Texting? Phone Call? My new communication with my parents.

When text messaging first came around I was not amused. It was tedious and tried my patience. I did play around with it though. Then when the 'auto complete' came along I was tickled pink!! I was with Steve at the time...and I started using it all the time while he was at work. And this aggravated him. Because he couldn't figure it out. He would call me..."Jowal will you stop 'texting' me at work? I find it very distracting! He would demand to me. But as you can imagine this was his mistake. And I 'texted' him all the time from my office. Until finally he figured it out. Then my hell began. Text after Text after Text. It drove me out of my mind. I remember one incident I was standing in the bank and I got one. It read something like...'I love you snookawookum...hope you drove safely to the bank.' That was the final straw for me. Steve was a transportation manager. And every other fucking word out of his "TEXT" would include something to do with safety. Once out of the bank and in my truck I called him at once. "Listen you son of a bitch! Stop with the fucking 'texting' or I am going to call and have your phone shut off!!" I said. "Ohhhhhh" he said.
"How you like me now?" He so crassly spoke. Payback is a bitch.

Lately though, text messaging has become a very good way for me to communicate with my parents. Although Steve ruined it for me and I went on for many years refusing to text with anyone. I have come to appreciate it's cheap, short and sweet manner. So with that. I use it regularly. Even to my parents.

Now my dad is new to a cell phone in general. I think he may have been steady with his current one for about 3 years or so. And I recall when I home this past winter how excited he got when it rang or made any sort of noise. He was promptly there to check it out and see what was happening. He even...had his own customized voice mail greeting. This impressed me. So this year. Because he and y mother where on vacation at the time. I sent him a Happy Father's Day Text. And being as clever as I am! I even did it ahead of time and then scheduled the delivery @ 6am on Fathers Day. A week Early. And it was not a clerical error on my behalf. I was astounded at the end of the day that I had not gotten a text back from him. He usually texts me right back.
So I called him by the end of the day. He was chuckling at me. "What is so funny?" I ask feeling a complex coming on. "Son, father's day is not until next week" he said laughing his ass off. OK I get it! HA HA...So I repeated the process for the following week...and alas...I got my thank you return text.

My mother on the other hand is no stranger to a mobile phone. She has had one since the old brick models of the mid 90's. And since then has had some pretty flashy ones. Some really nice phone's. So recently I get this text. About a week ago.

>from mom< 'I upsEt oh i ugh an i an few nonmom' Sent:July 20, 2009 05:45:25pm
This naturally alarmed me. I thought something was very wrong. And the images going through my head as to why she would have such a message to send was maddening. I call straight away.
She is laughing her ass off. My dad is laughing in the back round. I am not amused. "What the fuck is going on?" I ask. "I just can't figure out how to text" she said..."it just makes up it's own words"
After that was cleared up...fast forward to yesterday. I send her a text following up to our earlier phone conversation about my shoe shopping.
>to mom< ' I got a pair of overpriced George shoes...they should be good till first snowfall' Sent: July 24, 2009 06:45:52pm

This is what I get back....
>from mom< 'Shot II jon what jon pig pig are' Sent: July 24, 2009 03:49:55pm

This sends me in to a fit of laughter as I am standing at an intersection. So much so that I had to collect my self on a telephone pole. Not because it was all that funny or even the fact that she actually saw what it said and still hit send! BUT! Or the fact I now knew her phone was locked in 'auto complete' mode and she could not figure out how to get out of it. The funny part was. because of my auto complete experience. I was able to translate it. 'Should I know what George Shoes are?' is what she meant to ask!