Friday, April 10, 2009

R. I. P. Home Voicemail


VOICEMAIL, HOME of the Daily Dandy Headquarters, after a long period of non-service on April 8, 2009. Home Voicemail was credited with keeping the Daily Dandy family informed of important messages for years, and only recently became stricken with it's long battle with redundancy and newer technology.

Born in the spring of 2001, Mr. Home Voicemail was a vital part of the everyday life of his family with family members rushing home to check in with him daily. Home Voicemail also possessed modern features that allowed his family to check in from outside the home with easy access codes and at one time boasted the best messaging service of it's kind.

Mr. Home Voicemail became stricken with inactivity over the last few years as personal cell phones, equipped with voicemail service, became more and more prevalent in society.

"It got to the point that I kept forgetting to check my home voicemail because I had my cell phone at all times," a family member said. "My home voicemail mail box would become full and it became easier NOT to delete the messages. If someone wanted me, they could get me on my cell."

A victim of a vital strain of newer technology, Mr. Home Voicemail put up a valiant fight right to the end. "I began putting my cell number on important documents like the school and the doctor's office as my contact number, " another family member remembered. "But every once in a while, I would catch something important that Home Voicemail would pick up."

Mr. Home Voicemail leaves his family of four with a substantial savings on their home phone bill, and private services will be held at the home for immediate family only. Donations can be made to AT & T Wireless: account number 463512.


17 comments:

Skye said...

Now that's a cute Obit! Indeed, R.I.P. Mr. Home Voicemail!

OG said...

I haven't had a regular phone line since I left my parent house for college 10 years ago. I'm impressed you were able to hold on this long.

Scope said...

I use AT&T for home phone and DSL, and with the bundle, they MANDATED that I get voice mail. Didn't want it. Have an answering machine for the collection agents trying to find Carla, thanks anyway.

So, I set the ring threshhold to 9 so it never picks up. I always freak a little when the phone says there's a message on VM not on the answering machine, but it's always AT&T selling something.

I can't go all cell. As a cell phone, my Blackberry makes a great email/web device and "for emergencies only" phone.

wigsf said...

cute

But keeping an original landline phone comes in handy during emergencies.

Cora said...

Voice mail is a pain. A PAIN!! I always forget to check it and whenever I do, I'll find messages spanning five or six days and they usually fall into three categories:

1. My kid's friend who will call 12 times a night leaving garbled message after garbled message if we are not home.

2. People selling something.

3. My ex-husband calling when he KNOWS I'm not home and he KNOWS I don't check the vm and he KNOWS he can reach me anytime on my cell, but he leaves a vm anyway just so he can have something to pout about. Grrr.

Tuesday Taylor said...

Isn't it funny how even the home phone has almost become obsolete? Mine never rings, and when it does, I'm almost like, 'What is that noise'?

SkylersDad said...

I miss the days of answering machines with my Dirty Harry outgoing message!

will said...

Cute story.

Voice mail, very retro - just think of all the TV detectives that used voicemail to solve sinister crimes. Will cell phones provide the same theatrical suspense? Stay tuned ...

BeckEye said...

My dad still has an answering machine. And he likes to leave these goofy messages on them, like talking in the Count's voice (leave a message when I count to three...wah ha ha). I don't know why he bothers, because he never actually listens to the messages. When I leave him a message, he'll call me back and go, "What did you want?" I love having to repeat myself.

Sassy Britches said...

My parents just got voice mail (over an answering machine) LAST YEAR! My dad can't figure it out because of all the passwords. And then he deletes the messages. What a zoo.

slopmaster said...

it's for the best. In Africa, we barely have phones, and it's very freeing, although, I admit, I liked getting messages in the US>

Just Jules said...

that is great!
Come visit my blog before the end of the weekend so I can throw an extra chance in the drawing for you.

Furtheron said...

My wife always checks the home phone number, most people call me on my mobile but once in the while she says, "There's a message for you on there"... Normally an alcoholic who is drinking again and didn't really want to talk to me, hence not calling the mobile and normally a 20 min rant about their girlfriend, boss, job, no job, mum, dad, brother, ... whatever they blame for the current bender.

I normally phone them back and guess what... they spot my number and I leave a voicemail. Normally I just say... "You know. Get to a meeting, try and stop drinking. If you need a lift to meetings call me" some do, too many don't

So I'll keep mine - it is a useful service although my wife is fed up with it at times I think.

The Dental Maven said...

Oh dear. And I didn't even know he was in decline. Well, he did enjoy an illustrious career in his early days. My thoughts are with the Verizon family.

Prunella Jones said...

I haven't had a land line in my house since I got a cell. The only people who called it were telemarketers anyway.

Elenka said...

Happy Easter, Candy and the daily Dandy's !

Elenka

Vodka Mom said...

I am ready to get RID of the house phone. The only people that call that want money. MONEY for God's sake.