Pioneers don't benefit
Waaaay back in the mists of time - must be '92 or '93 I had just got my first mobile phone. Now this thing was somewhat similar in size to a Chinese Take-away foil tray and pretty much the same shape (better metaphor than a Brick but doesn't hold up on the brevity stakes, but I digress).

I'd had the phone all of a month and the only calls I ever got were fellow lazy bastards hoping for 2nd or 3rd hand photocopies of last week's lecture notes, that they'd missed due to too much time in the bar. Or other students trying to get in to our student society's legendary and upcoming cheese and wine and wine and wine party.

Now being a soap-dodging geek of a student I was in the student Union Bar minding my own business, but secretly willing for a call (at the time I knew of nobody with a mobile, and I'd seen maybe one or two in the Uni so I was feeling pretty smug at having a phone, especially as whenever I was called it was invaribaly to do with 'sorting out some lecture notes' or assorted crap for the Student Society) Just so I could look cool, masterful and maybe even actually impress a girl (times had been barren recently and the freshers' week shenanagins were a long time before).

Well in comes my flatmate Jim, sits at the table and helps himself to one of my gigarettes as the loafing toad was apt to do - I'd let this slide as in later years I was helping myself to his girlfriend so no real problems there.

After maybe 2 or three pints the bar has got substantially busier and I've been eyeing the riot grrls for some time and they've been giggling and looking back -my phone goes off.

Praise the Machine God thinks I. As everyone turns to look at the ponce with the newfangled device. I reach into my pocket pull out the phone and don't even look at the screen before starting the ritual I'd pepared:
"Hey, who could that be", I said in my best faux amused voice.
Whereupon I extended the aerial (yep, had to otherwise a world of static would rush out the speaker and deafen me).
I pressed the magic button and brought the phone up to my ear.
By now everyone is looking at me as clearly I'm the only thing interesting going on (and believe me, I was loving the attention)

so the room attention-grabbing conversation goes like this:
"Hi"
"er Hello"
"Hi who's this?" I said quizzically, not recognising the voice.
"It's Jim's Mum, can I speak to him please?"

crestfallen.
The bastard had given out my number to everyone he knew as he was always in tow and therefore he knew he'd be contactable. git.
(Albert_Memorial, Tue 4 Aug 2009, 11:01, Reply)