Bringing entertainment home with otherwise mundane chores

Having some fun in life is important if we want to relieve some of the stress that often comes along in our day-to-day lives as we strive to make ends meet.

You really do not have to spend any money sometimes to have some fun, unless you just need to splurge a little bit to get some professional entertainment.

Thanks to the classic section in Reader’s Digest for reminding us over the decades, laughter usually is the best medicine.

Everybody needs a comedy break once in a while and, as you well know, there is always positive humor to be found even in the most mundane things or situations around us.

For example, in my teens I used to try and describe the noses of all passersby for private entertainment whenever I was stuck in traffic.

Once upon a time, I unwittingly provided some comedy relief for my family one morning while trying to load my desktop wireless telephone for dial-up Internet access using a scratch phone card.

I used the speakerphone facility so that they could listen in to the “conversation” between the ISP’s rather seductive automated female voice and myself.

Here goes, as I dial 152:

Phone: Your account has been suspended!

Me: For crying out loud, I used the phone last just yesterday!

Phone: Welcome to Multilinks interactive account recharge system.

Me: All right. Thanks. I want to reactivate my phone.

Phone: This is your identity 1 account.

Me: How is that? What do you mean?

Phone: Account recharging.

Me: Oh. Okay. I want to recharge now.

Phone: Your account balance is zero.

Me: I know. I have my scratch card ready now.

Phone: Please enter the key number printed on your recharge card.

Me: Okay. Here I go…

Phone: If you make a mistake, press star (*) and start over.

Me: Okay, okay. Can I go ahead and recharge now?

Phone: When you are done recharging, press hash (#).

Me: Can I please recharge now?

Phone: For help information, press zero (0).

Me: No thanks. I can handle this… Hello, hello…

Phone: [Silence]

That was not my first time recharging that phone: I was just doing a stand up act for my wife and kids.

To make a long story short, I did not have to restart the whole process especially because the phone silence has a time limit on it: giving you enough time to punch in the key or PIN number.

Finally, I was really happy to hear the sweet familiar sound of success from the phone, “Card accepted. … Your account has been credited as follows. ... Naira has been added to your balance 1 balance. Your account balance is… Naira. Good bye.”

Do you have a peculiar/similar phone recharging routine that you want to share?