Valentine's Day and a Soapbox

First of all, Happy Valentine's Day! Or, Happy Single's Awareness Day! Whichever applies to you. As it happens, I am celebrating the latter. By watching the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.

I hope everyone is having and has had a great holiday Sunday, whether it was and is being spent with a significant other, or with your best friend, or your beloved pet, or yourself.

Second of all, I'm pulling out my soapbox this evening because I've just had 'one of those days'. Not bad, in particular, really. Just not outstanding. Although it's looking up. But just the same, my soapbox topic of the night is "Social Niceties". If you're not in the mood for a soapbox post, by all means take my wish of a Happy Valentine's Day and leave now. :)

And now... *clears throat* *climbs up on soapbox*

Social niceties: Two little words that represent the common person's effort to behave in a way that is polite and inoffensive to others. Two little words that are very underrated. Two little words that are dangerously close to becoming extinct.

Perhaps it's the simple fact that what one person might consider rude, another could find absolutely acceptable. Maybe it's that people are too hard to please. There are too many ways to offend, irritate, befuddle, or otherwise cause people to react in a negative way. It would be impossibile to know who's going to not want you to do what, when, where, and why, etc.

I get that. That makes sense. I mean, I'm not about to turn my phone on silent when I'm expecting a call just because someone could be momentarily interrupted. Because then what if I miss my call? It could be important, ya'll. And I'm not going to stop drinking bottled water in class because one or more people don't like the sound it makes when I unscrew the cap. But to me, those are little things. Acceptable things. Forgivable things.

To me, social niceties are more...general. All encompassing, if you will. Like, things that I can't imagine are only irritating or confusing or unnecessary to me. Like answering your cell phone whilst in a movie theater. Or really, okay, anything involving a cell phone in a movie theater. Short of maybe checking to see who called/texted you. But if it's important enough that you need to respond ABSOLUTELY!RIGHT!NOW! I-Mean-It's-Life-Or-Death-You-Couldn't-Possibly-Even-KNOW! then it's important enough that you take it outside and deal with it. Because let's face it; no matter how well you angle your phone to direct it's mighty-light-screen at you and not the rest of the theater, and no matter how quietly you try to text (with the exception of the iPhone because dude, I have one, and it's literally a silent-texter. But it's still friggin' bright!) I can still hear your fingers on the keys if I'm near you, and so can whoever else is sitting next to you, and even if you have your phone on vibrate, YEAH. I can STILL hear that, Chuck!

And another thing. Cell phones and public restrooms just do not mix. I mean, personally I don't care if whoever I'm talking to on the phone uses the restroom while they're talking to me. If you can do it and I don't ever have to know, then hey, you're pretty stealthy, good on ya'. It really only becomes awkward when it's...lets just say 'obvious'. In my (humble) opinion, what's really awkward is when you're in the bathroom, someone else is in there with you, and you hear their phone ring. And they ANSWER it. Mid-whateverthey'redoing.

And they're all like, "Hello? Yeah, hi Mitzy. No, I'm not doing anything. I'm just ON the TOILET. And other people can HEAR ME TELLING YOU THIS. Now let's talk about what we're going to eat for dinner. WHILE I'M PEEING. Because no matter what they say, that's not weird. AT ALL."

I mean, is it just me? Am I the only person perplexed by this? I mean, I'm pretty sure Mitzy, or Bob, or whoever it is calling will understand if you say, "Hey, sorry I missed your call. I was in the restroom." Or did that become unacceptable at some point? I don't know. Frankly, it doesn't come up much. I'm really more of a texter than I am a caller. And I will say that texting in the bathroom doesn't freak me out. I mean, it's texting. It's kind of funny, but it's no big deal.

I don't know. I hate to be all, "How about I get up on my little soapbox now?", but I've had one of those days where one or more of these things has happened to me, near me, or whatever you want to call it, so I've been in one of those moods where I feel irritated. But then at the same time I'm thinking, "What if it's just you? What if no one else cares? What if this doesn't bother anyone else?"

So I just have to know. Am I overreacting? Am I the one acting strange because I don't get these new trends in public behavior? If so, that's really okay. I've been known to be a little behind picking up on this stuff. It just throws me off.

I realize that this is a bit disjointed, not well put together, babbly, and a bunch of other terms I'll think of later, so I hope it's not too confusing to read. I mean that. Haha, no really. No sarcasm intended this time. :-P

Maybe I'll make up a list soon. Sarah's Social Niceties. A list of things that I try to do or not do because I think they're not appropriate for anywhere but at home or in the car. I don't know. Sounds like a lot of work to me.

Anyway. That was all. That's all I've got. Using cell phones in movie theaters is a no-no on my social niceties list. And so is answering the phone in the bathroom. Or walking into the bathroom, talking on the phone, walking into a stall, sitting down, and still being on the phone up until the point where you've left the bathroom. It's weird. It's just weird. Plus I'm thinking, what if I don't want Mitzy or Bob or whoever you're talking to to hear ME peeing? Isn't that my CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT?!

Odd. It's just odd.

I'm going to make a poll. That's what I'll do. To find out who else thinks this stuff is weird.

Don't laugh. It'll be up shortly. And then you should answer it. Because I don't think I'm completely crazy. It can't just be me.



But hahaha, how funny would it be if I was all, "I'm updating my blog while I'm in the bathroom talking on my bluetooth headset."? That would be pretty funny.

But I'm not.

Really...






*flush*