Fool me twice, shame on me

When I got my new cell phone recently, I checked out all the ring tones that came with it and selected one I really, really like: the sound of chirping birds. It's a distinctive sound and very pleasant, but it isn't working out for me.

My conscious mind can't seem to get used to it. When I'm in the house and my cell phone rings, my first instinct is to peek out the window to see what kind of birds are raising such a ruckus. And when the phone rings in my car, I turn up the radio in anticipation of an old Minnie Riperton song. In either case, by the time I've identified the source of the chirping, I've missed the call.

My sub-conscious mind, on the other hand, is apparently very task oriented. Now that Spring has sprung, there are chirping birds outside my window every morning at first light. I used to find that sound so peaceful and relaxing. Now, though, my ears pick up the bird sounds and send them to my sleeping brain, and my brain kicks my butt out of bed and sends me across the room to fumble through my purse for my cell phone. By the time I wake up enough to realize--again--that my phone isn't ringing, the dogs are awake and ready to go outside, and there's no going back to bed.

And that, my friends, is for the birds.