Pet Peeves: Cell Phone Hell…

There are many ups and downs of public transportation and the number one issue is obviously the word "public", so one should assume that not all will be dandy. Today, while riding the public bus on my way to school, I was greeted with the common occurance of a fellow passenger chatting away. Welcome to cell phone hell!

It has always bothered me that people choose to bring this part of their lives on the bus but even more so when they pretend not to see you and laugh out loud and talk above everyone else around. Weren't they taught to use their quiet voice while growing up? I understand that people have things to say and chores to get done, but mankind survived without cell phones in the past and I am sure it is still humanly possible to do so for 5-10 minutes. I do it, and although my wife may get upset while she is in the middle of the conversation, I figure I can hear the rest when I get home.

If I can't bring food or drinks on the bus, why should another be allowed to litter it with annoying chatter where I am not even allowed to listen in on the other half of the conversation. I would rather hear the local indians speaking together in their native tongue than one random person speaking to themself. I don't care for your cigarette smoke and I certainly don't want to be polluted by your cell phone conversation either…

By the way this annoyance applies to all small enclosed areas. Don't enter an elevator with your cool bluetooth headset and don't pick up that important call while eating at a restaurant. If you have something important to say, excuse yourself or wait and call the person back at a better time.