Telephone in the kitchen

We have a wall telephone in the kitchen...don't ask.

Anyway, my wife and I have taken to not answering the land line much. Most of the calls are telemarketers. Once in a while I forget.

Last night, just as I started to prepare a thyme-infused shrimp scampi with penne on the side, the phone rang, I grabbed it and it was a friend who needed to talk--for an hour and a half.

I continued to prepare and cook throughout the telephone conversation, including mixing a salad, feeding the dog, and selecting a wine. The telephone conversation came to a close at about the time dinner was done and ready to serve. Everything turned out well.

Talk about multi-tasking. I wouldn't want to have to do that every evening.

We have a wall telephone in the kitchen...don't ask.

My parents had one in the house I grew up in. So did a lot of my friends' parents. It was common, then.

Anyway, my wife and I have taken to not answering the land line much. Most of the calls are telemarketers.

Let's all hear it for caller id!

Last night, just as I started to prepare a thyme-infused shrimp scampi with penne on the side, the phone rang, I grabbed it and it was a friend who needed to talk--for an hour and a half.

Kudo.

We have one of those on the wall in our kitchen. A couple of the wires broke a number of years ago and we've not fixed it. It does have the really long cord between the wall unit and the handset, and I get a picture of the housewives who lived here before us, phone braced between shoulder and ear, cooking up dinner.

Funny, but until this thread, I'd never considered the fact that I could have cooked a meal while on the phone.

We also had a wall telephone in the kitchen growing up, and have done many things while on that phone with the loooong cord. These days its all cordless, which makes things easier, but my mother is always reminding us that those old-fashioned wall phones are not dependent on electricity and therefore good to have in times when the power goes out. Still, I don't have one.

We also had a wall telephone in the kitchen growing up, and have done many things while on that phone with the loooong cord. These days its all cordless, which makes things easier, but my mother is always reminding us that those old-fashioned wall phones are not dependent on electricity and therefore good to have in times when the power goes out. Still, I don't have one.

Your mother is correct. we lose power here on a semi-regular basis...

As for cordless and cooking dinner: it's much easier to hold one of those old phones on your shoulder while bending your head to that side a little so that you can use both hands. Cordless phones aren't as good for that purpose--wireless phones are useless for that purpose.

...wireless phones are useless for that purpose.

Yes, cell phones are great for carrying but not so good for talking at great length, especially when doing other stuff.

I guess I'm the geek in the room. Ladies and gents:
-- You may use a cell phone hands-free by getting a Bluetooth earpiece for it.
-- The old wall phones did not run without electricity! The phone company provided the electricity, not the power company. (That's why an old phone has 4 wires: 2 for the conversation and 2 for the juice to make the bell ring.)

-- The old wall phones did not run without electricity! The phone company provided the electricity, not the power company. (That's why an old phone has 4 wires: 2 for the conversation and 2 for the juice to make the bell ring.)

I figured they needed power, otherwise they couldn't work, but this distinction is useful and google fills in the other details about why they work during power outages (copper wires buried so deep in the ground that they don't get affected by most outages).

Growing up, our kitchen wall phone was a hideous shade of green. When we moved from NYC to Connecticut, I could not believe our phone number only had 4 digits, but that made it easy for a dunce like me to remember it (7903).

I guess I'm the geek in the room. Ladies and gents:
-- You may use a cell phone hands-free by getting a Bluetooth earpiece for it.
-- The old wall phones did not run without electricity! The phone company provided the electricity, not the power company. (That's why an old phone has 4 wires: 2 for the conversation and 2 for the juice to make the bell ring.)

1. I can't stand those things in my ear, especially that they keep falling out.

2. Well, we meant the power from the power company. Don't read what we write, read what we meant to write...

As an aside: six years ago, we had one of our regularly magnificent storms the day after I had a DSL installed. Within minutes after the thunder and lightening, I smelled an electric fire. It was the new DSL modem or whatever they call them. Lightening reached into the phone line and zap!

Now, we must pull the cable out of the phone jack during our regularly scheduled Finger Lakes weather events.

