On Friday at 13:00 I gave up and bought a mobile phone. For years, everyone was urging me to do this, because "they couldn't contact me when they needed to". Well, I guess there were other ways before mobile telephony was introduced, because people managed to date and do stuff normally without them.

So, why the need? Well, I don't really know, but people just started buying phones and at some point, about 2 or 3 years ago (in Spain), everyone seemed to have one, and if you didn't you were annoying, because people would have to call to your fixed line, which is more expensive.

At some other point, the percentage of people with point was so big, that the few of us without a mobile phone would actually expend quite a lot of money when calling people. I find 70% or 80% of my calls were to mobile phones, which is quite expensive. And if I was out, it was really annoying: all the public phones in València are either a) vandalised and broken, b) just not working for some reason, c) charging 1€ just for establishing a link. That, and everyone telling me "dude, get a mobile phone!" provoked my defeat, and now I'm one more.

At least I can say I resisted 6 years before it got too expensive not to have one. The only other friend without a mobile phone is also getting one in the next few weeks.

The little thing doesn't take pics, is not a video camera, doesn't play FM radio or anything real nifty, but I can receive calls. My father got it from free from the telephone company, so I didn't use a single euro to get it. One nice surprise was to find that Alcatel (unlike, AFAIK, Nokia) supports Catalan in the phone's UI. :)

I'll mail people around to distribute the number to my close friends and relatives. If you're reading this and think you want my number, mail me, in case I forgot you in my list.