11 April 2007
Turn the Volume Down
Space and atmosphere are so important when you look into a bar or a restaurant. But I realized that it is more than just for the sake of having an enjoyable environment. It can also be to accentuate or mask the events at your very own table.
(cell phone rings)
(I pick up)
Friend: What's a good place to eat around the Village here?
Me: What kind of food are you up for?
Friend: Whatever.
Me: Umm... are you with a loud talker?
That is going to be my new series of questions before making recommendations because I know what it is like at the other end of the table. Going to a quiet restaurant or bar with a loud talker is a mortifying experience. It's the lack of the 'inside voice' that harshly grazes through the cilia in my ears. One time, I went to this traditional Japanese restaurant with a loud talker. As you might know, traditional Japanese restaurants tend to be very still and gentle. Well when this person started talking, I was certain the fish on my plate woke up and were like, "um, excuse me." I almost melted into the ground. This person is also a nightmare on a crowded subway, and you are almost tempted to close the partition in a cab because you feel bad for the driver.
So listen up! ... and turn it down.
(cell phone rings)
(I pick up)
Friend: What's a good place to eat around the Village here?
Me: What kind of food are you up for?
Friend: Whatever.
Me: Umm... are you with a loud talker?
That is going to be my new series of questions before making recommendations because I know what it is like at the other end of the table. Going to a quiet restaurant or bar with a loud talker is a mortifying experience. It's the lack of the 'inside voice' that harshly grazes through the cilia in my ears. One time, I went to this traditional Japanese restaurant with a loud talker. As you might know, traditional Japanese restaurants tend to be very still and gentle. Well when this person started talking, I was certain the fish on my plate woke up and were like, "um, excuse me." I almost melted into the ground. This person is also a nightmare on a crowded subway, and you are almost tempted to close the partition in a cab because you feel bad for the driver.
So listen up! ... and turn it down.
09 April 2007
Happy Belated Easter!
An oldie but goodie that you all must be familiar with...
The comment assigned was:
Holy shit, I almost had a seizure when I saw this one. Three words: too many colors. Also, eggs aren't supposed to have ears, dipshit. F
For the record, to find this fine piece of work, I initially googled: "too many fucking colors" but I stood corrected as that was not the exact phrase. So, I googled (with no quotation marks): ding ding shit mobile... and voilà! I knew that it had been neatly juxtaposed in the original email from about 3-4 years ago. Try the search if you missed out on seeing this lovely assessment the first time around - you are missing out.
08 April 2007
Reality Check
Three years ago, I was standing with a few friends / co-workers in the middle of ZURICH town center where a series of trams crossed through. There was a girl standing waiting there across the way from us; she was waiting for a train. She was also wearing capri pants and sandals. We all had our sunglasses on-- it was March, after all, so the sun had begun to intensify greatly. But it was still Switzerland... and it was still 30 degrees! Suddenly, a co-worker with whom I do not normally share views was very matter of fact and calm, and stated: "Just because it's sunny out, doesn't mean it's warm."
I found myself making that same matter of fact statement several times today during the course of the one hour that I left my apartment. I saw flip-flops. I saw the capri pants / sneakers combo. I saw too many people who were seasonally impatient!
