23:38
I have a rule of texting etiquette: when you do not reply to someone within the hour, you apologise and explain the absence.
Okay, fair enough when the person has told me that they will be busy all day (or other reasons), however the people that reply hours later without giving as much as a ‘sorry’, really get on my nerves. It makes me want to not reply to them for a few hours. This sounds rather petty nevertheless it irks me.
What makes these kinds of situations worse is when I can see that the person has checked their messages yet still not replied. Does my interaction with you mean that little? Maybe it is the fact that I am home alone right now that makes people not replying affect me a lot more. Maybe I expect too much from some people.
Also currently craving birthday cake! It has been almost 2 weeks since my birthday and I guess I never stopped hoping that someone would surprise me with one. It’s not really a birthday until there is cake right? High expectations… high expectations… don’t be upset. DON’T be upset.
Contemplations Of A Thirty Something 
That really bothers me too but when I stop to think about it, I do it fairly often. Most of the time I check my messages on the go but want to reply later when I’m not in a rush and can write out a proper response. Of course being deliberately ignored for hours is another matter.
As a usually-fast texter, I feel your pain! However, I’ve had to step back and give people room to not be chained to their phones, because there are times in which I really don’t feel like texting but feel obligated to reply to every message I get because of the texting etiquette I’ve imposed on myself. There is life outside the smartphone, and I’m trying to remember that when I start to get irritated over someone not texting me back. I do agree that an apology, with or without an explanation, really does help. It’s no fun to feel ignored.