Eating Out Etiquette

Consider the following scenario: you and a group of friends, or family, decide that they want to go out to eat. You call and figure out when an acceptable time to show up to the restaurant is. They tell you "We'll be there by 6!" Do you: a) arrive early so as to reserve everyone's seats or b) arrive late knowing your seat was reserved? Let's examine both possibilities.

If you arrive early, yea you'll be forced to save everyone's seats but so what? I'll tell you why, in most cases, arriving early is not the best option.

I just recently (today actually) went out for dinner to Buffalo Wild Wings with my family. I was the first one there and therefore got our table of 5. I didn't expect to be bothered so much by the wait staff when I clearly was waiting on other people. Our waitress (rather my waitress at the time), first took my drink order. This was okay. I was thirsty and of course, I don't need everyone there to be able to order MY drink. But, not even 3 seconds after setting my drink on the table does she ask me, "Would you like any appetizers, mozzarella sticks, ...?" I looked baffled. I almost said, "Actually, let me get a basket of mozzarella sticks for my invisible table mates. But, I suppose that would have been a little rude.

Then, maybe 5 minutes later, she returns to the table to ask another question. "Are you ready to order or do you need a few more minutes to look over the menu?" I almost lost it. "No, I'm still waiting on the other people who haven't even ordered drinks yet. Why would I want to order my meal!?" That's what I wanted to say. Of course, I didn't. Rather, I just politely told her I was waiting on some other people and they should be here shortly. It's as if the waitress honestly didn't know that there were 4 empty seats with menus and silver-ware at the table. Really? Wake up lady.

Now, that same thing could happen to you. But, what if you arrive late and you're the last person there? Then the complete opposite happens. The waitress still asks for drink orders and appetizer orders however, the other table mates don't really acknowledge that they're waiting on someone else unless the waitress explicitly asks. One guy calls you as they are on the verge of getting their appetizers and ordering their meals, "Hey man! Where are you!? We've already ordered drinks and appetizers," to which you reply, "Dude, I'm still 20 minutes away!" Should you even show up anymore? Probably not. Chances are that since they didn't wait on you before ordering drinks or appetizers, they probably won't wait on you when about to order meals. They will have already eaten and you haven't even had the first sip of an ice, cold sweet tea.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is be on time to a meeting with friends or family. Don't be the awkward early person or the awkward late person. Just be on time.

A Generic "About Me"

I have posted two times already and have yet to post anything close to an "About Me." So, this will be that post.

I'll start with the basics. I am 18 years young. I graduated from Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu (FYI, many people don't know where this is; it's about 15 minutes down I-10 west from Baytown). In high school, I wasn't the jock everyone talked about or the prom king everyone loved. I was a band 'nerd' who liked to spend his lunches reading or doing homework rather than talking with friends. On multiple occasions I found myself eating lunch in the library because I felt like I was wasting time.

As I said, I was in the band. I played percussion; more specifically, the snare drum on drum line. I am a Texas Music Scholar and received multiple rewards throughout my band career, from 6th grade through 12th. I attended region band every year and made region band twice. I made ones on my solos my Junior and Senior year, therefore qualifying me for state competition. My ensemble made ones all four years of high school, qualifying us for state competition. All in all, I probably visited Austin about 6 or 7 times during high school. I can sightread bass clef and treble clef and I write my own music on the piano. I had no formal piano training. Basically, I taught myself much of what I know. If you call me a drummer who bangs on things, I will never talk to you again. I am a musician.

Since I was about 13, I've been extremely interested in computer science. I've been interested in computers since I was born. I began learning (rather trying to learn) the programming language C++. I got past the basics of computer programming and then switched to a new language, REBOL. It wasn't much better. I even tried COBOL. Not fun. I dabbled a little in Visual Basic and even created an application for my school that allowed easy download of the network printers. Then, I moved on to Java. Now, Java actually proved to be the language I understood the most. It just made sense in my head. Many of you probably have heard of the computer game Minecraft. It was written in Java by Notch (Markus Persson). I finally found out how to decompile the code and examine the intricate workings of a computer game. Then, when I entered into college, I was required to take a computer class. So, I took Fundamentals of Computer Programming 1. Now, even though I already now much on the fundamental aspects of programming, this class introduces a new language to me: Python. Python is coming to me even easier than Java did. We will have to wait and see what the future holds for my computer career.

I guess I forgot to mention, I currently attend Barbers Hill University (aka Lee College) to take care of my basics so that I can transfer to University of Houston for my Bachelors degree in Computer Engineering. I am still having an internal debate on whether I want to do software or hardware engineering.

Umm, I guess I could tell you I have 2 brothers (one biological, one half) and 2 sisters (one step, one half). I have two dogs, a Pomeranian named Ozzie and a Chihuahua named Tori. Anyway, that's pretty much my entire story in a nutshell, with an emphasis on music and computers because that's really the only things I do.

Plunger Cleaning

Is it common practice to clean a plunger after each use? I mean, I don't; I just simply plunge the toilet and put the plunger back on the ground. It may seem gross, but I have never heard of anyone cleaning a plunger.

This was a short post but I just wanted to ask that. Feel free to leave a comment (that is, if you want to tell me about your plunger use). 

Hobo Thiefs

So, I haven't quite figured out how I am going to layout this blog. I don't know if I want to post about multiple questions a day or just one question a day; it may be completely random just like the topics. I have not yet decided.

But, today, I have another question that came to mind as I was driving home from class: Is it just me or does everyone lock their doors nonchalantly when you see a hobo (I suppose the correct term is homeless individual) at a stoplight, stop sign, or anywhere you stop?

I would assume that most people do this as an act of caution, yet most times there isn’t a real threat. I guess I lock my doors as a precaution, a just-in-case if you will. No, I don’t actually think a random hobo is going to violently rob me of my few dollars and a debit card with no money at a stoplight.

Most human beings have an underlying nature to avoid danger or confrontation with others that could potentially end in them being hurt, physically or mentally. My point is, I don’t have a rational reason for locking my doors at a stoplight; I just do it.

Handicapped Stalls

Is it considered bad or frowned upon to enter the handicapped stall of a public restroom without actually being handicapped in some way? I personally don't think so. I, out of habit, go straight for the biggest stall in a restroom simply because I like comfort. A small stall is not comfortable, I don't care who you are. And for all of you handicapped people out there saying, "But it's rude! Only I am allowed to use that stall!", I say too bad. I don't see your name on it. Not to be rude, but each toilet flushes the same; the only perk of the handicapped stall is the enormity of it.


I do not mean to offend any handicapped persons; I am simply stating an opinion. Do you agree with me? Post a comment below and let me know!

(P.S. Here is a web page that actually discusses the legality of non-disabled persons using a handicapped stall: Click Here)