I have several things against cell phones: 1). They make people too accessible; 2). They have become just one more thing that people have to keep up with, in terms of new models and functions; and 3). I just don’t like talking on the phone because it’s so small (unless you’re Zack Morris in “Saved by the Bell”), awkward to hold, and heats up your ear. The latter has been my main argument to Matt whenever he brings up doing away with our landline.

Two years ago, I spotted this super cool cell phone handset at Wishbone in SF. I believe it’s also available on the Fred Flare website. It looks like a landline handset that you plug into a cell phone. So you’re walking around with your cell in your pocket, but holding onto a receiver that looks like it belongs on your home phone. “I totally want this!!” I told Matt. I think it cost $20 or something like that, which was why I never bought it.

Fast forward to Matt’s department’s Christmas party tonight. We brought two lame DVDs (one of which is one of many horror films Melanie has given to Matt!) for the white elephant gift exchange. Matt and I each had to pick from the gift stash early on in the game. Matt got a vacuum wine sealer, and I stole someone’s plastic safari light display on my turn. It was totally cheesy, but I wanted it for my cube. The girl who had the #1 spot in the game had to leave early, so she was given the privilege of picking from any gift that had been opened, and swapping her gift with that person’s gift. She wanted my light display, and left me with a bag of oranges. Those of you who know how much I hate oranges will laugh at the irony.

Long story short, someone had brought the phone handset that I’ve been wanting!!! The person who chose it, but another girl stole it from her, and Matt stole it from the second girl, leaving it open for one more steal. My oranges got stolen from me (yes!!), so I stole a set of Star Wars Pez for Matt. The Pez set got stolen from me, leaving me the option of stealing. Only one gift was left under the tree: the horror movie we brought. I considered my options…do I choose another gift but then leave room for that person to steal the phone? I didn’t want to risk it. So I took our horror DVD, thus ending the game.

I was SO excited to have the phone handset, and it actually works really well. YES!!!! Coincidentally, we were just talking about the phone handset with another co-worker today during lunch during yet another discussion about whether or not to cancel the landline. So it was hilarious that the phone handset showed up in the white elephant gift exchange.

On the way home, I realized that during my chance to steal, I should have “stolen” the phone handset from Matt (which would mean that item had been stolen three times, thus closing the door for any future steals), leaving HIM open to steal back the Pez dispensers! ARGH. I should have thought it through more. That way, we’d both leave the party with things we really wanted. Oh well.

I really liked the horse purse that I got from Abby at a white elephant gift exchange a few years ago, but the phone handset tops everything! Hooray!