Coffee Shop Nuisance
I often spend an hour reading at my favorite coffee house prior to picking my wife up from her office. Most of the time its quiet except for music playing in the background. Yesterday, however, my silence -and I guess everyone else's silence- was interrupted by an older gentlemen talking on his cell phone.
The conversation was already in progress when he and a trapped coworker entered. The coworker sat silently as the conversation carried on. (5 - 10 -15 - 20) The minutes pass with no silence except for the few moments when the other party in this conversation got to speak. I can only assume that there was another party involved.
The conversation consisted of health issues, politics, taxes, and maybe something about investments; each topic weaving its way throughout the conversation.
The gentleman with him sat quietly, nursing his late and listening patiently to his buddy’s bla bla bla.
The conversation ended and I'm sure that I wasn't the only one in the place to do a happy jig inside to hear the cell phone click as it closed. I got to get relief from this nuisance just before time to leave and get my wife from her office. Sadly, as I left, the cell phone talker began talking to his patience buddy about the conversation he was just engaged in.
If I ever do that to you, feel free to get up and leave or just move to another table.
I thought about putting this blog in the Restaurant conversations post, but I decided to give it its own due to the absence of food and the lack of one participating member in the conversation.
posted by Stone @ 8:44 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Is that Steve Martin?
I commented on the restraunt post. Why is it that cell phone conversations are hardeder to ignore than a regular conversation between people?
I think its the volume in which cell phone conversations are conducted in. It could also be that our brains are always looking for a comprehensible pattern.
In a conversation where all the parties are in the same place, you can block it out. Though your brain is hearing the conversation, there is a steady flow of information or a pattern, so you can dismiss the conversation as noise more easily.
When you overhear a cell phone conversation, you only hear one side of the conversation so you're brain pays more attention because its searching for a completed pattern. This searching makes it harder to ignore a cell phone conversation.
I think I'm pretty good at BSing my way to a somewhat logical answer.
(The picture is of John McCain.)
You convinced me. Wait, was John McCain having a cell phone conv? I'm confused. And bored. And i should be working.
No, I happened upon him when looking for a good image for this blog. Its just a loud guy who reminds me of the cell phone guy.
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