-- The old wall phones did not run without electricity! The phone company provided the electricity, not the power company. (That's why an old phone has 4 wires: 2 for the conversation and 2 for the juice to make the bell ring.)

I figured they needed power, otherwise they couldn't work, but this distinction is useful and google fills in the other details about why they work during power outages (copper wires buried so deep in the ground that they don't get affected by most outages).

Not only that, but a problem with Con Ed's generators is not a problem with AT&T's generators.

This is not just a matter of historical interest, however:
-- With the old landlines, your phone would still work during a blackout.
-- With cel phones, of course, they only work as long as your battery lasts. Got a spare battery? Lucky you.
-- With VOIP phones (e.g., running over your TV cable or fiber optics), the phone company installs a battery in your house so that your phone still works during a blackout. But that battery is spec'ed for 24 hours of useful life. Better hope your local power company works fast.

1. I can't stand those things in my ear, especially that they keep falling out.

I don't like 'em or use 'em. But they exist!

2. Well, we meant the power from the power company. Don't read what we write, read what we meant to write...

Tsk, tsk.

As an aside: six years ago, we had one of our regularly magnificent storms the day after I had a DSL installed. Within minutes after the thunder and lightening, I smelled an electric fire. It was the new DSL modem or whatever they call them. Lightening reached into the phone line and zap!

Now, we must pull the cable out of the phone jack during our regularly scheduled Finger Lakes weather events.

Interesting. I wonder whether newer models have circuit breakers in them?

Not only that, but a problem with Con Ed's generators is not a problem with AT&T's generators.

Jeff, you may be a geek, but you are also sooo provincial. Con Ed? Not in the rest of the world.

Reminds me of the first time I traveled from my Brooklyn hometown to another state, Texas, and wanted to know what's on channel 2--thinking that was CBS everywhere.

Speaking of Brooklyn, I'm there next week for a few days. Do you know anything about Two Frank's Restaurant in Carroll Gardens?

Reminds me of the first time I traveled from my Brooklyn hometown to another state, Texas, and wanted to know what's on channel 2--thinking that was CBS everywhere.

We got TV channels IIRC:
Channel 2: CBS
Channel 4: NBC
Channel 5: Dupont (/) Network--Nothing good was every on that station.
Channel 7: ABC
Channel 9: Home of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Knothole Gang
Channel 11: F%cking Yankees and maybe the Giants (?)
Channel 13: Howdy Doody

Reminds me of the first time I traveled from my Brooklyn hometown to another state, Texas, and wanted to know what's on channel 2--thinking that was CBS everywhere.

We got TV channels IIRC:
Channel 2: CBS
Channel 4: NBC
Channel 5: Dupont (/) Network--Nothing good was every on that station.
Channel 7: ABC
Channel 9: Home of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Knothole Gang
Channel 11: F%cking Yankees and maybe the Giants (?)
Channel 13: Howdy Doody

Channel 9: My beer is Rheingold the dry beer; think of Rheingold whenever you buy beer; it's not bitter, not sweet, extra dry flavored treat; won't you try extra dry Rheingold beer?

Play ball!

Ah, the Brooklyn Boys of Summer. When they left in 1958, baseball never was the same for me.

Reminds me of the first time I traveled from my Brooklyn hometown to another state, Texas, and wanted to know what's on channel 2--thinking that was CBS everywhere.

We got TV channels IIRC:
Channel 2: CBS
Channel 4: NBC
Channel 5: Dupont (/) Network--Nothing good was every on that station.
Channel 7: ABC
Channel 9: Home of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Knothole Gang
Channel 11: F%cking Yankees and maybe the Giants (?)
Channel 13: Howdy Doody

Channel 9: My beer is Rheingold the dry beer; think of Rheingold whenever you buy beer; it's not bitter, not sweet, extra dry flavored treat; won't you try extra dry Rheingold beer?

Play ball!

Ah, the Brooklyn Boys of Summer. When they left in 1958, baseball never was the same for me.

