Sentimental Attachments: Voicemails

May 22, 2013

In an attempt to reveal my humanity and confirm for you that no one is perfect, I recently shared an object I’m sentimentally attached to in this post. Well, today I’m tacking another item onto the list: voice messages. I have a thing about voice messages.

People leave me terrifically kind, loving, funny, or just exceptionally characteristic-of-that-respective-person voicemails. It’s actually far rarer that I get a voicemail a la the “can you schedule…” “call me back to discuss…” “this is to confirm your appointment…” Perhaps the same is true for you (now that text messages and emails have all but obliterated the need for actual voice-on-voice action)?

The meaningless messages I delete immediately– what do you think I am some kind of message-fetishist? But the other kind, the really good kind, I can’t delete them. I just quietly hoard (Me! Hoard! ?) them and dread the day when that blue rectangle pops up, announcing that I’m creeping ever closer to maximum message capacity. At which point I scroll back through the list of recorded blips, trying my darndest to prioritize, to weed out the weakest. It’s hard!

A couple years ago I actually took the time to play each voicemail in its entirety with the phone on speaker, and recorded the whole lot on my computer through some program called Garage Band, which I’m fairly certain is not the program’s intended purpose. I’m also fairly certain there must exist a more expedient method of verbal message transferring, but, go with what works sometimes, you know?

I enjoy having those snippets of people, the ones I love, their voices summoned at the touch of a button. It’s not my fault people leave great messages! They made that decision and then stuck me with this totally cute/hilarious/heart forces tingling/ smile inducing recording that I have no choice but to preserve. So, gosh.

Yeah, that’s where I’m going to end it for today. But I would love to know whether any of you share this affection for voice mail action?

Image credit: Anthropologie, unknown

4 Comments

  1. Dyane Amos on May 22, 2013 at 9:52 am

    Yes, I do. I want to record them somewhere more permanent. i Also want to do transcipts of them and put them in the book with pictures of the people who sent them and other memories. Sounds like I just made a project for myself.!!

    • livesimplybyannie on May 27, 2013 at 10:31 am

      Hey hey, sounds like ya just did.

  2. Elaine DiNitto on May 25, 2013 at 11:41 am

    Hi Annie,

    I feel similarly about the voice messages I cannot part with. I actually found I was unable to delete the sound of my father’s cellphone greeting as I inherited the phone after he passed away suddenly. So, I went out and bought this teeny recorder and played it on speaker to record it. I lost my mom when I was little, and in the many years since then (1963), I have managed to forget how her voice sounded. Sucks, but it happens. So there is some benefit to recording. I’m with you!

    • livesimplybyannie on May 27, 2013 at 10:30 am

      So happy to hear you have your dad’s voice recorded. Treasure it!

Leave a Comment





Other Posts You May Love

4 Comments

  1. Dyane Amos on May 22, 2013 at 9:52 am

    Yes, I do. I want to record them somewhere more permanent. i Also want to do transcipts of them and put them in the book with pictures of the people who sent them and other memories. Sounds like I just made a project for myself.!!

    • livesimplybyannie on May 27, 2013 at 10:31 am

      Hey hey, sounds like ya just did.

  2. Elaine DiNitto on May 25, 2013 at 11:41 am

    Hi Annie,

    I feel similarly about the voice messages I cannot part with. I actually found I was unable to delete the sound of my father’s cellphone greeting as I inherited the phone after he passed away suddenly. So, I went out and bought this teeny recorder and played it on speaker to record it. I lost my mom when I was little, and in the many years since then (1963), I have managed to forget how her voice sounded. Sucks, but it happens. So there is some benefit to recording. I’m with you!

    • livesimplybyannie on May 27, 2013 at 10:30 am

      So happy to hear you have your dad’s voice recorded. Treasure it!

Leave a Comment





Welcome

Search The Blog

Simplify Your World

Sign up for the email list to get inspiration and simplified tips sent right to your inbox.

On Pinterest

pinterest-1
pinterest-3
pinterest-2
pinterest-4

Other Posts You May Love