With work, I do a bit of traveling a few times per month. Traveling meaning driving to the neighboring city to visit the other offices. One day last week my co-op student Patrick, and I were cruising down one of the country roads and had the windows down, music loud and just enjoying the summer.

Here’s the scene: Maroon 5 — Pay Phone, came on the radio.

Patrick and I got to talking about how we never see pay phone’s around anymore. Am I right? I mean seriously, when’s the last time you saw one?

Which got me thinking and I want to tell you a little story. Let’s go back… wayyyy back to my childhood. I don’t think cell phones existed. I remember pagers did before cells. I won a pager off a local radio station and had my parents “buzz” me when they wanted me to call home. I felt like a drug dealer with one of those pagers. So silly.

Okay sorry, getting off topic. Trying to tell you my story of using a pay phone.

I remember back when I was in Junior High (grades 6, 7, 8) and I always went to the movies with some friends. But instead of putting a quarter in the pay phone, calling home to my parents to pick me up for the evening. I dialed ‘0’ and asked the operator if I could make a collect call. If some of you recall, you remember a voice recording came over the phone then and asked “please speak your name – beeep” _______ and it gives a certain amount of time frame to say your first name only.

Let me tell you folks a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ about me.

I was the QUEEN of collect calls. Because during that allotted time frame I managed to speak so fast to tell my parents where I was and when to pick me up. Basically a huge blurting out of “NancyHereComeGetMeAtAvalonMallBye!” Oh I had it right down pat you guys. I even got my friends doing it! I always saved those quarters for my piggy bank, not the pay phone. My parents always wondered how I was always “in the money”.

Now you know a random fact about me…

Another random fact. I’m off to a Charity Golf tournament for work today — a whole day and evening event. Maybe I’ll be participating in some sort of tailgating food? We all know I love me some food.