My advice to young players is that whilst mobile phone communication is all well and good, there are certain times when you should NEVER, EVER decide to call.
More precisely, you should NOT ring if
- You are intoxicated/inebriated/drunk/a bit tipsy/smashed/whatever other term you wish to use to describe a state of having consumed excessive alcohol
- You don't actually have anything to say
- It is after midnight
- You have been avoiding making the call sober
- ALL of the above apply
Case in point. I had what could best be termed a very "sociable" Saturday. I went to a housewarming party in the afternoon (which adjourned to the pub), and then went to another pub to watch the rugby.
By 11 o'clock, I had been "celebrating" for a grand total of 6 hours, and was, how shall I say it, "somewhat merry."
Understatement of the century.
Somehow (thank god), I resisted the urge to party on at karaoke, and resolved to head home instead.
But when I arrived at my place, I decided it was a FANTASTIC time to make a phone call which I had been putting off making ALL WEEK, because my sober self had decided that calling this person was NOT a good idea.
Oh. Dear.
So, I called the number.
I got the voicemail and left a message along the lines of : "Hey......Umm, it's me.......Aah, err, how are you?........(long pause)......Yeah, I, I've, aah, decided to give you a call (even longer pause)......Oh god, whoops, I don't have anything to say (uproarious laughter).....So, umm, hello.....Hope it's going well for you......(muffled fumbling as I try to hang up)....Bye."
Needless to say, I DID NOT get a call back.
I have decided in future that the only number I will be calling after midnight is that of the taxi to take me home.
