What is it with people and mobile phones? I mean, it's almost as if they've become an extension to the arm, or ear, or mouth even. I hate to say it, but the day my wife got her first mobile phone was the day we stopped communicating. That must sound incredibly ridiculous to say that a communication gadget was responsible for the conversational breakdown of our marriage.



When she's not talking on the darn device, she's stroking it, cleaning it, reassigning ring tones, and she even talks to the retched thing. Okay, I admit it. I'm jealous. I'm jealous of Mickey the mobile, but I did find a solution. I gave in and joined the club. I bought the best mobile on the market and now me and wife are back on speaking terms again, even if the conversation does revolve around mobile phones that can sing dance and do the dishes.

But seriously though, I can fully appreciate the benefits of having a mobile phone, in fact, there have been many occasions where they have saved peoples lives in emergency situations, but they can also cause big problems amongst folks as they seem to have taken away a lot of the social interaction that people used to have with each other. My wife used to always be popping down the road to visit her best friend from high school. They hardly ever see each other these days as they now lie on their respective sofas and catch up on the mobiles.

I've even seen young kids chatting on them as they walk towards each other, and they only hang up once they're within earshot. Husbands and wives are discussing the groceries on the Samsungs as one of the other partners is in the supermarket filling the basket. I mean, what happened to the simple shopping list? It's as if people are being navigated around the store by armchair shoppers. But my pet hate has to be on the trains where bored commuters shout down the mouth piece as if we have to know whether the family wants pasta or pizza for dinner, or if Gwen the secretary remembered to unplug the photocopier before she closed the office.

Well, love them of loath them, the mobile phone is here to stay whether we like it or not. The day I bought a Nokia 6600 was the day I sold my freedom to the wireless world. I can no longer have a few quiet moments alone as I used to. Sure, I can try switching it off, but if your wife is anything like mine, there will be hell to pay once you get home. "What's the point of having a mobile phone if you keep it switched off" she bellowed in my ear one day when I tried to grab a couple of hours of blissful solitude. "What if I needed to contact you in an emergency? What then?" she continued.

Alas, man and mobile are joined at the hip without the hooray, so we best just accept our lot and make sure we're in love with the dulcet tones of our good ladies before hooking up.