Queuing at the till

Went shopping with my iPod. Isn't it great to walk down the mall, completely shut off from the rest of the world, enjoying your music, not muzak? You can semi dance down the aisles, have a smile on your face, stand in the queue at the till for hours without even thinking about it. All those annoying people in front of you paying their monthly bills while you want to get the frozen peas home quickly - forget ice cream - that will melt in your trolley! - it means nothing to you. People you know wave and you read their lips, saying "Great, thank you, and you" as you whisk by, oblivious to what they were really saying in your haste to get to the chicken special before it's all gone.

There are a few disadvantages. You can't hear the announcement that the banks are having trouble connecting the credit cards with the tills and you can expect delays. You can't hear the person in the queue next to you telling you she is just going to get that bar of soap she forgot and will you please keep her place. You can't hear the cashier asking if you want bags - of course I want bags, does she think I'm carrying R800 worth of groceries home in my arms?

The worst is that you can't hear your phone ring in your bag. I usually don't hear it anyway; the ringtone just doesn't seem to resonate with my eardrum. But all the people around you glare while it churns out cheerfully.

When it comes to actually paying, it's best to turn the music off. Then you can hear the phone ring, answer it, scratch in your bag for your Discovery card, Rewards card, credit card, etc, etc. What a nightmare. Eventually I complete my transaction. But wait! Electricity. Scratch in the bag, smile nicely at the queue, turn on the music again. All is well with the world, and I'm just another one of those annoying women who holds up the queue paying bills and talking on the phone.