Animated Cell Phone Users

I was walking to my car recently when I noticed a gentleman that was outside talking on his cell phone. He was seated on a curb that was far away from everyone else but my car. His back was to a huge berm and no one was going to be sneaking up behind him. He had the whole parking lot in his purveyance.

When I originally spotted him from the building entrance, he looked like he was just sitting there listening to his walkman and enjoying the songs on his machine, but as I got closer to him, I realized that he was on his cell phone.

He was quite livid at whomever he was talking to or about.

To make this determination, I used a few context clues. I heard a few choice words coming from his mouth and I was watching his head and arm motions.

I am always amazed that when I talk on the phone and the conversation gets me "going" I tend to get animated. I use my hands and I roll my eyes and somehow... I am expecting the person I am talking to to see and or understand what it is that I am trying to do on the other end.

This gentleman sitting on the curb was similar to me in many ways. A lot of his expressions of anger and malevolence were being lost as the person he was speaking to couldn't see them.

Why do I/we do that? We know better. I especially know better when I am talking on the phone and I figure it out. I should know better than to expect them to see my chopping hand motion which symbolizes my efforts to spell out the steps that one must take to achieve our common goal. You really need to understand what I am doing there folks!

Sometimes...I figure out what I am doing and I stop myself. At this point... I am on the phone with you and I am completely distracted because I feel like a complete and total jackass. AND!!! you have know idea that I am even in that mental & physical state! Once or twice ... I have even gone so far as to sit on my hands... to stop myself. How's that for a bit of entry into my wacky psyche?

I can only hope that the guy I saw recently was able to express his feelings appropriately to the person on the other end of the line. I knew he was pissed from his bobbing head and waving hands... I can only wonder if his phone mate could "see" the same thing.