I often see interesting things on TikTok that I think would be fun to discuss with others, so here are two questions for you:
Where do you keep your phone when you are at home? (According to researchers, where you physically place your phone might be one of the most consequential decisions you make. Seeing your phone and then forcing yourself to ignore it saps mental energy, leaving you with less cognitive bandwidth for the task at hand.)
I keep my phone on the kitchen island, which is a central location on the first floor of our home and near an electrical outlet for overnight charging. I can hear when I get a text, but I'm not one to run to check it. And I keep it on silent mode between 9 pm and 6 am. I see my phone when I'm grabbing my purse off a kitchen chair, so I remember to take it with me. I'm less attached to my phone than most people I know.
What's the weirdest/craziest phase you've been through? (Some of the comments on this one had me laugh crying. There are some weirdos out there!)
Two things come to mind, both from childhood. My family went on a vacation every year and I was obsessed with the satisfaction postcards left in hotel rooms. I'm guessing it's really the first time I ever came upon a customer service survey. I thought it was fun to take them home and fill them out and I began making my own when playing grocery store and such with my friends and brother.
The other might be even stranger. Around 5th grade, I became obsessed with haunted houses. I remember going to one at our junior high school and thinking it was the most fun I'd ever had. Therefore, I tried recreating them at home in our basement using tables, blankets, hanging stuff to walk through, and I don't know what else. It's all I ever wanted to do when I went to friends' houses and I remember one girl in my neighborhood made fun of me for that and refused to play with me. I never forgot that, and may I add that her life did not turn out so well? Karma!
We have this one in common. I keep my phone on one of the kitchen counters. When I'm in other rooms or outside I often miss calls or texts that I don't see until the next day. I pay very little to no attention to my phone when I'm at home unless TBG isn't home and then I try to listen incase he calls.
ReplyDeleteI can't really think of strange obsessions that I've had but one thing that my mom never let me forget was my huge crush on Dudley Moore when I was 12. (The movie Arthur started it) I can't believe I'm even admitting that now. My friends would have disowned me if they knew. Luckily it was a phase that passed quickly.
It's nice to not be attached to your phone, isn't it? Ok, crushes are normal at that age, but Dudley Moore is hilarious! I'm laughing with you, not at you! I have never actually seen the movie, but I remember Arthur's Theme song and have always liked it. Someone on TikTok was obsessed with Helen Keller, so everyone's got their issues, I guess :)
DeleteI have a bit of trauma in not being reachable after emergency services couldn't reach me the might my husband died, so my phone is pretty much with me all the time. I have several places with chargers. I think your recreation of hsunted houses sounds right up my childhood alley.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry, Sam! Yes, I can see where you would want to have your phone with you at all times from now on. I'm glad we would have been friends as children. Thank you for visiting my blog.
DeleteI don't have a smartphone, only a landline that lives in one of the front rooms and is easy to hear.
ReplyDeleteWeirdest phases? Some so weird I'd rather keep them to myself! But in my teenage years I was a great fan of Cliff Richard. He seemed such a nice polite clean-living sort of guy. Now of course I can't imagine why I was drawn to someone so boring and uptight.
That's rather shocking that you don't have a cell phone! Good for you! I had to look up Cliff Richard. Nothing wrong with admiring someone who is polite and clean living!
DeleteOh my, Cliff Richard :)
DeleteSuch a rebel!
Being that I live in a studio apartment (only one room), I always keep my cell phone on my desk on a metal cell phone holder that doubles as a cell phone charger. I do that because I can immediately see if my phone rings or if someone texts me. The cell phone holder also stands my phone upward, so it's easier to read. My phone is also on "vibrate" because I hate to hear it ring. In addition, I turn my cell phone off at 9 pm. Any calls or texts after that, I will get in the morning. I'm less attached to my phone than most people I know, as well.
ReplyDelete" I began making my own when playing grocery store and such with my friends and brother."
I chuckled when I read that because I used to play GROCERY STORE with my friends (and my younger brother) too! And btw, I played "haunted house" too. I kid you not!
My weirdest/craziest phase would be that when I was a kid and my parents left the house for the day, I would play the soundtrack to my favorite Broadway musicals on our living room stereo, and lip sync to the songs, using my sister's hair brush as a microphone. And do you know what's hilarious? I STILL do that sometimes when I'm in the mood to perform LOL!
FUN and fabulous post, my friend! I look forward to reading everyone's comments!
Hope you're having a super week so far!
X
That sounds like a nice phone charger! I’m amazed at how many people text me at 10-11 pm. Like, go to bed already people!
