Knauss. Greg Knauss So I'm on the phone with the machine of a woman I just started dating and I'm trying to sound casual and confident. Half way through my message -- "If you've got some free time this week, let's go see a movie" -- my call-waiting beeps. I quickly finish up my message -- "Gimme a call" -- and click over to the other line. It's Corlan, my professional-gambler ex-roommate and he's calling to find out if I'm going to watch the Simpsons. Sure. He's gonna come over and bring some Mexican food. I hang up and a second later the phone rings. I pick it up and say: "Hello? Hellooooo? Hello! Hi, there! Foo! You called m--" And I realize that call-waiting will ring your phone if you hang up and the other party hasn't. I realize that I'm still talking to a phone machine. I realize that everything I say is getting added right after my casual and confident message. "--Ah. Um. Call-waiting. Er. The ph-- I, ah, um. Heh." And I hang up. I'm so smooth. ★