The little changes

[jducoeur]

First of possibly a number of messages about the slightly insane extended weekend we've just been through. We'll start with one of those dippy observations that strike you when you're in the middle of far more important things: the weirdest thing about traveling to Connecticut nowadays is that they still use seven-digit phone numbers. Half the times someone gave us a phone number (and we have exchanged a vast number of phone numbers in the past few days), they'd give seven digits and stop, leaving me with a perpetual case of, "Yes, but where's the rest of it?" Somewhere along the line, I got used to these ten-digit things we have here...

Comments

[anastasiav.livejournal.com]

Wait, I'm confused. You *all* have to use 10 digits? You call your next door neighbor and dial 617-555-5555???

Why?

[(Anonymous)]

Probably because the Boston area is running out of exchanges. And I thought all the *migrant* workers coming to Boston were using cell phones.

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

It's what they call an "area code overlay" and yes, it takes me 10 digits to call for pizza.

[rufinia.livejournal.com]

Hell, we have two area codes in my house alone.

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

It's even worse than that. Within 781, we sometimes have to dial 1 and sometimes do not, depending on *where* within 781 we dial. So, either 10 or 11 digits; and the only way to find out is to have the nice voice tell you, "You must first dial a 1..."

[matildalucet.livejournal.com]

I believe it works if you always dial 1, whether it's necessary or not. Not that I do. I've gotten used to ten digit dialing to the point where I sometimes forget the 1 before 800 now.

Let's all call up AT&T and protest to the president...

[eclecticmagpie.livejournal.com]

Where's Alan Sherman when we need him?

Oh, and condolences. It's easy to get caught up in the minutiae and overlook the Really Big Issue.

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

I think I just barely remember when we could dial just the last 4 digits in-town (Orono, ME.) Or possibly my mom only told me about that; reply hazy, ask again later.

[matildalucet.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the memory. When I was six, my phone number at West Point only had four digits. When I was eighteen, my MIT phone number had five digits, but that was centrex/dormphone system. It hardly seems fair that as I age and memory becomes trickier, I need to remember more digits.

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

But now there's Speed Dial!

[matildalucet.livejournal.com]

Works well until somebody asks me my phone number and I have to find all the digits lurking somewhere in a little used part of my brain. My kids used to handle that for me, but they grew up and left home and expect me to remember stuff for myself now. ;-)

[elizabear.livejournal.com]

My home town in VT was 5 digits until about 1990 (7 for the rest of the state), but now you have to do all 7 for the local area as well as add the area code if it's long-distance within the state.