Born in Manhattan, lived in the Bronx until age of kindergarten Yankee fan, Brattleboro VT. until 3rd grade, Milford Conn. until 6th grade, the rest of my life CA, Hollywood Stars PCL league until Dodgers moved to CA. I knew I was truly a Dodger fan when they beat the Yankees in four straight and loved every minute of it.

Not only that, but a problem with Con Ed's generators is not a problem with AT&T's generators.

Jeff, you may be a geek, but you are also sooo provincial. Con Ed? Not in the rest of the world.

Spare me your insults. I used Con Ed as an example. I have lived under United Illuminating and others, thank you very much. (No complaint about AT&T? We have board members outside the US, you know.)

Speaking of Brooklyn, I'm there next week for a few days. Do you know anything about Two Frank's Restaurant in Carroll Gardens?

First you insult me and then you expect answers?

Not only that, but a problem with Con Ed's generators is not a problem with AT&T's generators.

Jeff, you may be a geek, but you are also sooo provincial. Con Ed? Not in the rest of the world.

Spare me your insults. I used Con Ed as an example. I have lived under United Illuminating and others, thank you very much. (No complaint about AT&T? We have board members outside the US, you know.)

Speaking of Brooklyn, I'm there next week for a few days. Do you know anything about Two Frank's Restaurant in Carroll Gardens?

First you insult me and then you expect answers?

Sorry. I didn't use the emoticon because I thought you were sophisticated enough to see that I was kidding. My bad. Forget i asked.

Sorry. I didn't use the emoticon because I thought you were sophisticated enough to see that I was kidding. My bad. Forget i asked.

Read what you just wrote. You dig the hole deeper by insulting me a different way while apologizing.

Sorry. I didn't use the emoticon because I thought you were sophisticated enough to see that I was kidding. My bad. Forget i asked.

Read what you just wrote. You dig the hole deeper by insulting me a different way while apologizing.

Perhaps, but before going off the deep end, I usually ask the other person exactly what was meant by a comment that might have raised my insult barometer.

The "sooo" was the first attempt to indicate I was kidding, and the "reminds me of" was the second. The restaurant question was the final "I'm kidding, now let's get back to talking real..."

I misfired.

Truce.

Perhaps, but before going off the deep end, I usually ask the other person exactly what was meant by a comment that might have raised my insult barometer.

Read that again. Do you always just write whatever pops into your head?

You'll know it if I'm seeking the deep end.

The "sooo" was the first attempt to indicate I was kidding, and the "reminds me of" was the second. The restaurant question was the final "I'm kidding, now let's get back to talking real..."

Thanks for the "How to Read Thomas" guide.

I misfired.

Truce.

Fine.

Truce.
Fine.

Great.
(popped right into my head )

[Jenise]

Reminds me of the first time I traveled from my Brooklyn hometown to another state, Texas, and wanted to know what's on channel 2--thinking that was CBS everywhere.

We got TV channels IIRC:
Channel 2: CBS
Channel 4: NBC
Channel 5: Dupont (/) Network--Nothing good was every on that station.
Channel 7: ABC
Channel 9: Home of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Knothole Gang
Channel 11: F%cking Yankees and maybe the Giants (?)
Channel 13: Howdy Doody

Interesting. In Los Angeles, 2, 4 and 7 were also the networks you name. 5 and 9 were local news, and 13 was cartoons on weekdays and country music on weekends--basically, to be avoided at all costs.

But back to the phone situation, no one mentions pressing the speaker button--that's how I chop and talk at the same time.

And while I'm at it, may I lodge my biggest praise for the old style phones in that you could take one off the hook in aid of a nap? None of our current phones allow me this--even if you disable one, another rings anyway.

I love the phone set up we have now......5 phones, and that includes the one on the far end of the kitchen counter. I love the speaker phone so I can still cook and talk, but there are one or two folks who do not appreciate the background noise. It is Blue Tooth capable, but I forget to turn it on, and I also have the ear buds. Also, they can be used as an intercom, so I can call Gene if he is in his workshop. Or he can call me in the kitchen or at my computer desk. We love the caller ID that shows up on our TV, printer and all the telephone screens. Very handy stuff.