noise

Why One Person Talking Drives Me Crazy But a Hundred Doesn’t

There is something about human beings – or maybe it’s just me – that seems to make absolutely no sense. Put me in a room with 100 people talking and I can work just fine. Put me near one person talking loud, and within minutes I’m wondering if duct tape is still sold by theContinue reading “Why One Person Talking Drives Me Crazy But a Hundred Doesn’t”

The Four Layers of Noise

I like small restaurants. Not so much the fancy ones with linen napkins and quiet lighting. I mean the little neighborhood places – the ones with eight tables and a bar that might seat four people if nobody breathes too deeply. You go there because it’s familiar and comfortable. A place to sit down, eatContinue reading “The Four Layers of Noise”

When Silence Becomes a Necessity

I don’t know exactly when it happened. Somewhere in the last couple of years, I went from tolerating the usual everyday noise of kids running around and doing laps in an establishment, stomping their feet while their parents do nothing, music playing a bit too loud, and a crowded room humming with conversation, to beingContinue reading “When Silence Becomes a Necessity”

When Did We Stop Teaching Kids How to Behave in Public?

I’ve written about this before, but this is really starting to piss me off. The other night in a crowded restaurant, a friend and I found ourselves dodging squeals, shrieks, climbing on the bar (yes, you read that right), and running around from toddlers who had turned the place into a playground. Grandparents and dadContinue reading “When Did We Stop Teaching Kids How to Behave in Public?”

A Dog in the Library

As I’ve written about before, libraries were once considered sacred. Whisper-only zones. The quietest public space you could find outside a soundproof room. You came in, grabbed your books, or settled down at a table, and the unspoken agreement was simple: silence. Respect the space and others. Respect the idea that not everything in lifeContinue reading “A Dog in the Library”

Whatever happened to table manners and etiquette when eating in a restaurant?

I was dining with a friend at a local restaurant the other day and while no one is perfect, I noticed an appalling lack of table manners and consideration for others by two guests sitting maybe 20 feet away. And it’s not the first time I have noticed this. I’m a stickler for manners andContinue reading “Whatever happened to table manners and etiquette when eating in a restaurant?”