Public Etiquette & Stranger Danger.

This morning I am enjoying a tasty cup of coffee at the complex clubhouse while I take care of some bills and make arrangements to move. I got here early when all was quiet and peaceful.

A mere 20 minutes later...

A middle-aged gentleman chooses to sit in the chair right next to me, even though every other seat in the living room is empty. He cycles through a ruotine of jotting down some scribble on some paperwork, sighing deeply, staring at me, repeat. All while breathing deeply and audibly in the most awkward way possible.

A young woman and her friend walk in to use the computers gabbing loudly. The friend gets to work quietly, the main offender starts making calls on speakerphone with car rental companies mixed with personal calls full of attitude and poor grammar.

Part I: Public Etiquette.
This is the age of technology and personal space. I think it's pretty obvious that unless the seat directly next to someone else is the most amazing chair in the entirety of the universe... sit somewhere else.

Phone manners are something I think we all are guilty of forgetting at times. It's just become natural to be connected to your world non-stop. However, there are times that you have to be a real person and your contacts will have to wait.

Part II: Stranger Danger.
I've had the opportunity to meet a cast of new people lately from all different avenues of life. It's kind of exciting as well as a little unnerving at times. When I was younger and I encountered new people in St. Chuck I could instantly tell if they were shady or not as soon as I knew the essential questions... where did you go to high school? Are you going to college? And, how many people we knew in common (no less than 5, for sure). Now, it's possible that we have some commonalities... but for the most part I just have to feel it out as I go.

I'm really excited about moving next week. Well, let's be honest, I am NOT excited about the actual move... but the new digs are pretty exciting. I think this part of town will have a lot more to offer me. Yes, it's further from work, but it's so much closer to everything else. I am going to try really hard to be a band director and a 24 year old next year. It'll be tough, but I'm hopeful.

“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.”