Is my nose in the air?

Lou Costello used to say, “I’m a bad boy,” in the old Abbott and Costello movies when something went wrong and he was blamed for it.

The statement seems an appropriate way to begin this morning’s blog.

I had two telephone messages on my telephone when I arrived at the office to begin my day. One was a holiday greeting.

The other was from a reader who says he has a problem and wants me to call him back.

What’s my problem?

I can’t return the call.

The caller left a very long message that was one minute and three seconds long.

He very carefully spelled out his name for me, but he did not say where he was from. Our computer files are organized by zip code.

He carefully gave me his telephone number digit by digit, but when he got to the last digit the phone cut out for some reason.

He did not repeat the phone number, so I do not have it. I expect the caller will wonder what kind of person I am ignoring his telephone call this way.

I don’t know if he reads my blog. I tend to doubt it, but if he does, I hope he realizes that he should call me back and we can talk about his problem.

I cannot call him back and I expect I will be perceived as being not willing to to do so.

I’m a bad boy.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is winner of the 2013 Numismatic Literary Guild Award for Best Blog and is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."