Earlier in the week I received a call from the online pharmacy which I use. The caller was warm, cheerful and very helpful, and I was appreciative and cheerful in return. I confess that I am less than appreciative of sales and scam calls especially after the second and third call from the same company or marketing operation. I am particularly annoyed when I ask repeatedly to be removed from their calling list. Many of these are randomly generated numbers and the caller has no authority or power to change the calling list. Since much of what I do involves creative thinking, and careful study every call is an interruption of my process. I can be distracted from my thinking and may or may not be able to get back to the original thought. The calls are disruptive to my work. I don’t mind at all the calls from church members and friends. These calls are important to me. I even feel tolerant about the first sales call, but legitimate companies should be able to stop making unwanted calls. My phone shows the message “Scam likely” on suspicious calls but 12 to 15 calls in a day seems like harassment even when they are not from the same organization. Like other things in our lives, the phone can be a joy or a distraction.