Wednesday, June 23, 2010

TEXTING, TALKING AND BOPPING WHILE TRYING TO WALK THE WALK

As we all know, texting and talking while driving can be deadly. And now we’re beginning to see that texting,talking and listening to music while walking can sometimes be pretty severe.
Body slamming by techno zombies so engrossed in their devices seems to be commonplace these days. They’re oblivious to who’s behind them (you don’t want to be if you’re on an escalator) and who is walking toward them. Next thing you know, if you’re not swift enough, CRASH!


An acquaintance of ours learned his lesson the hard way. He was crossing the street while holding a conversation and didn’t see it coming – a car. Fortunately, the driver had slowed down and our friend ended up on his back on the road. He’s fully recuperated and now fully understands sometimes you just can’t do two things at once.

If you have to make the call or write the text, move yourself out of the flow of pedestrian traffic, it’s safer and considerate. And it keeps people out of your business. During the course of the day, we’re all privy to way too much information as people recount the latest in their lives on their cell phones.

And a word on music -just because it’s music to your ears, doesn’t mean it music to the person’s ears next to you. Music that's too loud sounds more like a band of tin cans. When that happens, you can either remove yourself from the listener’s area or get their attention and ask them nicely (They won’t hear you.) by mouthing, “Could you turn down the volume, please?” And then there are those music lovers who are so busy marching to the drummer in their ears, they walk at pace that’s out of step, creating another kind of collision.

We’re all for progress, but as we continue to walk into the future let’s avoid walking into each other.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

RESTAURANTS 101 – ARE YOU PASSING OR FAILING?

We’re always receiving tips from our followers. One popular post request is dos, don’t likes and dislikes about restaurants from all perspectives.

From London, a friend who often entertains in restaurants, points out that the person who’s treating gets to sit on the banquette.

A New York bartender says that if your meal or drinks are comped, tip as though you were charged full price.

A former bartender says he’s respectful of closing times. When he tended bar, people thought nothing of coming in near closing hour expecting service as if they had a couple of hours to hang out.

Cathy Treboux of New York’s Le Veau D’or wishes that diners would respect celebrities and not approach their tables for autographs or conversation.

Another restaurateur, Phil Suarez, would like people to stop using their high-falutin’ titles when reserving tables as if it’s going to help. He urges diners to stop double and triple booking, tip fairly and dress appropriately.

A couple, he’s an oenophile, believes that restaurants can do a better job with their wine lists – good wine at more reasonable prices.

And speaking of reasonable prices, one diner was furious when he recently received a huge check that included two glasses of wine at 16 dollars each. “All I’d asked for is a glass of Chardonnay. I should’ve been advised of the price.”

Joy from New York has two pet peeves when it comes to dining out. One is when the wait staff fills a glass to the rim with fancy bottled water and the second, is when a man blows or sneezes into his napkin.

Over pouring of wine to get you to buy the second bottle bothers another friend. And he also wonders why tables for two are usually so close to other tables for two?

Beth, a waitress gets the last word. “The worst thing a customer can do to me is snap their fingers to get my attention. “I am not a dog.”

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

PUPPY LOVERS, SHOW SOME LOVE

There’s nothing like walking out of your front door and stepping into a fresh puddle of pee compliments of one of your neighbor’s best friends. We guess the thinking here is that it’s not like Scooter left a pile of poop for you to slide in.

Growing up in Brooklyn, we used to sit on the stoop on warm summer nights. Our neighbors used to curb their dogs. Granted, at the time there were no scoop the poop laws but at least we could sit on the stoop in peace.

What’s up with puppy lovers? Some seem to have a hard time getting the bag of poop to a garbage can. One friend had to actually put a sign up on a tree in front of his house asking dog owners to stop throwing their poop bags in front of his house. Sanitation workers aren’t obliged, nor should they be, to pick them up.

When Yvette pointed out to a neighbor that she shouldn’t let her dog urinate in the flowerbed surrounding a tree, the neighbor replied, “He has a tumor. It’s not like he’s doing it all over the place.” We’re sorry for her pet’s illness but relieving himself in the flower patch is not the cure. And there is nothing more unpleasant when a dog leaves a trail of loose bowels on the street. It’s the duty of the owner to clean up the mess as best they can.

Respect your neighbor’s soles. Just because you’re going to pick up your dog’s poop doesn’t mean they can do it any old place. Dogs should be encouraged to do their business as close to the curb as possible in the city and in the suburbs where we understand neighbor’s think nothing of walking their dogs on someone else’s lawn. (They say the grass is always greener, this must be the case.)

Dog lovers, it’s time to own your pet’s poop and pee.