Bluetoothin' It

Early yesterday morning, I was out driving. There is something solitary about driving early on a Sunday morning when there aren't many cars on the road. I like to do this in the summer when it's warm so I can have the windows down and feel the warm breeze blow against my face. Today, it's like 30 degrees outside so, the windows were up and the heater was on!

I came to an intersection where I saw a familiar vehicle with a "1908-Alpha Kappa Alpha" license plate on it. I looked over and I immediately recognized the young woman whose mouth was moving a mile a minute but, with no cell phone in site! It was "Babs", a woman I used to work with, who was now working in the private sector.

I rolled my window down when we reached the red light and waved. She waved back to me and said, "Oh, Hi Keith! It's Keith, you know him... Kappa Keith, who I introduced you to at Philly's Men Are Cooking two years ago. Yeah, that one... Keith, my soror says Hi!" I said, "Tell her I said "Hi" too!" (whoever she was). Then, it occurred to me that she was wearing a Bluetooth. This enabled her to talk and drive at the same time, while keeping both hands on the wheel. She was having a conversation with her girlfriend and with me while driving on a four length highway. Insane isn't it? I pointed to the green light and waved, saying that I would talk to her later, and kept it moving.

For those who don't know, "Philly's Men Are Cooking" is an annual event that Alpha Kappa Alpha sponsors every year in which the men cook all of the dishes and showcase them for prizes. A lot of networking goes on at these events too. There is great food prepared by brothers who really know how to throw down in the kitchen and the $50.00 entry fee goes to the United Negro College Fund, United Way, and other charitable organizations. It's a great event.

Moving on... I continued driving along Lincoln Drive's snake curves at a reasonable speed, when I notice a Silver SUV darting in and out of the lanes with ease and hitting the corner of Lincoln Drive and Johnson Streets as easy as I hit it. We climbed up the hill and when I get to Germantown Avenue, I pulled along side of the car. Once again, it was a woman with a Bluetooth talking and driving and also a woman that I know. She works in my dentist's office. She rolls the window down and says to me, "Hey, Keith! What are you doing in these parts?" I replied, "I'm headed out to the Trolley Stop Diner in Chestnut Hill." She then says, "Hold on a minute, Keith. If you don't have those clothes off that floor and in the hamper when I get home you are as good as dead. Do you hear me? Dead. Oh, I'm sorry Keith... I was talking to my son. You know, we haven't seen you at the office lately and you're way over due for a cleaning." I didn't answer her... I just pointed at the light, which was green, waved, and pulled off.

On my way to the diner, all this talking and driving was un-nerving to me... as un-nerving as going to the dentist's office. Nothing was hurting in my mouth so, as far as I'm concerned, I don't need to go to the dentist. I noticed as I headed down Germantown Avenue that it was cold in my car and then realized that I never put the window back up. Here these women can hold a conversation with whoever they were talking to on the phone, hold a conversation with me, and drive... while I couldn't remember to pull my window up and I had no distractions. Talk about multi-tasking! I guess women are just better suited for that type of thing.