He might have a point.

Victor always gets mad about the fact that I consistently those little red warning numbers on my phone telling me that I have several hundred unread text messages, voicemails, and emails but in my defense, I don’t even see those numbers anymore. Victor says that’s not really a defense so I explained that I actually have read many of those emails but then I get overwhelmed with responding and change them to “unread” to remind me to respond when I feel less anxious and then that just never actually happens. And with my thousands of unread voicemails I assume they’re calls from people who don’t actually know me because people who know me know I’m afraid to answer my phone but I always read the automated voicemail transcripts to make sure there’s no emergency and then Victor was like, “So you totally read the transcripts and respond?” and I was like, “Of course I do” and then he showed me this transcription from two years ago and yeah, maybe I have a problem.

35 thoughts on “He might have a point.

Read comments below or add one.

  1. Serial killers aside, most of those messages are probably not worth your waste of time to read or respond to. I love the creative messaging, though, to get your attention. Somebody knows you all too well….

  2. I recently turned off “Badges” under the notification settings on my iPhone so I don’t even have red dots any more. Worth trying.

  3. I think this was a missed opportunity. Remember the e-mail conversation you had where you proposed (or they proposed)? Only needed to send some money.

  4. I did send you some hilarious IG reels for your birthday thinking their might be a slim chance you’d open them! (@heathershredz) 🎂

  5. chances are REALLY good that they’re from someone who’d really, really like to talk to you about your car’s extended warranty. at least that’s what they are for me….

  6. Well you DID make my whole day… year… life once. True story. I wrote on your blog and you wrote back and commented on my blog and that means you actually read it and I was fangirling so hard that I legit “squeed” and ran around my house like a wild woman. So yes. You DO see things/read things/make a difference. Adore you. Appreciate you.

  7. I used to be really good about checking any new voicemail right away in case it was the doctor’s office or something…. And then all those telemarketers and spam-callers started actually leaving messages instead of just hanging up when it goes to voicemail, and now that’s pretty much the only voicemails I get.

  8. I’m not alone!!!!
    I just *cannot* with email and messages and voicemail. It feels like people grabbing at me wanting … Time, energy… Pieces of me? And I try to get through a little, but it it is so draining. Draining. The best invention I ever saw is on the new Google phones. The phone answers the phone for me and screens my calls. I love it to death. Most of the phone calls just hang up when they have to talk to the Google thing. Hooray! They went away! I don’t even care who they were! They must not have been family or someone important or they would have talked to the computer thing.

    It feels incredibly good to know there’s someone else out there who just can’t with this.

    So do you have a problem making appointments too? I hate it so much. Same feeling. Like it’s taking pieces of me to have to figure out when I’m going to go do a thing I don’t want to do with someone I don’t want to see.

  9. 90% of my messages are the last courtesy follow-up call on my non-existent extended warranty, insurance claim or outstanding credit check. The other 10% might be important, but it’s too much trouble to find them.

  10. Either there wasn’t a serial killer on your roof or just not a very good one. Either way, if it was my roof, I’d much rather be surprised. That’s half the fun. For the record, I love cereal.

  11. Ditto turning off the email & text count badges. My husband travels 3 weeks/home for 1 week and it was BREAKING our marriage that I had 6000 unread emails every time he came home. He’d spend an entire day clearing my inbox and the rest of the week “reminding” me to check the new ones. Turning off those ugly little counters has done more good than any therapist we’ve ever visited

  12. To Steve, regarding comment #9. Attics are quite popular, too, as are woodsheds, which narrows the pool considerably..

  13. TOTALLY different topic but I REALLY want to say that I came to your store last week and the week before, and you were so gracious, and the shop is AMAZING. And all of that is true except the people I was with were TOTALLY not willing to get off the interstate so I waved as we went by. I figure this is the closest I’m ever going to be. (Going between Denver and Port Aransas)

  14. I just looked and that and thought “2020? That was just last year, not two years ago… oh, wait.”

  15. If you have fewer than 2 red badges with 4 digits or more, you do not have a problem.

  16. I turned off all my badge counters and notification sounds on my phone. I prefer the silence. I don’t need the bloody thing going off every few seconds! My nerves can’t take it.

    I think Victor doesn’t quite get it. lol

    Lately, almost all my Google Voice messages are for an extended car warranty and student loan relief. I don’t have any student loan debt and my car is paid off.

    If someone really knows me and needs to get a hold of me, they’ll text.

  17. Same girl, same. I drive my family nuts with all the angry red numbers on my phone.

  18. I am the opposite. My anxiety makes me read every single thing so I don’t have notifications. But I don’t answer my phone either and just read the transcripts…unless it’s my husband. I answer for him.

  19. I hate making appointments and I refuse to do it on the phone. If I have to find a new doctor I make sure they let me make appointments online

  20. My voicemail literally says “if you want a reply, please text.”

  21. This is me. I avoid stuff for months and then finally just mark as read and pretend not to think about them.

  22. One time, I was having a really bad time, mentally, and I sent you a message via Twitter bc I just didn’t know who else to talk to and I knew you would understand. And you wrote me back.

    I think you see the ones that really matter.
    Thank you.

  23. Wow … your Victor is the type of bloke to set up a conversation about phone numbers *22 MONTHS* in advance. Completely slain by awe. Also, if he ever turns into a serial killer no one will ever find the bodies.

  24. I stopped answering the land line years ago. It’s nice to have a phone number to give to the people you don’t want to talk to. If it’s someone I know or I’ve arranged a call, I’ll pick up. My mobile phone ignores calls from numbers that are not in my contact list. Email though, sheesh, my wife used it to sign up for a bazillion things. I created a rule to send most of them to trash, or to her real email and I don’t care what happens to it. If it’s in my inbox I need to do something, which usually means read and file (often file means trash) Sometimes I answer but it happens almost every day. Good luck with it all!

  25. you know what’s liberating? delete them all and start fresh. it’s likely all nonsense or old news anyway. if there’s anything you actually need you can just have it resent when you find out you need it. not that I could really do this. it makes me anxious to think of doing that. sorry. bad advice.

  26. I’ve been trying to answer the phone more but it really is anxiety-provoking. I just have shut off the wifi on my phone because i need a day without human interaction. Im sure everything is piled up.

  27. Hello!! This is not related to this post, sorry, but have you watched Centaurworld on Netflix? I think it’s right up your alley of extremely weird but also really lovely. The first episode is really really weird, but it’s worth it, I promise! <3

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