skewed teenage priorities

last friday, i found myself 35 feet in the air on an aluminum ladder leaned against a telephone pole in the blowing wind and pouring rain.

my 15-year-old cousin was holding the ladder at the base to keep it from wobbling on me.

i had been sent out to adjust a security camera while doing some volunteer work in london, ohio.

nick, the 15-year-old, was also responsible for communicating by walkie-talkie with a guy inside the building who was giving feedback on the image adjustments.

after about 45 minutes of responses to the tune of "a little further, a little further, a little further... way too much go back." and being drenched to the bone, on top of already coming down with a cold, i was not in a very tolerant mood.

i wanted to pack this project up and get out of the rain.

while swaying in the torrential downpour, my phone began to vibrate in my pocket.

i was leaned up against the ladder and looked down to see a little confusion on nick's face.

i saw him reach into his own pocket to check his own cell phone and stare around in bemusement as to what the source of the vibration was that he was feeling through the ladder.

i shouted down that it was, in fact, my phone that was vibrating the ladder.

we continued on in our frustrating task.

the lack of progress and the continuing storm was not making me any happier.

tense minutes passed as i pondered the odds of attracting a lightning bolt upon my precarious perch.

my phone rang again.

unphased, i continued on, determined to finish the job that i had been asked to perform.

my phone continued to go off.

but still i ignored it.

again it vibrated and i swore a silent curse word under my breath.

"a little more... a little more... a little more... now it's way out of focus."

my phone vibrated.

the heating unit under the lens began to burn my thumb.

my phone vibrated.

i wiped the rain from my furrowed brow.

my phone vibrated.

"a little more... a little more... go back."

my phone vibrated.

the wind was blowing so hard that i was having trouble hearing nick relay the direction from inside.

my phone vibrated.

nick screamed something at me that i couldn't understand.

my phone vibrated.

nick screamed again.

my phone vibrated.

finally, in exasperation, i looked down, cupped my hand to my ear and yelled, "what?"

nick looked up, took a deep breathe and bellowed, "aren't you going to answer that?"