Satan's Sixes Sunday

Ding-a-ling! Satan calling!

When I got my first telephone I was in the 714 area code. The proliferation of pagers and fax machines necessitated the splitting of that area code. Orange county got to keep 714 and I got put in the new 619 area code. Cell phones became popular and there weren't enough phone numbers to keep us all in the 619 area code so it got split. San Diego got to keep that number and our phone number got moved to the new 760 area code.

Again, the 760 area code was running out of phone numbers so they were going to split it and we were going to get yet another new area code, 442. But the people who are in charge of area codes finally got convinced that we had had enough of

• the expense and headache of notifying friends, family and clients of the new number
• changing letterhead
• changing advertising
• changing decals on company cars
• changing business cards
• and on and on

every few years when our phone numbers changed. At the last minute they decided that the area codes 760 and 442 not be split, rather they would be overlaid. New phones would get the new area code and existing phones would keep their old area code. Sanity prevailed!

The only problem with that solution is we now have to dial 1-area code for every phone call we make even when the number is in the 760 area code. That's not a problem. It's only four extra digits.

With any luck we won't get a new area code unless we move out of the area.

It was probably back in my 619 days that I wondered where my first phone number went. I found a web site that told me where phone numbers are. I entered my original Area Code and Exchange. I printed an image of the message box that was shown:

My phone number is answered in Satan's ZIP code in the heart of Orange County, in the city of Orange itself. I'm so proud!

I'm amazed that those people haven't managed to change their ZIP code.

In 2001 I read this story:

I laughed at the notion of wanting to change phone numbers for such a silly reason.

They got their area code changed. The area code 666 is now unused.

Tijuana isn't the only city afraid of harboring the Antichrist.

The folks in Wagon Mound, New Mexico, didn't like their phone numbers. I don't know who sent me this article from the New Mexican from June 13, 1996.

Whoever sent me the article is probably the one who sent me the Wagon Mound pages torn out of a phone book.

If you click on the Wagon Mound link you'll see that some businesses chose to get the new exchange. But you'll also notice that all of the government offices have chosen to remain associated with Satan. Hmmmmm...