CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

That Dot Dot Dot Anticipation

Text messaging may be the preferred communication tool of kids, tweens, teens and everyone else younger than I am. But I like it too. Let’s face it — most of us are too busy to answer the phone, and email sometimes is not urgent enough. Text messaging is great.

Except for this: When you text someone. And they are starting to text you back. On my iPhone, you can see it — those dot dot dots, telling you they are writing you back.

And you wait, thinking, “Type faster. Wow. You are a really slow typer. Are you all thumbs? What is it what is it what is it….” Even if it is just someone responding to a request for a carpool switch or your kid to say he did fine on a test. You’re all pins and needles. Dot dot dot just tell me!

And then…nothing. They stop responding. They don’t reply. The dot dot dot vanishes.

Argh! It’s the worst feeling. What were you going to say? Huh? Pass fail? Coffee tomorrow? You can’t pick up today???? She found what in his wallet?????

It’s like the modern equivalent of someone saying, “I had something really juicy to tell you, and I totally forgot what it was!”

Do not leave me hanging. Please. Finish those texts. Don’t interrupt yourselves.

I think iPhone should automatically text “Nevermind” when you have a dot dot dot that vanishes.

I may not always notice the dot dot dot. But when I do, and you fail me, I really feel cheated.

And here’s another question. Is it just children of the 80s or whenever who are this impatient? Are modern kids more relaxed? Or is everyone on earth more relaxed? Am I the only one who notices when the text message vanishes before I see what they wanted to tell me?