rant: don''t bother

Don’t know about other people, but the Do Not Call list no longer seems to work on my phone. Calls from all over the nation, scam calls, rubbish solicitations. Last few days I even had a rubbish solicitation call from 850-532-xxxx, which is my own exchange. At first I’d answer all of them and be careful never to speak the word “yes” but now if my caller ID doesn’t name the caller, or if I don’t recognize the number, I just let it ring until it goes to “missed call.” Sometimes, especially if it was an 800 number, I’m curious enough to press Call Back, and sure enough it was a solicitation or a “the number you dialed is not accepting calls” trash call. Though once when I called back it was from USAA, which I figured out by myself: my premium payment was overdue. Well wth&wtf, they are supposed to charge my car insurance premiums to my USAA credit card, the only thing I use it for, but when USAA changed from MasterCard to Visa that authorization lapsed and I didn’t realize that, and premium payments were not being made. But calling USAA back is an endless alphabet nightmare unless one has an insurance claim, so I sorted it out and straightened it online. 

Why am I telling this? One, to open the windows and let the anger blow away. Two, to say if anyone rings me and I don’t answer, it’s either because the phone is off, or I forgot to bring it, or I don’t recognize the caller. If caller ID doesn’t tell me who called or if no voicemail message is left, I don’t return the call, the gardenia phone has become that big a harassing nuisance. In fact, all it’s good for anymore is camera, clock, text, and email, I get less than one legit call a week. So far at least, I’ve had sufficient control beyond impatience to refrain from the temptation to see if my throwing arm is still strong enough to put the thing out into the deep channel instead of just into the wading shallows. The temptation from 7H is that inviting. Why this rant? See above. Bubba out.

DThos+

pic: large ship passing 7H at 201705172002CDT