my opinion about cell phones. Don’t take me wrong I think the cell phone is a great invention and the blending of PC, Camera, phone, GPS, Apps. etc. is very advanced technology for everyone’s reach. One thing I don’t like is the dependency created by these phones. I just have to see my wife or her friends of other relatives. You could be in one room full of people and about half of them are on the phone talking or texting. I feel happy not having so many calls and the calls at home are few. 🙂
After reading my comment which was written entirely by me using voice to text on my smartphone… I can see that sometimes technology does fail. Looking at all of the grammatical errors lol.
Other countries prohibit using a phone with your hands while driving. You must have by law a phone holder in the car. If the police see you holding a phone, you get a heavy fine. It is time the USA enforces hands-free cellphone use. Still, talking is distractive and dangerous, but it lessens by much the risk of accidents if drivers keep both hands at the wheel and the head straight.
Another dangerous and unregulated practice that I see often here is drivers with pets on their laps and unrestrained. First time that I saw this I was awe-struck. I keep four eyes when I drive on a highway as I, too, was almost hit by a distractive talking driver more than once. Glad you both made it unharmed.
Beautiful birds, wish we could fly free like them.
It’s a fact that many accidents have been caused by drivers talking or texting on the phone. Thanks for sharing Carmen! 🙂
It’s a great topic! I waffle back & forth on technology … Obviously using a phone and driving is bad – it’s against the law here. But I do want a phone on me for emergency purposes. Technology overall … definitely distracts folks and keeps them from being in the “present”; yet my naturalist work is experimenting with how technology can be used to encourage folks to be outdoors. I enjoyed reading your opinion.
Thank you Neita! I do agree that cell phones can be very useful. Not using them properly could also be harmful for themselves and others. 🙂
I agree with many of your points, H.J. I am amazed when we go on outings, how many people are not speaking to each other, they are totally focused on their cell phones. We go to a lot of hockey games and it seems to me that the majority of people are on their phones and not paying any attention to the game. Why spend the money for tickets if you are just going to be texting, twittering and facebooking the entire time? I find it a bit mystifying because I have a smart phone and mine absolutely will not work in the hockey stadium so I don’t know how all those others are using theirs!
I am so glad you and your wife were not injured in that awful accident. Just a couple of months ago my community was rocked by the tragic death of a high school senior, a football star, on his way to school who plowed into the back of a garbage truck going 55 miles an hour, they think because he was checking a text on his phone. What a waste! There is NOTHING so important that it can’t wait until you are stopped! Oh, and our state has a law against texting and driving but it doesn’t stop people from doing it, unfortunately. 😦
Like I said, I have a smart phone for convenience but I hardly use it at all. I’m like you, H.J., I would much rather be looking out my window at all the beautiful birds. And today looking at all the snow – we got 9 inches of the white stuff!
Thank you Amy for your nice comet and your sharing. I know this problem with the new phones will grow grow to extremes. It’s more addicting than drugs. 🙂
I think if I’d read this before I drove in the snow yesterday morning I might have decided it wasn’t worth taking the chance. I had forgotten about cell phones and was just dealing with trucks spewing dirty snow on my windshield. Yikes!
Love the crow shot! 🙂
Thank you for reading my post Lisa! You must be careful of ice roads. I know you love crows! 🙂