Bluetooth follies

As I finished next month’s calendar-report, which I try to do in advance, and am well ahead this time.....
.....I worried I may not have any material to blog.
But as I said to Marcy once, my cohort at the Daily Messenger newspaper in Canandaigua, when she asked how I had so much madness to blog:
“Marcy, it’s everywhere!”
So here I am yesterday blithely motoring toward Canandaigua to work out at the YMCA.
My cellphone rings. My car has Bluetooth, so I fingered the answer-button on the steering-wheel.
After the usual surfeit of “hellos” that seem to come with cellphone use, a bubbly chipper girl started feverishly yammering at me at the speed of light — except it was a machine.
Oh, a call I wouldn’t have answered, except my cellphone, which has caller-ID, is in my back pants-pocket.
Something about reducing my student-loan debt with some program recently introduced by “Obama.”
Um, I graduated college 48 years ago, and paid off my student-loan debt in about two-or-three years. Including my National-Defense-Student-Loans (NDSL), a program initiated by President Johnson.
And people quite often ran from their NDSL debt.
“Obama?” Do you mean “President Obama?” The mention of “Obama” seemed hard, like she could hardly say it.
I get stuff like this all-the-time on Facebook and in my e-mail. Scotch your credit-card debt, refinance your mortgage, do a reverse-mortgage to get immediate cash.
For what? To buy a speedboat or Corvette?
Not interested! What interests me is not owing anyone anything, which I don’t.
I own my house and car, and pay my credit-card balance in full every month.
I was reminded of a fellow-worker’s comment: “Welcome to Ontario Honda. Please deposit your checkbook, wallet, and all credit-cards on our table, and we’ll happy to help you.”
It was “Ontario Honda” because this guy’s father worked there as a salesman.
I always did well at Ontario Honda.
“If you wish to speak to our representatives, please press ‘one’ now.”
Can’t! I’m Bluetoothing. My cellphone is inaccessible. My car-radio has 10 “preset” keys; perhaps they’re the same as a telephone keypad. I don’t know; never tried it.
“If not interested, please press ‘five’ now.”
Again, Can’t! I can’t do nut’in’.
“Beep-beep-beep.” Deafening silence from me; the call ended.
I don’t answer my landline any more. No caller-ID; and it’s always someone after my wallet.

• The “Messenger newspaper” is the Canandaigua Daily-Messenger, from where I retired almost nine years ago. Best job I ever had — I worked there almost 10 years (over 11 if you count my time as a post-stroke unpaid intern [I had a stroke October 26, 1993, from which I recovered fairly well]). (“Canandaigua” [“cannan-DAY-gwuh”] is a small city nearby where I live in Western NY. The city is also within a rural town called “Canandaigua.” The name is Indian, and means “Chosen Spot.” —It’s about 14 miles away.)
• “Marcy” is my number-one Ne’er-do-Well — she was the first I was e-mailing stuff to. Marcy and I worked in adjacent cubicles at the Messenger. The “Ne’er-do-Wells” are a group of people I e-mail my blogs to.
• I work out in the Canandaigua YMCA Exercise-Gym, appropriately named the “Wellness-Center,” usually three days per week, about one-two hours per visit.
• RE: “My car has Bluetooth.....” —For those not technically savvy, my cellphone will radio to a Bluetooth receiver, in this case my car. I can thereby answer cellphone calls while driving, through my car-radio. I could also make cellphone calls, but I don’t because it’s unreliable.