I’ll admit that I often catch myself daydreaming about some of the most random things you could possibly daydream about. A daydream I recently had inspired me to write about text messaging. This came from the wonder of what it was like 10 years ago on a Friday night when the cell phone wasn’t common, which led me to wonder how people met up with one another.

I mean, I’ve caught myself on the cell phone more on a Friday or Saturday night than I am the rest of the week combined. But, the bigger phenomenon that has come with the cell phone is the text message. After all, you can’t hear the other person when you are talking on the phone in a bar, so the text message is so much more convenient, especially for me, since I probably text message as fast as I type on a computer.

You are in the minority these days if you are not text messaging. It has become the second form of instant messaging, although many people will be surprised that, no, I never have used AOL Instant Messenger or checked my e-mail on my cell phone before.
Pause for those who know me to collect themselves from disbelief.

Text messaging has been around for awhile, but I think it’s much more common now.

Almost everyone has text messaging capabilities on their cell phone, and the ones who are smart get a text-message plan instead of paying message by message. Those of you who pay by the message and send text messages every day should think about getting a plan.

This is something many people in my life have learned, seeing that I have gotten at least five separate text messages in the past year that have said something like, “Hey, thought the first text I send should go to you.”

Now for all you avid “texters,” I looked at my personal life and decided to give you my top 10 ways to know that you are obsessed with text messaging.

10. In class, you text people who sit by you during lecture because you can’t keep your eyes open.

9. You’re hanging out with your best friend watching some TV, and you find it more convenient to text message instead of talk, so you just send that text anyway. At the end of the month when you get your phone bill, you shake your head in disgust.

8. You text the DJ at the bar to request songs you think should be played next. He can’t hear you when you request songs to him anyway, so I found a better solution.

7. Someone is calling you, and you don’t answer but then text them right after. You catch yourself getting into the pattern of texting people rather then call them. My argument – you got to save those daytime minutes as much as possible.

6. Your fingers begin to feel sore from all the text messaging you do. I had a sore thumb last year, so I had to take it easy for awhile, but it passed. I’m still waiting for a study to come out about the effects text messaging has on your hands.

5. You know what “T9” means. If you don’t, that means when you text you type every letter out. Poor you, most cell phones have an option called T9Word, and it makes life easier.

4. You’re on a drive home from Eau Claire, and you’re blasting great tunes like Billy Ocean’s “Get Out of My Dreams,” and you text the song lyrics to Kevan Deuster. Its good fun, but I don’t promote text messaging while driving. Please don’t do that; it’s not safe.

3. You text the bartender what you would like because you’d rather stand against the wall instead of standing in line. Yes, I have done this; it was to a friend of mine who bartends, and he said it was his first text order. I wonder if anyone else has ever done that before.

2. You are given an ultimatum from your boyfriend or girlfriend that you have a choice between your cell phone and text messaging or him or her. Luckily that day hasn’t come for me yet, but I know there have been a couple times it came close.

And finally, number 1. You write an article in a newspaper about text messaging and wonder how many people are going to point at you and say, “Hey, that’s the guy who loves to text!” I guess I better stick to sports writing for now.