Dan's Papers - June 19, 2009 -

Last week, my Dad sat me down and explained that he no longer wanted to pay my cell phone bill. It was kind of a big father/son moment, as my cell phone bill is the last bill that he has been covering for me.

I've had a Massachusetts cell phone number (617) since I have been a cell phone user, because I got my first cell phone in Boston while at college. Ever since, I've never thought about minutes, never thought about what a cell phone costs, never thought about going over, because I figured hey, Dad will take care of it. As time went on, I progressed to paying for my car, rent, electricity and food.

In college, I relied pretty much on my Dad for everything, but slowly but surely, I started paying out my paycheck to bills. When I first started paying my own electric bill a few years ago, I can remember owing LIPA over $500 for electric heat and lights. Needless to say, I became much more aware of turning things off. My home became like a Delta Force Headquarters on the North Pole. Use what's needed, wrap yourself in a blanket like a taco, whatever you do, don't turn on anything.

The cell phone has been no different. I've become obsessed with minutes, the point of owning it, the point of having access to the Internet 24-7, all because well, I hate to say it, but now I'm paying for it so I have to think about it.

We were having dinner at Bobby Van's when my Dad dropped the cell phone bomb on me. Very casually he said, "I don't want to pay for your cell phone bill anymore, you should be paying it now."

I was kind of surprised, because I have been secretly keeping to myself my desire to switch from a 617 number to a 631 number, but didn't want to bring it up because I thought it would remind him that he pays my cell phone bill. "I'll just switch over the bill into your name," my Dad said.

Well now, hang on a second, I thought. I'm pretty sure I have the most expensive plan a cell phone user can get. "Don't do that Dad. I may not want to have a cell phone anymore."

This was met with such wild laughter from my Dad that he nearly fell out of his seat.

We both headed to Verizon to cancel my cell phone account there, because I was anxious to switch to AT&T. Most people I know use AT&T and I had heard that you don't get charged if you call somebody with the same carrier. I then got a new number, switching to 631 after a great debate with myself on whether or not to get 631 or 516. Anybody who's anybody knows that if you have a 516 number and are from Suffolk that you're a very cool dude because back when they first started offering cell phones out east, they only had 516, meaning that if you have a 516 number and are from Suffolk, you are one of the original people to have ever gotten a cell phone. It's kind of like owning a 212 number.

The fact that it was an option for me to get a 516 number however made me realize that I would be a fake person if I chose that, so I went with 631. A big part of me was terrified about changing numbers, but then I realized that I really only talk to like five or six people, so I called them to update them, then felt kind of depressed that I wasn't more of an important person. A part of me kind of wanted the whole world to turn upside down after I got a new telephone number.

The world would be a better place if you didn't have to pay for things, but were still responsible with how you used them.