I’m not trying to channel Jerry Seinfeld here, but: “What is the deal with people and their Nextels?!”

Has anyone else noticed that there are an increasing number of people using the ‘direct connect’ feature at most inappropriate times and places? Inappropriate times and places being, all the time, and everywhere. Fancy restaurants, crappy restaurants, MOVIE THEATERS, nj transit trains, busses, metro-north trains, starbucks, The Bowery Ballroom…during a show, parks, the east side, the west side, morning, night…sodding everywhere. Hell, I was in a restroom the other day, and low and behold…bleebleep.

I mean, I’m all for cellular communication, but I think you’ll all agree that no one gives a damn about anything that we have to say in conversation. I have always been under the impression that telephone conversations were to be private, I mean…have people no shame? It’s all fine and it serves a purpose, but how did this somehow get missed the ‘cell phone etiquette’ radar?

It’s not a New York centralized problem, but it sure seems worse here than even in LA or San Fran to me. I mean, people in LA just are always on the phone, and there is no etiquette, but at least its a private conversation. SF is more of a ‘I’m always on AIM on my effing blackberry or ‘sidekick’ town.

Sitting on a crosstown bus a couple of days ago, I learned the intimate details of a love triangle between a man named Carl and two unnamed women…one speaking and one referred to only as “that slut.” While intriguing, I really didn’t give a flying f….wait. I should be writing these conversations down. That’s a great idea, no? I mean…if they are gonna have a public forum to air the grievances of infidelity or whatever damn thing on a 2-way radio, then it’s in the public domain…right?