Resounding

Silence

Hello? Huh? Wha ... Do You Know What Time It Is?!

My parents had a standing policy in our house: no phone calls after 10p unless it was an emergency. When I moved out of my parents' and on my own, I continued that policy. It's a good policy. No one wants to be bothered with trivial crap when they're trying to wind down after a long day or when trying to get ready for a long evening. I can honestly say that I can't recall a single friend or acquaintance of mine who has ever violated that policy, whether they knew it existed or not.

The advent of smart phones and text messaging, however, has led to a blurring of the lines of etiquette. Text messages are quick and not that intrusive, we tell ourselves. I can just shoot of this one random thought to this one random friend at this one random time of night and it'll be alright because it's completely random.

Let me tell you right now that it's not alright.

My text messaging policy is exactly the same as my phone call policy. Do not text or call me between the hours of 10p and 7a unless you can physically see me or unless it is an emergency. And by "emergency", I don't mean you're going through an existential crisis or a rat just scurried across your feet while you were trying to hail a taxi. "Emergency" means someone has died, someone is seriously injured, or you finally got arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct.

Someone please tell me I'm not alone on this one.