OOOOOOOOOMPH.
I had been about to call my grandmother to thank her for a Christmas gift that she had payed for, but Dad insisted that I call her on my mothers phone, and then hand it to my brother.
Once, when I was younger, I was in a similar situation, and I walked out of the room so the sound of the TV wouldn't be over the phone, and I could hear what the person was saying better. Cue me getting nagged about how I should be able to hear the tiny sounds of the phone over the big sounds of the TV.
And yet, today, when I called her, all I had to do was say "yeah" a twice to get a "You're so weird" out of my brother, and an enormous laugh out of them both when I made a small joke. After I got told that I needed to "actually talk" simply because I answered "Yes" to questions, I lower the phone and basically that they are talking way too loud and too often about the way I speak to people, I get told that I was supposed to be talking to my grandmother, and commanded to give my phone to my brother.
I called her because I had been reminded to thank her for her gift. I did not call so that I could tell her random bullshit about what was happening in my life, which was what my mother constantly tells me to do, and what I'm assuming she meant whenever she berated me when I answered a question with "yes".
I do not own my cell phone so that I can call people at random times and tell them that I just lost power, what I'm eating, that I'm taking a dump, or whatever. If I have something meaningful and important to say, and have a reason to say it, I will say it. If I have nothing to say, I'M NOT GOING TO FRIGGING SAY ANYTHING. Don't like that? SCREW YOU.
I honestly don't see why she tells me todo that, at all. Calling to thank someone means calling them, giving them some form of a thank you, and saying goodbye. The same rule applies to direct conversation, and she nags me to do the same thing during that. Unfortunately, I guess I'm just one of those cold, terrible people who talks when he has something to say, instead of having long, random, and frankly painful conversations about absolutely nothing.