I want to let my friend Buster know that I would like to have dinner with him tonight. Does Buster work at home? Then how likely is he to have his cell phone on? Is he one of those people who only turns on his cell when he’s in his car? I hate that.

In this comic, self-interrupting interior monologue, the speaker dramatizes how modern communication turns a simple social impulse—inviting a friend to dinner—into a cascade of logistical anxieties. The questions about Buster’s work habits and phone usage expose the dependence on instant reachability and the irritation that arises when others don’t conform to always-on norms. The quote’s humor comes from its specificity (the “only turns on his cell when he’s in his car” type) and from the way technology reshapes etiquette: the problem is no longer whether to call, but whether the call will even land. It captures a transitional moment in cell-phone culture, when inconsistent availability felt newly maddening.