How To Call Your Friend
Last night I called one of my pinball buddies on the phone, and his wife picked up: “Hello?”
“Hi, this is Adam Preble,” I said, “Is Ray available?”
Jessica, sitting next to me, intoned, “Hi Joanne.”
Oops. It was perfect phone etiquette — for a ten-year-old calling his friend to see if he wanted to ride bikes.
…
We went on a walk around the neighborhood last night, commenting on all of the houses. In front of one house were two kids’ bikes, on their sides. Ah, those bike-riding days. Entertaining oneself by riding from the driveway, across the street, into the cul-de-sac, around the cul-de-sac, and back again. Maybe up the hill. Standing up. For hours.
October 13th, 2006 at 12:38 pm
While you comitted a faux pas, Joanne is not without fault, either. “Hello?”, “’sup?”, and “Where ya at?” are all unacceptable forms of telephone greetings.
The correct method for answering the phone is: “Good [morning/day/afternoon]! [family’s last name here] residence, might I inquire with whom am I speaking?”
“Ahoy-hoy?” is also sometimes permissable in unique situations where the answering party is expecting a call and is a close family friend, relative, young child, or co-worker of equal or lower employment status (obviously allowable only outside of business hours with the exception of scheduled, midday breaks).
Ah, biking days. I have to remember to explore the neighborhoods that way again, sometime.