How is your reception?

A couple days ago I was sitting at a red light on the way to a friends house. A man crossed the street in front of me looking more like a robot than a person. He had an ipod headphone wire coming out of one ear and a cell phone on his other ear. It seems everywhere that I go people have things plugged into their ears but my question is what are they missing by doing that?
I have many a time been the bored mom at the playground. My kids are very independent and lots of times they just don't want to play with me. I pick up my phone and scan my address book for anyone who might be home at this time and want to talk to me. I am desperate to connect to someone who wants to talk about subjects that don't include princesses. I call down the list until I get something other than a voice mail box.
Lately though I have noticed that something is not right. There are lots of other parents at the playground and they are just as in need of adult conversation as I am. How do I know this? Because they are talking on their cell phones too. Almost all of them balancing phones on their shoulders as they chase their little one around the play structure. I wonder what would happen if we all hung up and started talking to each other?
This doesn't just happen at the playground. I see the same thing at the grocery store, the mall, the bus, and everywhere I go. One common thing I hear from friends my age is that it is so hard to meet people without joining some sort of group. If we weren't always on our phones trying to connect then maybe we would actually connect to a person right in front of us.
I have become dependent on my cell phone and in doing that I have probably prevented lots of possible friendships. Of course it is wonderful to be able to stay in touch with the people you love who are far away, but there are other times for that. Times when you aren't having to tune out the people around you. Then maybe you would pay more attention to what they are saying and actually have a meaningful conversation instead of a distracted one. (well, maybe if the kids are in bed anyway.)
I am no longer taking my cellphone with me everywhere I go. I will be leaving it in the car and after this month I am getting rid of it completely. I might get a pre-paid type of deal for emergencies so I'm not left stranded in the cold if my car decides to faint.
I'm not sure if this is going to help me meet new strangers since they will most likely be on the phone, however I will be one less phone talker and maybe if you see me you can say hello.