here's what it takes for me to receive a phone call in my room:
1. i live in a stone building, surrounded by other stone buildings. therefore, reception stinks. often times i can hear the caller just fine but they can't here me; other times i can barely hear the caller over the din of static in the air.
2. because i live in a stone house, my phone does not pick up digital signals. so i'm on analog or the french equivalent.
2a. Analog sucks my phone's battery dry in about 3 mins, so I have to stop what i'm doing, unplug my light from the one-outlet extension cord, plug in my phone charger, then my phone in order to suck power from the outlet.
3. again, because i live in said stone house, i must position myself just so near the window in order to utilize the only opening in my room to the outside world and hope to pick up a signal. this also requires me to
4. open the outside blinds on the window. they're metal and it takes a good 2 or 3 pulls to open the heavy things up.
then i can talk on the phone, but because of my reception, i have to talk REALLY LOUD so as to be heard. kind of like those dingbats in zupan's who march around on their hands-free cellphones talking to the produce aisle.