With the War in Iraq, rising fuel costs, potential recession, and the upcoming elections, I felt the need to rant about something very near and dear to my heart, saving seats!
I put saving seats at events right up there with butting in line in the list of social faux pas and general social retardation . This is on my hot button list right now after attending my son's community play which was performed last Friday.
We arrived 45 mins early to the event because my cute little pixie wife (Blue's Mom) has some sight problems and needed to sit up close. We made the effort to get there early and were pleased when we entered the auditorium and there were no more than 25 people seated in the whole room (of an auditorium that seats maybe 1000).
Much to our chagrin, row after row were occupied by purses, backpacks, jackets, thongs, shoes and sundry articles of clothing in order to save the seats. Sometimes only one person was sitting on an end of a row protecting the row for the 15 family members who were too lazy to come until later. As I passed the rows I felt like Forrest Gump walking down the bus aisle and hearing, "Don't sit here, this seat's takin!"
So here we were, 45 minutes early and had to sit 10 rows back behind an empty seat with a baby carrier (sans baby) in it.
I can understand saving one seat for your partner who is parking the car or who just ran to the bathroom, but not for the whole clan who is still in the bathroom at their own home an hour away.
Now I feel better, I think. Lets get back to the war, gas prices, elections and such.
Random Observations on Life
5 comments:
I agree, too. What is your opinion on texting? I wonder if it is making us a little too impersonal as a nation. I drove by a bus stop this afternoon of junior high children. I saw several kids walking and texting. I think it's inconsiderate to the people they are walking with. Another way of saying, "Wait. You're not as important as this person is. Hold on a sec." As cell phone callers often portray. Now, to gas! It takes me $98 to fill up my suburban!!! AHHHHH! Discrimination against large families!
Texting is such a completely different paradigm than we were used to. Like it or not, it is the main way of communicating for this generation. I've known my teenagers to text their friends who are sitting right beside them. Just wait and see, because you are almost there! :-)
As far as gas is concerned, I have come to the conclusion that my gas tank keeps getting bigger. When I first got it, I could fill it with $35, now it takes $60. Cool, huh?
Almost as bad as being blocked from saved seats is being in the unfortunate position of designated seat saver. Just because you are punctual and considerate enough to arrive early enough to avoid fighting for precious seat space, your family shouldn't be able to take that as a willingness on your part to fend off a dozen seats so they can catch the last few minutes of "Still Standing" before hightailing it to the theater.
I can understand saving seats when you know the family is on the way and just didn't happen to get there at the same time as you, but there should be a mandatory time limit on the save, or a cut-off time, like 15 minutes before the show starts.
What you should have done was sit down wherever it was convenient for you. This would force someone to either rearrange their seating arrangements, or have the unfortunate job of asking you to move. When they do, tell them you'll just be really quiet and they won't even know you are there. When they insist, have Blue's Mom cling tightly to your arm, squinting heavily at the guy as if trying to recognize him, apologizing all the way while stumbling over all the chairs, making utterances about how you drove over 50 miles to get here in time to be able to see your beloved daughter/niece/nephew. when you find new seats, ask her if she can see from here, and have her reply, "Well, its all a blur, but you'll be able to describe it all to me later, won't you dear?"
Well Practicalist. I like your general premise, but you are a big man (what are you 6'5"?), I was built very low to the ground and any passionate grandma could probably take me out, so I don't think I want to watch the play through a swollen black eye.
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