Q: Is it okay to surf the Internet, check e-mail, or do the dishes while you're talking on the phone?

A: Consider the content of the conversation. If your engaged friend is jawing on about whether to get a wedding dress with an Empire waist or gauntlet sleeves (or maybe both!), feel free to grind coffee, but if your freshly divorced friend is keening over selling her wedding dress on eBay, put down the lemon zester and be fully present.
— Faith Salie, host, public radio's Fair Game from PRI with Faith Salie podcast.