It’s come to this: sending emails and checking calendars, all to arrange a PHONE CALL. When did this begin? And when did I start playing by these rules? No one needs voicemail anymore with all the planned phone call dates happening lately. I see it clearly now. It doesn’t happen with my family, or the friends who live close by. "Phone dates" are planned across the country so I may catch up properly with some of my closest. Which is actually kind of sad. The whole point of friendship is being able to just phone out of the blue, to get advice quickly, or just to hear your voice. Let me also be clear on this: men are able to sustain their friendships just fine without making phone dates with one another. Why do so many women I know email to let you know they’ll call you later? The scheduled phone call, when not directly related to business, needs to stop because it’s turning friendships into clinical moments, and I hate it.