It all starts when someone, standing close behind me while I'm waiting to cross the street, says, "What a bitch!" in a loud voice. I look over my shoulder, naturally, and instead of the homeless guy I expect, it's some executive-suited type...and he's not talking to me. That becomes obvious in the next couple seconds, as smiles sheepishly at all the people that turned to look at him, and says in a lower voice "so, what else did she say?" What isn't obvious is exactly who he is talking to. He's just talking as though there is someone else in the conversation. And then the penny drops, he must be wearing one of those headsets to go with cell phones. They are practically invisible, especially when muffled by hats and scarves during winter.
What amazes me about cell phones is how unconscious the users seem to be of their surroundings. I would think that people would edit their conversations in public, but so many people don't. One of my colleges told me a story of a woman walking down a street openly weeping, and from her half of the conversion it was clear that she was being broken up with, right there on the street. Everyone walking near by was embarrassed for her, and embarrassed to be listening. The problem is that try as you might, it's really hard to not listen, and sometimes it is impossible.
Not that I'm down on cell phones, they can be very useful. I remember walking by a guy at the drug store with his cell phone tucked between his ear and shoulder, with a package of "feminine products" in each hand saying something like "so, did you want the ones with 'wings'?" And, after all, I got my cell phone because I was in a long distance relationship, and trying to apply for jobs at the same time. I set up the interview for the job I have now, on the road somewhere between Santa Maria and Santa Barbara. However, now, I only really use it to make long distance phone calls, because I have 300 prepaid long distance minutes, that I never use up. Not surprisingly, I'm thinking of getting rid of it.
But it is still true that people will say things in a crowded restaurant talking to their cell phone that they would never say in a live conversation in the same place, and because it's sometimes harder to hear they will also say it louder, too. Perhaps it comes from the fact that, generally, the person on the phone is trying to tune out the rest of the world, maybe the uncensored conversion is just evidence of their success.
Anyway, it makes for interesting listening.