DeleteI loved to play school, house, grocery store, hotel, restaurant, anything that involved play acting. I do it with my grandkids and they think it’s hilarious when I act like a disgruntled customer. One of them peed her pants from laughing so hard 🤣🤣 I’ll have to cut back on my drama!
It’s impressive that you knew so many Broadway musical songs!! And funny that you waited till they left 😃 I had some Broadway show tune piano books, so that’s the only reason I know any of the songs. I’ve only seen a handful of them but I can totally get the appeal for a kid.
Thanks for stopping by on a Tuesday! XO
Q1) Where do I keep my phone ?
ReplyDeleteIt's usually next to me, I must admit. I hadn't thought of putting it somewhere, but I think I should.
Q2) Weirdest phase?
I had several. I went through a phase of wearing skinny jeans. I looked like a daddy longlegs walking about the place. So embarrassing. Then, I dyed my hair purple once. Yes, purple. Then, I also went through a phase of wanting people to know that I was gay. I wasn't "in your face" as such, but I wanted people to know. I would wear something or say something. I think it's because I had a difficult coming out experience. But, to be honest I still don't know why I really went through that phase. Now I don't really care. Then, I also went through a phase of always sleeping with my socks on. A strange hang-up for a year or so, then I took them off.
Probably a lot of your phases were from outside influences, such as fashion choices. I’m sure your coming out experience affected how you wanted others to perceive you. I hope you feel comfortable in your own skin now. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI usually keep my phone with me when I'm at home. I'm always afraid some emergency will come up and I'll miss the phone call! Ok this is really strange but for year or so when my kids were little I had a pink robe that I always wore with one pocket sticking out. I don't know why I just liked it that way! Now for the life of me I can't imagine why! Luckily it didn't carry over to any other articles of clothing!
ReplyDeleteWe still have a landline, so my kids know to call it in an emergency overnight. The pocket thing is definitely a strange phase!
DeleteIf I am on the first floor I keep my phone in the dining room on a buffet. It 's pretty much out of sight, but I can hear it do its thing. If I'm on the second floor, I keep my phone on a chest of drawers in the primary bedroom, never by the bed.
ReplyDeleteStrange obsessions? Maybe that when I was younger I adored sheep figurines and stuffed animals and signs with them on. I even had a sweater. I know not why, but they called to me. Now I think they're rather stupid, but maybe I was too back then!
So, you liked sheep?? That is a new one, I must say! Although I have a granddaughter who is all things koala, and I'm a very big fan of penguins and dachshunds, so maybe any animal love is not so weird!
DeleteLike yourself and a few others who commented, Bijoux, I too am less "attached" to my cell phone than others, including my husband 😏. Overnight, it is in another room on charge, except when traveling when it's used as a nightstand clock. I mute it most of the time as the Apple watch will alert me to texts without the annoying phone dings. We also have a land line and that's what is given out to medical offices and others we do not want to have our cell numbers, but the family members know them. Strange obsessions: I can't recall any any, but that doesn't mean I don't have any.
ReplyDeleteDo I keep my phone in the same place all the time? Nope. Am I in search of my phone several times a day because I don't know where I left it? Yes.
ReplyDeleteI always keep my phone on silent, because I don't care for the dinging, calling me away from whatever I'm doing.
Girl, you could have visited me at our haunted (townhouse) house and you would've gotten over your obsession of haunted houses. That is a funny obsession, as is the satisfactory cards. (Are you now over doing surveys? Seems like I get a survey for every aspect of my life now!)
I think my only weird obsessions were Billy Idol and Adam Ant. So, probably not that weird for the time.
I would go nuts having to look around for my phone, especially if I'm leaving to go somewhere. Yes, I remember your haunted townhouse! I only do surveys now if I'm getting paid to do so! I see your Billy Idol and Adam Ant and raise you my John Taylor!!!!
DeleteMy phone tends to travel around to various places and I am FOREVER dinging it with my Apple Watch to find it. I like to leave my notifications off/ringer on silent, but that means I can't call my phone to find it. Oops. My husband laughs when he hears the ding, ding, ding that means I'm "paging" my phone with my watch. I charge it beside my bed which I know all the literature says not to do...but I do it anyway.
ReplyDeleteSometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do 🤓
DeleteHa. I do this too...I'm always misplacing my phone!
DeleteLOVE THESE KINDS OF POSTS!
ReplyDeleteI always have my phone on me and I wish I didn’t. I think it’s because my mom lives alone and I’m afraid of missing a call or text. She had three falls last year, and honestly, I still have a bit of PTSD from all of them. And then there’s Ella—with school and anxiety/autism stuff, it just feels like I have to be available. I wish I wasn’t so attached to my phone. The only time I’m not is when my whole family is in the room together.
