The first was the family sitting behind Nettl, or, more precisely, the man sitting at that table. The entire time he was eating dinner with his wife and two daughters, he talked on the phone. And not just a cell phone, but one of those Borg phones that are stuck in the ear itself. I tell you, we’re just one step away from a cellular microchip implant. I can understand owning one of these devices while on the road or “in the field” as some people say, but at dinner with your family? No. I’m sorry. Nothing is that important, especially taking call after call for an hour. The wife looked forlorn and the kids looked resentful, and who can blame them? I wouldn’t put up with that crap.
The other thing was not visual as much as it was aural. There was a couple at the table beside us who had their toddler with them. No problem. She was actually better-behaved than her father, who bounced his cue stick on the floor with repeated loud THUDs (why the hostess seated them in the bar is still a mystery to me), but she was wearing Squeaky Sneakers. If Mom wants to spend all day and/or evening with a human squeak toy, fine, but leave the shoes at home, especially if she’s going to allow the kid to run all over a restaurant. Gads! I couldn’t wait to get out of there, which is wrong. We don’t go out much because we can’t usually afford it, so when we do, I shouldn’t have to pay to be subjected to this crap. Come on people! Have a little consideration for those of us who don’t find your child as darling and irresistible as you do.
Then there were the college guys who were throwing pool balls at each other and eventually broke a beer bottle.
On second thought, maybe I shouldn’t get out more. Every time I go out I see just how loud, inconsiderate and self-important people are getting.
