Our worlds are colliding! If you are a frequent visitor to our blog, you know that we often participate in Erica‘s writing community, Yeah Write Me, and we love making lists for Stasha‘s Monday Listicles. Well, our last post was written in response to the Yeah Write Me prompt: “What is the most annoying sound you have ever heard?” And this week’s Monday Listicle topic is 10 Sounds That Drive You Bonkers.

What?? You don’t hear the explosions? Whatever. Anyway, we are going to continue the theme of our post Of Ringtones and Beepers (Go ahead and read it, we’ll wait. It’s only 499 words thanks to Erica) and focus this list on the telephone.

10 Telephonesque Sounds That Drive Us Bonkers

Do kids even recognize this is a phone?

1. Erin’s ringtone. (You REALLY need to read our other post.)

2. “The mailbox is full and can no longer accept messages at this time. Good-bye.” Erin’s voicemail message for over 7 months now. And counting.

 2. “Mom, Mom, Mommy, Mom, Mom,” revving up the second your ear touches the receiver when just 45 seconds before they were happily destroying the linen closet.

3. The sound of a phone splashing over the side of a canoe.

4. A busy signal. It is the 21st century after all, who doesn’t have call waiting? We have been denied the flying cars and silver jumpsuits, can we at least not have that berp, berp, berp in our ears?

5. The stupid call waiting beep when you have been on hold with the pediatrician’s office for 30 minutes. You know if you switch over, THAT will the moment the nurse picks up.

6. On-hold Muzak. And worse yet, staticky Muzak.

7. The sound of a smartphone screen cracking.

8. The sound of a teen searching for his or her lost cell phone. We would describe it as a cross between a tornado and a bellowing water buffalo.

9. The sound of our cellphones ringing the second after our home phones quiet. Blowing up her phones makes Ellen feel punchy. Erin is a little more understanding. She realizes the person on the other end of the line does not know she is sitting in her fuzzy slippers, sipping Diet Coke, and screening calls.

10. AUTOMATED PHONE MENUS! “Press 1 if you are sure we don’t give a shizz, press 2 is you think we don’t give a rat’s tuckus,… press 87 if you are now inspired to throat punch a bunny wearing our company t-shirt.”

Go check out what drives everyone else bonkers!