12.17.2005
Saturday Afternoon in a Coffee Shop
Charlottesville, Virginia, is a funny place, sandwiched between the blue ridge mountains and the rolling plains and rivers near Richmond, and just two hours south of the outer reaches of the D.C. metro area. There are lots of wannabe authors and artists here, perhaps hinging on the presence of Dave Matthews and John Grisham, among other less notable figures who reside in the area.
One of the coffee shops I frequent in the city plays host to gatherings ranging from Christian groups to paranormal groups. It's a great place, called CVille Coffee, and run by a sole proprietor who really couldn't be a nicer gentleman. I thoroughly recommend it if you're ever bored in Charlottesville (and who among those who reside here isn't, at some point?).
That said, there are old people who come through the coffee house. These aren't the friendly elderly folks you sometimes encounter as neighbors or in craft stores. These are the old people who buy a 20 oz. mug of coffee and sit and stare at people. That's all they do! They just stare at you. You walk in the door, unprepossessing, dressed conservatively, and they just stare at you, as if they are waiting for you to explode or something.
Of course, my philosophy is that this is utterly rude. In polite society, no matter what age you are and what level of respect you think you are entitled to, you look quickly at people who enter a room and then look away -- you get back to your conversation, your book, whatever. But you do not stare at someone for more than five seconds unless you either hate them or love them. What is the old quotation from an anthropologist? If two human beings stare at each other for longer than five seconds they are either going to fight or make love. I think that's it.
Anyway, the subset of old people who stare too much and too often at others have no sense of courtesy. I'd stare back at them but often that would involve more torture for me than I ought to endure. It might be said that they know this, internally; they must know they have the advantage of ugliness, both in appearance and manners.
One of the coffee shops I frequent in the city plays host to gatherings ranging from Christian groups to paranormal groups. It's a great place, called CVille Coffee, and run by a sole proprietor who really couldn't be a nicer gentleman. I thoroughly recommend it if you're ever bored in Charlottesville (and who among those who reside here isn't, at some point?).
That said, there are old people who come through the coffee house. These aren't the friendly elderly folks you sometimes encounter as neighbors or in craft stores. These are the old people who buy a 20 oz. mug of coffee and sit and stare at people. That's all they do! They just stare at you. You walk in the door, unprepossessing, dressed conservatively, and they just stare at you, as if they are waiting for you to explode or something.
Of course, my philosophy is that this is utterly rude. In polite society, no matter what age you are and what level of respect you think you are entitled to, you look quickly at people who enter a room and then look away -- you get back to your conversation, your book, whatever. But you do not stare at someone for more than five seconds unless you either hate them or love them. What is the old quotation from an anthropologist? If two human beings stare at each other for longer than five seconds they are either going to fight or make love. I think that's it.
Anyway, the subset of old people who stare too much and too often at others have no sense of courtesy. I'd stare back at them but often that would involve more torture for me than I ought to endure. It might be said that they know this, internally; they must know they have the advantage of ugliness, both in appearance and manners.
# posted by Vanity @ 14:41 
