Phone ettiquette and pet peeves. . .

Is it hypocritical of me to on the one hand, be annoyed at people who I call 3 times, but never call back, but then to also be annoyed to be the recipient of 3 calls that I don't have the energy to return?

In the case of case 1, there are several guilty people. I don't mean to sound high maintenance, but if I call you 3 times over the course of a few months, at some point, if our friendship is more than a token friendship, then I expect you to call me back, or at least email me and say, "Sorry I haven't called you back." Or have an infant. :)
It's not the act of not calling me back that bugs me so much as your earnest "promises" that you'll "definitely" call back, etc., and then you never do.

Don't make promises that you can't keep. Or if this is a hint for me to stop calling, that's fine too, but then I get mixed signals from some of you, b/c then you tell me in gushy tones to come visit.

As for case 2, this is Mr. Venn diagram, who I "broke up" with after sort of seeing him for 2 weeks. Since our venn diagrams don't overlap at all, I often don't have much to say to him. Yet, he calls, which is perfectly fine, if it were once a month or less. After all, I see him regularly. So really, between running into him almost daily and our unshared interests, I don't have a whole lot to talk to him about. So when he calls multiple times in a week, although as a rule, I try to call back everyone that calls so I don't become like case #1, it becomes really trying when you are busy as hell, don't have time to eat or breathe much, and this person who doesn't really excite you much keeps calling you. A few times a week.

So perhaps I'm like the kettle that calls the teapot black or however that expression goes, but damnit people. If you call me 4 times (in one week. Not over the course of several months or a year as in my case.) and I don't return your calls, then perhaps it's time to pace your calling.

How about you wait till I call you back? Then roughly count how many days it took for me to return your call (to gauge exactly how interested and excited I am to talk to you), and then leave that much space between the next call?