The haunted house thing! We used to make haunted houses too! In our basement and in the woods behind our house. There were two woods in our neighborhood—the big woods and the little woods. The big woods were HUGE, and the kids at the end of the block made a haunted house there one year that was so good. We made one in our basement once, and honestly, it wasn’t bad!
I did get hurt in a local haunted house when I was in 7th grade and haven’t gone in one since. 😔
I’m glad you liked this post; probably because I got the ideas from TikTok 🤣
DeleteI’m also glad to hear that you also made haunted houses. I sort of thought no one would even understand what I meant! Making them in the woods must have been awesome! I’m sorry to hear about you getting hurt in one. As much as I thought they were cool when I was young, I didn’t allow my kids to go to the local ones here because instead of it being scary fun, it was all about gore and murder and I heard too many stories about people being grabbed and touched inappropriately. It’s sad when innocent fun gets ruined (sleepovers is another example 😢)
My daughter and brother are the only people who have my phone number and they usually message me on messenger when they want to talk and I'll go get my phone from the bedroom. I leave it on silent all the time. I never turn the ringer on and it's always in my bedroom either charging or just sitting on my dresser. I only have it to take with me for emergencies when I go on walks with Falcor. Most of my time is spent on the laptop during the day so they can always get a hold of me on messenger.
ReplyDeleteI can see why you just use messenger, but I’m glad you take the phone with you when you walk Falcor after some of your stories.
DeleteI don't know where my phone is half the time. I usually have to tell my daughter or husband to ping it so I can find it. It just goes wherever I toss it at any given moment. My daughter doesn't understand how I can leave the house, mention I forgot my phone but refuse to turn around to go get it. She thinks she'd die if she went 5 minutes down the road without it. Probably because I am from the last generation who remembers how to live without a device attached the their hands 24/7.
ReplyDeleteI also went through that comment card phase and taking them home to play with. And pulling coupons from those little coupon machines at Kroger. I'd take them home and play grocery with my sister. My mom would give us her old checks to add to our play too. I used to fill out those "win a cruise" forms when I'd see them at the store or mall thinking my mom or aunts or someone would be so lucky to win. Didn't realize I was signing them up for time share sales pitches back then LMAO.
My oldest is the worst with her phone. She would never be able to manage to get anywhere without her phone gps. She once called us from our own city, saying she was lost (this was before she had a smartphone, maybe a year after she got her license). She clearly never paid any attention in the car growing up. Yup, you were the last generation!
DeleteI would have loved the coupon things but that was after my childhood. I'm dying, imagining you filling out those cruise forms with your relatives' names!!!
ReplyDeletethis is one of those times when I read blogs while out and about, opting to comment when I get home because it's so much easier. And then, I get home and Other Things are requiring my attention. Anyway, I'm here to say that my phone is almost always with me. My offspring text me a lot in the summer as we juggle cars and who will be home with the younger two, etc. I keep my phone within reach when I babysit too, because I take a lot of pics and videos of my charges. I drove to the dentist a week ago, stopping at the pool first for a bit with the little girls, and then dropping them at Coach's work on my way to the dentist. And - I forgot my phone at home. Curly was at the pool when I got there, but getting ready to leave. I had her send a msg in the fam group chat, MOM IS WITHOUT HER PHONE AND WON'T HAVE IT UNTIL AFTER 4 PM WHEN SHE GETS BACK FROM THE DENTIST. DAD, SHE'S DROPPING THE GIRLS AT YOUR OFFICE AT 2:50. It was weird to be without it, but I'm rarely surfing the web and mostly just staying in touch with my people. There's also a lot of texts with my siblings right now, Who is taking Dad to his appointment and who is staying with Mom while he's gone. etc.
When I sleep, my phone charges in my bathroom. I used to leave it in the kitchen. During the pandemic, Lad was living here and he 'borrowed' anyone's charger and it was irritating. I started keeping it in my bathroom to keep him from snagging my charger. Also, I now use the alarm and no longer have a clock on my nightstand. When Mini was struggling while studying abroad, I set my phone so that her messages would break thru anytime I had it silenced.
The childhood obsession thing: I was sort of like you, but I didn't make haunted houses - I made tents. Everywhere I went. My friends' houses, when I babysat. We'd make forts and tents that would take over a room, and then when I'd sleep over at my friends' houses we'd sleep in them. I loved that. I wanted to be an architect and when I wasn't making tents, I was drafting floorplans for houses.
