Cell phone etiquette 101: "There's a fair chance that anyone reading this column has been annoyed by a cell phone at least once. My personal pet peeves are ringing phones in movie theaters and people who insist on sharing their lives with the entire public transportation system. I ignore my phone on the bus. It feels strange to have a conversation with half the city listening in. Yes, I keep it on, but it's always on 'vibrate' or in 'silent mode.' "

Oh, my blood is boiling just thinking about the customers who would come into Tommy K's with their headsets on, fully involved in a conversation. They would roam around the store, speaking very loudly; then they would approach the register, still on the phone, completely immersed in their conversation, at full volume, never once acknowledging that I was even standing there. Why can't people understand how rude that is? Whatever happened to polite society? I got to the point where I would just stand there at the register after they put their items on the counter, and wait until they actually looked me in the eye and acknowledged my existence before I would even ring up the first item. I just recently took a train ride from Newark to New Haven, and there was at least one person talking on their phone for the entire 2.5 hour ride, sometimes more than one at a time. II can't read, I can't snooze, and I don't really care to hear about their day.

Personally, I don' think cell phones should be allowed in public buildings or transportation at all. Gotta make a call? Go outside. Waiting for a call? Too bad, let them leave a message. No one is that indispensable.

Rant complete.