Love reading your blog, I am often thankful for finding out in your comments what I thought about Bulgaria when I was there. There is one thing that one should never forget about this country - the real Bulgaria and the real Bulgarians are buried deep under layer of mediocrity which was and is still being state promoted.

Sorry for the short off-topic. Now, I have to say that I am amazed at how quick you identified the reason for this peculiar relationship that this country has with phones. As most other things in it's daily life it has been heavily marked by the scars of this country's recent history. YOu have to know that up until the late 80s there were hardly any key-phones- most of them were rotary dial ones. The answering machine was something that hardly existed and even when you had one it made no sense in turning it on, because no one would leave you a message.

I recall my father, who asked a friend of his why didn't he leave a message and just hung up. The honest answer was: "How the hell should I know if and when you will listen to that thing. So if I call often enough, it is most probable that I reach you before you have had the time to check it."

Almost the same thing happened with mobile phones. Here the situation is a bit more disastrous. By now you have been already informed what a "moutra" (мутра) or a "borets" (борец) is. Well those were the first to be able to afford a mobile phone. You have to understand that it was a status symbol not only to have one but as well to be able to talk on it. So in the subculture of those people, were tactfulness, regard of the other, respect, restraint and civility are unknown notions, every occasion was good to show off. Keeping up with the best traditions of modern Bulgaria, when the mobile phone was not a luxury anymore, the masses did not create a new code for using the phone (any phone, as a matter of fact), and the really intelligent, polite and civilized people have failed yet again to influence the rest. So there you go. That is why obnoxious ringtones are to be heard everywhere and leaving the mobile on the table in the restaurant is a national sport.