Where are the top ten most annoying and tragic places to lose your cell phone? It’s always annoying when you lose your cell phone, especially if you’re not sure whether you are going to find it again.

Some situations are worse than others. I’ve compiled a list of these, least annoying to worst:

10. Your Mother In-Law’s House

Yeah, it sucks that you have to go back there and endure another long conversation about when you are going to give her those grandchildren, at least she’s your mother-in-law, and can be counted on to put your cell in a safe place for you to retrieve.

:: Chance of recovery: 95-100% (Depending on whether your mother-in-law conforms to mom-in-law stereotypes)

9. Restaurant

So, you left your brand new, hot-pink, RAZR on the table at Chili’s. You should be so grateful to never see that phone again, but I doubt anyone would actually want to steal it, so you might just be stuck with it.

Busboys are usually pretty good about chasing you out the door, sometimes across the parkinglot to deliver your forgotten personal items. I think this practice is in the “Universal Busboy Code of Conduct” manual. If the busboy doesn’t get to you in time, call the restaraunt. They probably have a lost-and-found.

:: Chance of recovery: 80-95%

8. Roof Of Your Car

We’ve all done it. Especially you wack-o’s who use those gigantic Bluetooth headsets. (Aren’t you worried about growing golf ball sized tumors?)

You’re on the phone, which you’ve left on the roof of your car, and you don’t realize it until the call disconnects when your Treo explodes on the ground after breaking quickly to avoid murdering a squirrel. At least you know for sure you have to buy a new one. Hopefully you had insurance.

:: Chance of recovery: 0-100% (Depending on where it lands, and if you remember before it falls… and if you have insurance)

7. Your Ex-Boyfriend/Girlfriend’s House

You’ve had a knock-down-drag-out that lasted until 2am. It’s over. You storm out of the house. You are NEVER seeing him/her again! But then, oh s**t! Where’s my cell?

:: Chance of recovery: 0-15% (Depending on whether you can suck up long enough to get it back)

6. Airport Security

You’ve stood in line for 30 minutes to check in. You’ve stood in line for 45 minutes to go through security. Then you get the dreaded tap: “Sir, you’ve been randomly selected for a thourough search of your belongings.”
In the process of removing your coat, shoes, belt and explaining why your nipples beap every time the metal detector passes over them, your brand new Amp’d Jet phone disappears. You don’t realize it until you hear your name over the airport loud speaker.

:: Chance of recovery: 50-100% (Depending on how much time you have before your flight leaves. If you don’t immediately retrieve it from security, it is destroyed)

5. Airplane

After powering your phone off, you stow it in the seat pocket in front of you. You eat your pretzels and swallow your ounce of soda. You zonk out and drool on the shoulder of the poor guy stuck in the middle seat. You wake up and dash off the plane to catch your connection. You are halfway to Atlanta before you realize your phone is somewhere between Houston and Newark.

:: Chance of recovery: 0-15% (Depending on whether you were traveling in first-class)

4. Bus or Subway

Kiss your phone goodbye. Call your service provider, suspend service and get a new one… And do it quick, or you may see a $400 long distance bills made by the sweet granny sitting next to you, who just happens to have family in Singapore.

:: Chance of recovery: 0-2%

3. Jail

No, not the drunk tank or temporary holding cell. I’m talking county jail. If you lose your phone there, you must not have had one at all. Suspend your service and consider changing your number.

:: Chance of recovery: 0%

2. Private Toilet

It happens more often than you would think.
You’ve got your phone in your shirt pocket, you lean over to flush, and plop-swirl-byebye goes your phone.

:: Chance of recovery: 50-75%
:: Chance of it ever working again: 0-2% (Depending on whether it’s waterproof)

And the absolute worse place to lose your cell phone:
…Drumroll, please.
…Ok, you can stop now.

1. The toilet at a bus station (Or any public place for that matter)

If you go in after it, you will probably catch some horrible disease, turn green and die.
Besides, you can flush a small child down most of those public toilets. Once you flush, it’s gone.

:: Chance of recovery: 0% (Don’t even think about sticking your hand in there!)