Answering machine woes, or why I suck at leaving messages
I hate people who take their time answering their cell phones. Not that I mind waiting, but because after 4 rings I think it's usually safe to say that they are not there or are not going to pick up. So I start planning a message in my head of what I'll say on their answering machine. Like a quick prepared speech like, "Hey there, it's Tara, sorry I missed you. I just want to say---" But then you get a real voice saying "Hello?" and there goes the message and any chance of a cool opening line or sounding breezy. Instead I'm startled and go, "Oh, hey, yeah it's Tara, you're there." It's terrible!

I practice phone messages in the first place for a reason. I'm a terrible message leaver, I either say way too much or make a joke. But it's a machine so the joke is just hanging there and so I fumble to make up for trying to leave a joke on a recording, so there are a lot of "ums" and "anyways."

Once when I was calling back a guy I had started seeing, my friends were actually holding their heads in pain. I freakin started talking about the weather on his answering machine. I was like, "yeah well I'm on my lunch hour, and it's real pretty out..." I then see my friends giving me the axe/cut-it signs and then I'm grabbing for more straws.

I also can't say "Call me back." I think it's rude and needy, so I say "talk to you later," thus implying I don't want a call back even if I do. Once I said "Call me back if you want to," which just sounds stupid. I mean, why wouldn't they want to ;) It's me! Haha, just kidding.