You do have a lot of people who are relying on you, so I can see why you need to keep your phone with you at all times. Oddly enough, my kids have never texted me all that much! My oldest does more now, but it's mostly pictures/videos of the grandkids. I think because my kids were the generation when flip phones didn't come out until they were around middle school/high school age. And I didn't pay for texting at first! Those were the days!
DeleteI LOVE that you made floor plans for houses when you were a kid. I bet they were amazing!!!
Thought-provoking questions, Bijoux.
ReplyDeleteWhere do you keep your phone?
My phone is in my front pocket most of the time.
Do you have any strange obsessions?
Define strange?
I don't think my obsessions are strange but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I pull out my neck hair when I get nervous.
Does that count?
Probably.
It does sound strange know that I have typed it out.
Bye.
Not strange as much as painful! Yikes!
DeleteWhen I'm at home, I usually forget about my phone. After a couple of hours, I realize it's still in my jacket, sound switched off. Generation X....
ReplyDeleteHope you're doing fine.
Blue
Yup! I’ve left mine in my purse for hours without a thought.
DeleteMy phone is usually right next to me...on a desk or nightstand or end table. Right now I'm sitting at the kitchen table and there it is, within arm's reach. Like a couple others have said, I have a bad habit of putting it down somewhere and then forgetting where I left it. My Pixel Watch has been a lifesaver more than once.
ReplyDeleteAre lava lamps a weird obsession? If so, well...guilty as charged!
I'd say that pink flamingos are a weirder obsession than lava lamps!
DeleteIf I ever find a pink flamingo lava lamp I will really hit the jackpot!
DeleteThat would be epic!
DeleteI love my phone. I do lots of things on it but it stays in my bedroom most of the time. My kids have individual ring tones and our group chat has a specific notification sound, those I answer immediately. Any other calls go straight to voicemail and I get to them usually by the next day. I keep my phone in my bedroom because... Have you ever seen the movie Taken?! What if I have to make a 911 call from under my bed?? Lol.
ReplyDeleteMy obsession when I was younger was Starsky & Hutch, primarily, Starsky. I knew everything about the actor Paul Michael Glaser. I had 1,212 of Hutch and 2,079 and a half of Starsky because my dad "accidentally" ripped one in half. I wrote to Starsky all the time and I got to meet them, which was the highlight of my obsession. I was also into Tony Danza and made a poster, Tony Danza is my manza. Lol! (I know you're laughing right now.
I had another obsession but this one people gave me. Everywhere I went people would tell me, "Omg. You look just like Joan Jett." It must've been the black eyeliner and hair that I'd worn forrrrrever. Anyway, so I'd play into that and rocker up my appearance even now and again. Lol.
Your survey card obsession is so funny. I used to play store when I was little too and I remember getting into my moms coupon stash to use them at my store. Lol. - Haunted houses is an interesting obsession. As you got older did you find yourself going to every haunted house attraction at Halloween? Do you go to haunted houses now?? - I grew up in one and have lived in haunted places ever since. I don't know if they follow me or what but the whole family sees all of the spirits. My nephew bought my parents house so he inherited the "people in the hallway." Lol
I loved this post!!
I'm not anonymous. :(
DeleteI’ve never managed to set my ring tones up for different people. It’s a great idea, but I’m lazy! I need to figure that out. No, I’ve never seen Taken and I don’t need that kind of terror in my life 🤣
DeleteStarsky is an amazing obsession! I love it! It’s an interesting ‘type’ for a young age. And just from your profile picture, I totally see the Joan Jett comparison! Love it!
Ok, here’s the weird thing . . NO, I never went to haunted houses by high school age. And I never let my kids go to the ones around here. They are very graphic and instead of ‘scary’ stuff (vampires, ghosts, witches) they are disturbing stuff like body part delicatessens and people chasing you with chain saws. That’s a hard nope from me! And now I need a post about your real life haunted houses!
My phone is always on the coffee table or in the kitchen if it needs charging.
ReplyDeleteI can't recall any strange obsessions!
All the best Jan
Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteLove the customer satisfaction card story--what a bright child you were!
ReplyDeleteI get the haunted house obsession. What kid doesn't like haunted houses? And as for that girl who dissed you over your fascination with spooky houses, well, her words came back to haunt, didn't they?
I keep my phone close at all times and I'm trying to wean myself off the damn thing--I'm on it far too much. I try not to look at the phone for the first hour of the day, but I do slip up more often than I would like.
