Caller ID

One of the options  that DirecTV offers allows caller identification to pop up on the TV screen whenever you have an incoming telephone call.  It’s a nice feature to have, I guess, but it would be much nicer if we received more calls from people with whom we actually wanted to talk.

I suppose that it is a sad commentary on our lives, but if the call is from a local area code – 713, 281, or 832 – it is almost never someone I want to talk to.  More often than not, it is some local charity wanting money, or it is someone trying to sell us siding, home security or air-conditioning service in spite of our number being on the federal don’t call list.

If the ID screen shows an 800 area code, or says unknown, private or blocked, you can bet the farm that whoever is on the other end is someone I would rather avoid. Answering those calls is just inviting aggravation.

Before you decide we shouldn’t have a telephone at all, I should point out that we do get some good calls.  There are some calls we are really glad to receive.

The very best calls come from area code 512.  Those calls are from our daughter, or, once in a while, from one of our grandsons.