jmcquown wrote:
>sf wrote:
>>
>> Screen your calls with an answering machine.
>>
>I do that. But having the phone ringing many times a day only to hear
><click> when the machine kicks in is driving me to distraction.

An answering machine can't screen calls unless the caller leaves a
message... many people, including me, don't always leave a message
unless they have something important to say because they hate playing
telephone tag... and too many people do not return calls for days only
to assert dominance. You need to look at your caller ID and if a
number is displayed that you recognize as someone you know then you
would be wise to answer your phone, or they will likely make more
attempts. If I see a number of someone I know I always answer my
phone... If I can't talk at the moment I simply say I will call back
at a particular time and then I do... I don't play telephone games,
especially pretending I'm not there. Before I give out my phone
number I decide if it's someone I value enough to answer when they
call and that they will respect me enough to answer when I call. I
take the telephone seriously, it's an important tool, not a toy for
playing infantile mind games.