Etiquette Part 2

  It is my desire to poke a little fun at times because I know that some reading this may think I am bashing them and I am not. I should be bashing myself in some of these categories. My only goal is to write out my thoughts, not victimize people or make you feel bad for being at fault for some of these things. I have been at fault myself. We all make mistakes in the department of good manners. I know I lack in the "having more tact" department, of which I want to improve on, and have improved on, but need to improve more. I also need to work a little more on how I express myself by way of blogging, emails, facebook etc. since I know I can come off as abrasive and uptight. I am not an uptight person who picks at every little thing that people do wrong. My blog is not meant to point out things about people I don't like. It is just my poor style of writing that makes it sound like I am annoyed with people every time they do these things. I only bring up what I think we could all work on a little more. Some etiquette categories are higher up on my list of importance, and others are not that big a deal, but worth a mention so please take it with a grain of salt and have a little fun with it.
Alright, for part two I will be covering the following categories: CELL PHONE, TEXTING, DRIVING.
Cell Phone:
I absolutely love having a cell phone! I think they are one of the greatest inventions. The sense of security it gives me when I am taking a long distance trip by myself, or when I am at the grocery store and can't remember what Joe wanted me to buy him. I think most of us would be naked without it, however there are some ways in which having one on our person 24/7 can make life a little obnoxious at times. One of those times is when you get a call in the middle of a conversation with someone. Should you answer or should you ignore it? Depends. In most instances incoming calls can wait until the conversation is over, period. Think back to the days when cell phones didn't exist. I remember not wanting to own a cell phone because of how much I dislike phone conversations. Personally, I don't care for talking on the phone over talking in person, unless the person is too far away to get together.
Another time is when you are eating dinner, whether it be at home or out, or how about during church(doesn't happen that often), or the movies. It's not hard to turn phones on vibrate and step out of the room if you absolutely must answer. I don't care to hear the one sided conversation.  Another place I really don't care to pick up my phone is in the car, but only if I am with other people. There is something about tight spaces and listening to other people talk on their phone's I don't care for, but when it does happen it isn't the end of the world.
Then we have TEXTING! I think texting is another great invention. It allows you to contact someone without having to talk to them if you happen to be in the middle of something and can't call, or if you need to send a quick message out. It is a nice tool to have on your plan. I do not have unlimited texts. I do not have the need to text people all day long, but for those who prefer to text versus call me I have to have a plan so my phone bill doesn't sky rocket.
The times texting can become frustrating is when people get texts in the middle of a conversation and reply while continuing the conversation. I know I can't pay attention to the two at the same time so I don't know how anyone else can.
As a general rule I think putting away your phone during the times you are in the middle of a conversation would save you from offending anyone, or pardon yourself from the conversation and step away to write the reply or make the call.
DRIVING - The wonderful world of automobiles. Gotta love having a car right! I can't imagine having to go back to a horse and buggy. To think how much of the world we would not get to see and explore.  I am not too sure what driving etiquette looks like so I will just cover the things that I think bug people the most about other drivers
 One road rule would have to be using your turn signals at the proper time, which for some odd reason many people who live in bigger cities do not use. I have noticed this in Chicago especially. I don't know why it is so hard for people to move their little fingers over a few inches and put a little pressure on the signal knob to indicate to other drivers which way they intend to turn? Beats me!
Next we have those drivers that we all love! Left lane slow pokes! Oh how I wish I could tap the back of their bumpers when they pay no attention to the long line of cars that are following closely behind them. Even better is when they drive the same speed as the person in the right lane so that no one can pass on either side!