During a recent date with my wife, I realized just how rude many people are becoming. The sad part is they have no idea that they are being rude! Common sense and common courtesy has, over the course of my life, fallen by the wayside for most of society. It’s time to bring courtesy back from the brink of ‘rare’ to the halls of ‘common’.
 
On the way to the restaurant we took the highway - a divided highway - the kind with a left lane and a right lane in each direction. Although I’m not necessarily a fast driver I do like to go at least five over the speed limit. Unfortunately, on the way to the restaurant, we found several Left Lane Loonies that liked to travel at the speed limit if not five or 10 below. The problem is they were all in the left lane and didn’t feel the need to move over when they saw my vehicle getting larger and larger in their rear-view mirror. The kicker is that there was nobody in the right lane and no good reason for them to be in the left.
 
Here’s a tip – the left lane is for passing and the right is for traveling. The State of Wisconsin has even come up with helpful reminders  – maybe you’ve seen them – the signs on the side of the road that say “Slower traffic keep right.” Guess what – they’re talking about YOU! Of course, the issue didn’t come to a head until I came upon the yahoo doing five under the speed limit in the left lane traveling just close enough to his twin in the right lane that I couldn’t get around either. If only I had a push bumper...
 
The restaurant itself was great. We had good food, good service and a good ambience…until the Party of 10 arrived. We’ve all sat next to the Party of 10 at one time or another – they’re the folks so engrossed in talking over each other that they’ve failed to realize they’re creating enough noise to drown out a 747, rendering table conversation for those around them all but impossible. Here’s a tip for the Party of 10: Shut up and eat! If you must talk, do so at a reasonable volume level. Although you may be enthralled with Uncle Jake’s recount of his last proctologist appointment, I assure you the rest of the restaurant would rather not hear it. We have our own conversations to entertain us while we dine.
 
Just as the Party of 10 quieted down (when their food arrived) and my wife and I could finally chat, the Nose Blower sat down next to us. Like the Party of 10, the Nose Blower is just one of those things that we’ve all had to endure while dining out. It was truly a wonderful situation; just as I took a big bite of linguini, Nose Blower took the opportunity to empty the contents of his entire sinus system into his handkerchief (saving it for later, of course). Nothing compares with the image of slimy snot as one takes a bit of linguini. Mr. and Ms. Nose Blower, here’s a tip for you: unless you want the contents of my stomach on your plate, keep the contents of your nose out of your handkerchief until you’ve excused yourself from the table and entered the restroom. Remember: restrooms aren’t just for toilets! Nose blowing, phlegm clearing, coughing, passing gas – all are acceptable uses of the room.

We finally finished up our dinner and paid the bill,which reminds me; Like they say, Tipping is NOT a city in China! Your server depends on tips for the bulk of income from the restaurant. Tip appropriately! The poor guy or gal has just spent over an hour running his or her hiney off to serve you, so tip well – at least 20%. That is, of course, unless the service was less than what is reasonably expected. If the service just hasn’t been up to par, neither should the tip be.
 
After dinner, the wife and I decided we’d head over to the theatre and catch one of the new releases. We were both looking forward to a few hours during which we could lose ourselves in the movie world.

As we walked up to the main doors I saw guy after guy open the door, walk through and let it close on the person behind him. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I still believe that one of the unwritten ‘laws’ of being a male is that we absolutely must hold the door for not only any ladies but also any guys behind us. It’s simply the polite thing to do. If it’s a guy following us through the door, he’ll “take over” the door holder job and thank you for holding the door. If it’s a gal behind us, she’ll simply walk through and thank you. That’s just the way it is! It doesn’t matter how old you are, that’s your job as a human male, period.

The wife and I ended up in our seats in the theatre where we encountered our ultimate favorite people – the “I like my cell phone to ring in the middle of the movie and I’ll answer it and talk to the caller” idiots.

I simply don’t get it. Almost every single cellular phone being manufactured today has a ‘vibrate’ feature which will alert you to calls when you don’t want the ringer to disturb those around you. Surprise! Those around you in the theatre don’t want to be disturbed. Mute the ringer and switch your phone to vibrate! I swear…the next phone I hear ringing during a movie will become a new implant for the person using it…

Seriously, though, use some common courtesy! You are NOT the only person in the universe. Part of being who we are in the society we live in is thinking about those around us, considering how our actions will affect others and then acting appropriately. Think about it!