Entering the new millennium... finally...

For a very long time now, nigh on a decade, I have resisted the siren call of the cell phone.

Even my mother, who is not exactly known for being on the cutting edge of technology, is on her third cell phone by now... not to mention the clunky car phone she had for a couple of years.

I simply haven't wanted to be all that accessible to the random whims and desires of others who want to talk. Now, I don't want to sound anti-social. After all, I have a landline and an answering machine and I'm not afraid to use them!

In the last couple of weeks, however, I've had someone close to me going through a very difficult patch, and I realized just how anxious I was when getting away from the landline. What if I was really needed right at that moment and I wasn't reachable?

A friend of mine, author Barry Carver, had offered, over a month ago, to send his old cell phone to anyone on Behind the Celluloid Curtain who wanted or needed a cell phone. He was upgrading and wanted to share the joy.

Now, I know Barry well enough to know that if he owns something, it's the best deal out there that he can find. I knew I couldn't do any better if I tried.

So, I took the plunge. I'm now in possession of a cute little phone that lights up blue in the dark. I can play Tetris on it or even use it as a flashlight. It's a handy little thing.

Sometimes, I might even turn it on and use it as a phone!