Are cell phones such a necessity? Sure! Do you have to pick up the phone or text someone immediately when you hear the ring? Possibly! But not when you are a 12 year old girl riding your bike in the middle of a residential development and stop in front of the entrance way to text your friend. That’s exactly what I experienced earlier this week when I was leaving for a meeting. I understand that having a cell phone for safety makes sense but the irony is it may actually pose a danger. Especially in the recent case of the Los Angeles Metro link commuter train when the engineer was supposedly texting someone and ran a stop signal which then resulted in a crash with an oncoming freight engine. As a result there were 25 deaths, one of which was the engineer, and 138 injured.

I mean really, this is no joke. Even in New Jersey we have a law against using cell phones while driving with the punishment of a fine. How annoying is it when someone in doing 45 miles and hour on the parkway and as you pass them you notice that they are on the cell. Or, how about when you are in a doctor’s office that specifically has many signs that says NO CELL PHONES and you hear someone yapping away. My husband comes home with unbelievable cell phone stories. He recently had a child in his exam chair and the kid’s father is in the room on his Nextel walkie talkie phone yelling at someone with inappropriate language. Not only was there one conversation but he got to hear both sides!

Or how about when my hubby was taking metal out of a patient’s painful eye when his phone rang and the patient actually pushed my hubbys microscope away in the middle of this procedure to get his phone. Those signs are there so the doctors can get their job done in an efficient manner without being interrupted by someone answering their phone in the middle of an exam and it is also there for the respect of the other people in the waiting room who don’t care about your personal escapades. If you are in a public place and must use your phone and you can’t go outside then please have the common courtesy to talk in a normal tone, you don’t have to scream.

Cell phones are very important, I get that, heck I can’t live without my blackberry, but all I’m saying is that we should be more responsible with our use and have respect for the others around us. To all of my cell phone friends I’ll see you outside next to the smokers.

There have been so many of you who have asked us to create this page that we finally decided to give it a whirl. You have to know that as a former reporter and editor, Aren and I would like nothing better than to communicate with you in this new and exciting way. But what should we talk about? I’m not sure you want us to do all the talking, so, we’re opening it up to you, our loyal readers, to tell us what subjects you would like us to tackle on the blogs.

We are scheduled to introduce at least two new bloggers, Tamika M. Murray, local resident, professional writer, experienced blogger and creator of her own blog, PJSandAMovie; and Whitney Ullman, president of NJ Association of Women Business Owners, owner of My Jewels by Whitney, and recently named to the Top 40 Under 40 AC Weekly list.

These 20-something ladies will help us cover a wide variety of topics that women in Atlantic County and beyond are talking about in both their single and married circles.

So, give us a shout out. Tell us how we’re doing. Talk to us about what’s on your mind, and what’s going on in your life. Let’s have some fun. And remember, everyone looks good in Cerise!



Janet Garraty and Aren Alfaro
Cerise Publishers

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