Strange obsessions? Hmm...As I kid I liked to pick up stuff--old spark plugs or anything that looked interesting and keep them in a cardboard box. Wonder where that box is today...
Bright? Maybe unusual would be more accurate 🤣 And yes, that girl who was mean to me is the weirdo now! I like your rule of not looking at your phone the first hour of the day. I’m just coming off of a two week digital detox (though I’m still texting and answering emails). But not being on social media or the internet in general is quite relaxing and rejuvenating. Your cardboard box of stuff sounds fascinating to me!
DeleteOther than when I'm in the garden, my phone is generally close by, either on a nearby charger or whatever flat surface is around. I like for it to NOT be in arm's reach, though, because it reduces the temptation to "just check one thing."
ReplyDeleteI was obsessed with The Doors when I was a young teen! Jim Morrison had been dead for probably 18 years by that time.
That’s so funny because I had a very short-lived obsession with The Doors when I was 18. I think I was doing it to impress some older boys that I hung out with that summer. I was boy crazy for more than a decade.
DeleteLove this post haha it's so fun to see everyone's strange obsessions/phases. My daughter recently started watching lots of deep cleaning videos on TikTok and it has inspired her to try some of the things at home. She has deep cleaned our trash cans, our dishwasher, our washing machine, the showers, and even tried to do a carpet cleaning. She has been asking me to buy her new cleaning products everytime I go to the store haha. It might be a silly obsession for her but it has been so nice to have her helping with extra chores around the house!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, welcome! I apologize for the late reply. I was on vacation and then offline for another week. LMK if you have a blog so I can comment. I LOVE your daughter’s cleaning obsession! Those deep clean videos really are addicting and I appreciate clean homes. My family thinks I’m over the top about cleanliness.
DeleteBijioux, I'm sorry it's been so long since I've been here. I hate that your posts are no longer delivered to my inbox. I'm also ashamed to admit that I keep my phone with me pretty much at all times. If something happens, I like to take care of it right away. I don't like quick, easy responses to pile up. Also, with kids, it's sort of important to be available.
ReplyDeleteAs a high schooler, I was obsessed with Pearl Jam, covering my bedroom walls and ceiling with posters. Pretty sure that was a turn off to my friends as well. Funny about your neighbor and the karma. Haha! :)
~Betsy
That’s okay, Betsy! You’re busy with your book! I’ve been offline for two weeks myself. Being obsess with a current band isn’t all that strange, but if your friends weren’t fans, yeah, that would be tough.
DeleteI keep my phone in my pocket. At night, it's on my dresser
ReplyDeleteHi Craig!
Delete"Oh, what a fun post. My phone's usually in my hand, let's be real. 😂 And weird phases? Absolutely!
ReplyDeleteHi Melody!
DeleteIt's weird to think that where we keep our phones matters so much. On my work-from-home days, I keep mine on my desk. I need to be available for work calls, and I have to use it for authentication to sign in to most of the programs I use. Other days, I don't really have a specific place. I guess most of the time it's on my nightstand (where I charge it), but it might also be in my pocket, on an end table in the living room, or in the kitchen, depending on what I'm doing that day, and what I'm using it for. We have similar silent phone hours. Mine is set to a do not disturb mode (with about three people on the allowed to get through setting) from 9:30 pm - 5:30 am.
ReplyDeleteI think growing up in a cult was my weirdest phase! Other than that, from the time I was about eight until I was about 14, I was obsessed with panda bears. I still love them! But then, I wore panda t-shirts, had stuffed pandas, panda figurines, jewelry, etc., and memorized all kinds of facts about them. If anyone commented on any of my panda items, I saw that as an opportunity to share what I knew about panda bears with them. I'm sure I was a pain!
I think your efforts to make a haunted house sound adorable. I also love that karma caught up with the mean girl.
I would not remember where my phone was if I didn’t just leave it on the kitchen counter or my purse. Pandas are so popular and the videos I’ve seen of them are so adorable! I was mad that the one chance I had to see them at the San Diego Zoo,they were gone 😡
DeleteI got to see them at the Atlanta Zoo in 2012, and it was incredible to watch them in person. It wasn't crowded when we went, and I just sat in front of their enclosure and watched them for hours. Poor Nick was very patient!
DeleteHow wonderful!
DeleteWhen I am done with my phone I keep it in my bag and off so I do not forget when I go to work. I can't recall any weird obsessions beyond the usual like horses. But I did have a lot phobias that is for sure.
ReplyDeleteAllie of
www.allienyc.com
I’m always concerned about forgetting mine, so I do leave it near my purse. Oh yeah, phobias galore here!
Delete