Thanks to both of you

I have a cell phone and I keep it turned off all the time unless I'm expecting a call from someone. I use it to call my family when I leave work. It comes in handy whenever I need to call someone while in the road. This is just my choice and may not be the choice of others.

I am quite often irritated by cell phone conversations if they're not showing respect for other people, when respect is called for. Working at a library, cellphones are not allowed but we have even become more lenient with those rules to accommodate the necessity of the phone calls. I think it's okay to use a cellphone, most anywhere, but respect is the key.

These days, convenience is our new way of life. No matter how much we object to alot of things, we might as well put up with them because they're not going anywhere. What the heck, I used to despise computers. Look at me now!! On another note....what did we do before we got them?

sparks; I understand your point but I think it's just an issue of the proper use of the phone as opposed to banning them all together. Hospitals are very noisy and some of the most annoying places on earth, all by themselves(just ask Phred ). I personally can't see why an occasional conversation on the phone would be noticed that much by anybody. If it becomes excessive, someone needs to say something about it if it's truly bothering them. JMHO

I almost forgot to throw in another observation of mine. Anytime I've been in the hospital, I hated it because it was lonely(hopefully this doesn't sound contradictory to what I've already said). Anyone who has been hospitalized probably knows what I mean. If I would have had a cell phone, I wouldn't have felt like I was trapped in a prison. Using the hospital phone just didn't appeal to me