The Modern Day Slave Wrist Band

Ladies and Gentle Germs- I present you with my biggest problem

It's called a cell phone. I call it the modern day slave wrist band.

At ANY point durring the day people have access to know my exact where-abouts. They call me. They text me. They have complete power to find me. My slave band alerts me for text by singing a song about miss-understandings and longing for a better time (Yesterday by the Beatles). It also is kind enough to alert me when someone has decided to actually pick up the phone (a rare occasion) and call me. It alerts me of this event with an up-beat tune from the 90's about the achievement of a new understanding of something she is supposed to have no knowledge of (I Saw the Sign by Ace of Base).

Try as I may- ignoring such classic songs is harder than I'd like to admit. I'd like to tell you that while I'm on the verge of breaking my slave band in half and throwing it out the window,but when one of those songs plays and I need to look. I need to know- in that one moment, who was thinking about me?

Or worse... Why hasn't it gone off? Who isn't thinking about me? Does this mean he doesn't like me? Why is she mad at me?

This small contraption, not even a "smart phone," has so much more control over my life then I even realize at times. This over priced piece of hard plastic, that is always placed in my back pocket, or close to my bed (heaven forbid I miss a text due to sleeping), controls a major portion of every aspect of my life, except school. This M.D.S.W.B. (Modern Day Slave Wrist Band (that's right... I made it an acronym... even when I hate those too)) carries my ability to call in sick to work, verify church meeting times, capture moments that normally would have involved the statement "I wish I had my camera." It also is my link to friends in other countries, friends from other time periods, and potential boyfriends.

I talk about how I hate these phones, yet, what would I do without it?

I could possibly get homework done faster. How many fights would have been avoided if I didn't have my phone? Fights that seemed to come about due to my "tone" in a text... I must have forgotten to "lol?" Would dating be easier? The insecurities of him not texting/calling me would be non-existent right? Texting while driving, which I do, may just be the thing that kills me, and I know it.

By purchasing this device I promised T-Mobile at least 1,636 of my hard earned dollars. That is about 190 hours of work, purely to maintain this phone. And this isn't including the 200 dollars worth of minutes I went over due to forgetting, just because your mother passed away, doesn't make minutes free.

So what do I do with it? Keep it? Let it control so much of my life? Moan and groan when the "wrong boy" is calling me? Continue to dedicate 7 hours of work a month- purely to being able to afford something that I complain about, more then enjoy?

Or do I go against the grain and cancel my cell phone? Do I lose the ability to call people in times of need? Do I cut off the chance of receiving a flirtatious text message, or late night phone call just to say hi? Should I say goodbye to being able to send, receive, and share moments that can't seem to be shared any other way?

We all know... I'll probably keep it. And continue complaining. I am American after all.