Very. I still use the cell now and then, to talk with family, but otherwise email works so much better. Actually, on the cell, I don’t even have my voicemail password, so best not bother leaving me a message.

Kaiser (who I spent far too much time with anyway) now allow the choice of a call, a text, or an email—which is excellent.

Not even a fan of IM systems: again, they interfere with what I’m doing. At least there I can set a status, hide myself, etc. Still far better than the phone.

(In the past, I’ve been rather snotty to people who have picked up a phone call while I’m talking to them: that’s just freaking rude.)

I haven’t had a residential land line since a move in 2004. I have never missed it. There has been an occasion or two when I lost/misplaced my mobile but never an issue.

The fax machine at work is going next. I haven’t pulled the plug but it’s relegated to the supply room.

I am trying to get the Missus to give up the landline (along with cable tv). Keep cable internet, and use Netflix, Hulu and the network homepages for news and entertainment (at least until 4G becomes viable).

As for my cell, I text my kids once in awhile,but any calls I make are usually while I am delivering pizza:

Me: Hello, I am trying to deliver your pizza and I would like to confirm your address. The order ticket says 123 Anystreet North.

Customer: Yes that is correct

Me: Well I was just at 123 Anystreet North, and the people who answered the door claimed they did not order pizza.

Customer: I don’t understand, you never camd to my door.

Me: Are you sure you live at 123 Anystreet North?

Customer: I think so.

Me: You think so?

Customer: Let me think.

Me: Did you receive any mail recently?

Customer: Yes, I just got my utility bill this afternoon.

Me: Can you look at the envelope and read me the address where it was mailed to.

Customer: Sure, it is 321 Anystreet South.

Me: Thank you, I will be there in 7 minutes.

This (or a similar conversation) happens at least once a month.

Butterboy and self often hang out at the local Round Table pizza, and we’ve got to know the staff pretty well. John, one of their delivery guys, tells of the same type of thing. Seems like the job is a lot more trouble than you might think. People giving wrong addresses, claiming they didn’t order anything ("But hey man, you know, if it’s just going to go into the trash, we’ll give you $5 for it!"), falling asleep before the delivery arrives.

My two personal favorites:
Delivering a large order to a college party around 8:00pm, the guy answers the door, and the lovely smell of the pizza causes him to yell chunks all over the place. Then tries to refuse the delivery! His friend stepped in and paid the order with an appropriately good tip.

Delivering to two regular working girl customers, they find themselves a couple of bucks short, so provide a little “special service” to make up the $3 difference and cover the tip (in more ways than one).

I guess “Confessions of a Pizza Delivery Guy” is coming soon…

I used to do deliveries. Things i remember:

Creepy guys saying, “$14.19? JESUS FUCK! Yeah, those Chinese. You know how they are, they can’t speak English but they sure know their numbers!” then winking, rubbing a few fingers in my palm as they handed me a sweaty bill, or doing some other disgusting thing. (And for what it’s worth, the Chinese family running the restaurant were the most generous people I’d met, before or since.)

The guy who waited in his truck beside his house to get the food, then one day wasn’t in the truck—I knocked on the door to discover his wife was a hoarder.

Not being able to read house numbers

Rednecks giving shitty directions (this was before the age of GPS)

Delivering in the ghetto apartments, where cops checked the contents of every box of rice before i could get in.