How many people does it take to find one darn phone number?

I turned the page of my calendar to take a peek and, surprise, the Pratie Heads have a gig April 3, that's this Sunday: the first-ever brunch opening of Jessee's coffeehouse in Carrboro. (It's the building on a little spit of land, a narrow triangle next to Carrburrito's.) I called Bob to remind him. Then it occurred to me we hadn't talked to the people there for quite a while and wondered, is it still on?

So, since I was in town for my Yiddish lesson, I swung by Bob's house and a drummer friend of his was there too. We thought we'd call Jessee's. So of course we fired up his computer, but the internet was down. So we are at a loss.

I say, "Wait, didn't people used to look up phone numbers in a "Phone Book"?" Bob and Doug stare at me like uh, what? I patiently explain, the phone book, it was big and you looked in it and there were all the phone numbers.

So Bob reluctantly wanders off to see if he can find a phone book, and yes, he eventually finds one, but no, Jessee's is not in it.

So then Doug pulls out his "Smart Phone" and asks it, but for some reason it isn't speaking to him today.

We talk about Bob's house being in the Bermuda Triangle of telecommunications. I query rhetorically, "Do I actually have to drive home and look this up?"

Then Doug's phone has a moment of lucidity. We find Jessee's website, but somehow he can't manage to locate the phone number on the little screen. (Note to web designers: now that people are staring at your work on postage-stamp-sized screens, do not be coy with the important information.)

We do note that the Pratie Heads are not listed on the music list, and that in fact the site says Jessee's is CLOSED on Sunday! Not good.

I try calling my son (HE has a "Smart Phone" too) but he's at work so he can't help. I try calling my friend Paul (HE has a "Smart Phone" too!) but he doesn't answer.

Then the clouds clear from over Doug's "Smart Phone" so he calls his brother, somewhere in the midwest maybe, and the brother's internet is working, so the brother looks up Jessee's, and I write the number down on a "Piece of Paper", with a "Pen," and pass it to Bob and Bob calls and they tell him yes, we're playing this weekend.

There is something wrong with this whole scene.