Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Most Embarrassing Cell Phone Moment

(Illustration by Mark Matcho)
Yesterday, I had a job interview for a copywriting position at a large corporate company. Fingers crossed they liked me...


Nokia ad campaign I created and wrote

One of the writing samples in my portfolio always makes me chuckle. It's a campaign I did with Nokia years ago. In addition to writing copy, I worked with the sales team to develop fun promotional packages to pitch to clients. This campaign was one of my personal favorites. Why? Because it actually happened to me.


The online campaign was targeted to females 13-21 and it was basically, "Fess Up About Your Most Embarrassing Cell Phone Experience" and one winner was picked at random providing she sent in a short explanation of her moment.


So here's my story. I was dating this guy, but secretly wasn't feelin' him at all. My parents weren't feelin' him either and I was ready to quit him two months into our relationship. He was a rebound after my college boyfriend decided he was done with me now that we had graduated college.


I remember the night so clearly. I'll never forget it. I was hanging out with a male friend whom I had a big-time crush on. Later that evening, I was to meet up with my annoying boyfriend. However, while with the hottie, I managed to get a flat tire.

Hottie is in a dark parking lot, on the ground fixing my flat while I'm desperately trying to reach annoying guy to break our plans. This was back in the "dial-up days" of the internet and apparently my loser boyfriend was online. Upon hitting redial like a freak for about an hour straight, I began getting frustrated. I flew into a tirade and began spitting out all of these horrible things about the guy I no longer wanted to date.

Finally, the spare tire was set and we were ready to roll. Then it happens ... My cell phone rings. It's loser boyfriend. I'm faking it like, "Oh hi sweetie! I've been trying to reach you." He's very quiet (unlike him) and softly explains that he could swear I called him and that he heard me saying some very cruel things about him. Ouch. My heart stopped. How would I get out of this one?

I used the excuse that I was angry about the flat tire and couldn't reach him all night. I tried to blame him for my embarrassing mishap. Somehow I sweet talked my way to forgiveness and broke up with him a month later. That had to be my most embarrassing cell phone moment.

I'm convinced we've all had them. What's yours?


21 comments:

  1. That must have been pretty embarrassing, Aly! Doing tech support, I have heard callers on the other end musing how lame my support was while they though they were muted, that was hard on me.
    I just want to say that I HOPE YOU GET THE JOB!!

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  2. That's a harsh way to find out what someone really thinks of you.

    I am crossing my fingers for you. I really hope you land the job.

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  3. I think that is hilarious! I probably would have been like "Yeah and I meant every word of it. Bye loser!" :)

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  4. I'm hoping you get the job. Mail room!!

    As for stories, I once left the wireless phone on the bed in search of scissors and was distracted by a basketball game. We won, I go back to the room and still couln't remember that I left my friends on the phone until way later in the day. Oopsie.

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  5. well at least he can't see you turn red over the phone...

    Good luck on the job front

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  6. good luck with the job! i don't have an embarrasing moment to share but i sure hear some embarrasing things other people are saying on their phones out in public!

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  7. I work my phone like nobodies business, but I have to make SURE the client has hung up after clinching that million dollar deal before I mumbled: "asshole" lol bad habit, I know.

    But got caught a couple times when I thought they had hung up. Oops. That's the kind of things that can cost money, so I make SURE they have hung up, dial tone, THEN I call them and asshole hee hee...

    Good luck on the job, sending mojo your way!!

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  8. jeeez and the typos are for free, I made so many *blush*

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  9. Oh geez!! I can't think of one right now, but I will!
    I hope you get the job if it's what you want!!!
    Good luck!!

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  10. I hope you get the job! I can't think of a time when my phone was still on that was embarrassing. I got fired from a job for cussing out the corporate lady after I thought I had hung up because she was being a monster bitch. She demanded I be fired. On the spot.

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  11. I'm not sure if I have any conversation-type embarrassing moments, but the other day, I couldn't find mine anywhere. I looked all over the house, then finally broke down and called my cell phone from my land line to locate it...in my left hand.

    Danny was standing right there, laughing and shaking his head.

    D'oh!

    I'll echo the others and say...good luck with the job! :)

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  12. Darn, I thought that story would end with you and hottie getting together.
    My bro and sis-in-law (don't tell them I'm sharing this) were calming discussing porn movies and somehow accidentally recorded it onto my cell phone. I told them how lucky they were that it was MY phone, and not one of our parent's.

    Keeping fingers crossed too.
    xoRobyn

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  13. PS I hate all my typo's! I meant "calmly" discussing, and I should add that my brother is in the acting business. He was intellectually (shall we say?) expressing what he believes the actors experience when doing nude scenes. I better shut up. I'm making it sound even worse. It was very funny that I heard the whole conversation. Hugs, my friend. xoR

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  14. Sending good thoughts your way for the interview.

    That story is pretty awful. I think the most embarrassing cell phone related thing I have ever done is one time I walked into this bar instead the coffee shop next door cause I was too involved with checking my smart phone. Which would have been fine except the bar just opened and there was no one in there so I had to admit my idiocy to the hostess and bartender that clearly saw me walk through the door.

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  15. I had just finished a frustrating phone converstation with one of our area office higher-ups. A friend of mine walked up in the middle of the conversation. After I hung up, he asked me who I was talking to. I replied "just some dumb f*** from the area office." The next day my boss called me into his office to tell me that his boss called him up about me. I apparently hadn't actually severed the conncection the day before and the "DF" on the other end, actually heard me call him that...

    Good luck on the job!!!

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  16. Good luck on the job front. I don't have an embarrassing Cell moment but landline I do! Tried working from home and to this day don't remember what I was up to, anyways my then 2 yr old was on the phone when I caught her, I took the phone from her and was one of my clients not too impressed as I'm sure none of you will be that my 2 yr old was alone for all of maybe 45 seconds. I mean think about it (the guilt still haunts me 16 yrs later), how long would you as a client if you heard a little kid on the phone stay on the line? Not too long as I sure wouldn't. So Good Luck Aly! I stopped working after that. And found a new field to delve into.

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  17. Does having someone's name programmed into your phone as "Don't Answer Me!" count if they were standing next to you and called your cell - then saw their 'name' on the screen?

    If so, I think I just might have one.

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  18. I texted some "loving" compliments and suggestions to my wife this summer, but the stupid phone sent them to coworkers instead. :-(

    I'm new, but I like your blog!

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  19. oh, no! is it wrong that this made me laugh so hard?

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  20. I have had mostly flip style phones so less chance of accidental dial. I think the worst I have had is my phone ringing at an inappropriate moment and having a hard time getting it out of my bag to turn it off.

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