Thanks resqcapt, I looked around on those sites and that was interesting info, but didn't find what I needed regarding how to wire the actual rj-11 modular plug. Can anybody help me with 2-wire and 4-wire diagrams?

I'm looking at a 2-wire phone cord, and as I look down on one plug next to the other with the modular plugs pointing in the same direction away from me, it's wired green on the left, red on the right on one plug, and the other is the opposite. This seems strange, I thought they should have the same orientation on both plugs. When I point them toward each other, end to end, they're opposite. Seems odd to me, maybe it doesn't even matter which way it goes.