Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: GtoRA2 on March 14, 2005, 02:48:29 PM
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Ok, so a work buddy and I go out for lunch, 11am local time.
We head out to Clarke’s on El Camino, never been there before. We arrive and one other person is there and he is waiting for takeout.
The place is empty, and has 4 areas to sit in, one by the ordering counter, then two areas off of that, then an outdoor area. This being Cali, out doors works cause it is a nice sunny 73.
we order, get our food and sit down in an area with no one else around.
Next customer comes in, and sits down right next to us. The next DAMN booth. Customer 3 comes in and sits down at the other booth! Customer 2 has 2 very noise brats. She has a British accent and is annoying (kids beating plastic cups on the table top very loud, mommy only says shss, that makes them louder)
Not every customer from that point on comes to our area some spread out, but most come into the wing we are in.
When we leave I make a point to walk all through the place and see the seating. In the other areas, there are a total of 3 people. None of these places is harder to get to. Easy to see them right from the counter.
This is not an isolated incident. It happens every time we go to lunch, 11 is early so you miss the lunch rush, but it will start while your in a restaurant, more often then not people fill one area, no one ever tells them to go sit in this area they just do.
Is this some long past basic instinct that makes these sheep like people sit near others for safety?
What do you guys do when confronted with an empty restaurant, save for one or two other people? Park it right next to them or find a nice private area?
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It must be your intense animal magnetism...
If I were entering a restaurant, and Rachel Hunter were sitting alone, I would sit as close as I could to her.
She's wringing 100,000,000 L out of Rod Stewart for a divorce settlement.
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Well I am damn sexy!
Still, I can not be the only one who does not like overhearing everyone elses conversations.
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I got to say, your story is making me want to sit next to you.
-SW
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Ever noticed on 880 going either direction, that when it rains bad enough to make you slow to a crawl every one speeds and makes sure they stay bumper to bumper for moral support and safety?.....:)
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I have noticed driving long distance people like to stay in packs.
I am always speeding... so I end up anoyed I can't get past a herd of guys going 69.
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It's possible they just used the same reasoning as you did, and chose seats in the same area? Plus the lady with the kids might have figured they would be less noisy in an outdoor area. Or rather, that the noise would dissipate better outdoors, not that they would BE less noisy lol.
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well, no cause we were not outdoors, I was just saying there was outdoors, and if they were using my criteria, they would have gone to ANY other area. My area was empty then mostly filled with these jokers!
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Well when I go to the zoo I like to be able to sit close to the animals there too:D
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These people actually sat next to you at a public restaurant? Those BASTARDS!
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Well thats it GTO, dont ever suggest meeting for a beer with you ever again! I dont want to get mobbed by horny british soccermoms with bad teeth...
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Thats right!!
Bastages!
Thats not the point, I am saying, why would they want to.
Let me make this simpler for you BBS comedians!
When chosing a seat in a restaraunt, do you:
A: Sit right next to the clump of people already in an area
B: Chose a table near as few people as posible.
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Sorry I keep flaking on ya Grun! We really should some time here, I hope the british soccer mom was a fluke.
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I'm the guy he went to lunch with. Let me tell you, the British soccer moms just love him. It gets really old.
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:rofl
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Sadly that is really the guy I went to lunch with. I grew up with the bastard too. You have to watch your nuts around him. He has a tendacy to hit them with things.
He also hit me in the chest with a baseball I pitched to him once in highschool. Thats sucked. Nothing like a baseball sized bruise on your chest with the seam marks and everything.
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Well, some outlying areas still have an indian problem, and by living close to others, a modern settler can get a certain amount of protection in exchange for the slight inconvenience of seeing others occasionally.
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No no, there were no indians, and if there were I am sure everyone would have snuck away from the anoying brit broad so they would scalp her.
Hey Anoying brit broad, thats prolly a good name for beetle. We can just shorten it to ABB.
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Originally posted by GtoRA2
Thats right!!
Bastages!
Thats not the point, I am saying, why would they want to.
Let me make this simpler for you BBS comedians!
When chosing a seat in a restaraunt, do you:
A: Sit right next to the clump of people already in an area
B: Chose a table near as few people as posible.
B- I look for the least populated area and sit with my back to a wall preferably in a dark corner and where I can most easily view all entrances and exits. Including windows. While sneering and emiting semi quiet growling noises in the direction of anyone else that looks like they are thinking of sitting near me;)
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Originally posted by GtoRA2
No no, there were no indians, and if there were I am sure everyone would have snuck away from the anoying brit broad so they would scalp her.
Hey Anoying brit broad, thats prolly a good name for beetle. We can just shorten it to ABB.
No indians on ElCamino? WTF? Where are thery all, did the H1B visas run out? Or was this during the daytime?
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FWIW,
I have found the same thing happens in parking lots. Have an empy lot with one or two cars, not especially close to the entrance and .... yes that is where people (not myself) will park. I expect someone has studies this and there is a formal discreption for this psychological phenomenon. It probably helped people survive many millenia ago.
I find it annoying as well.
Regards,
Malta
p.s. If you get up and move after they are seated, they won't follow you.
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Yes it's true,people are sheep. I noticed this some time ago. They like to flock together. Like GToRA I keep the speed up and there's always long gaps on the road with small groups of cars snuggled up to each other. Who I usually overtake with one majestic sweeping movement. Sometimes!
I was in a nightclub with a group of guys. We were first in. Three attractive girls were next. I suggested to the lads that they would come over and sit next to us. The guys were amazed when they did. It's always the same. In any given situation people will always sit together given the chance even with strangers.
The fix for it is to sit facing the door and as each person comes in, glare at them like a freak. Soon everyone is clustered at the other side of the room giving you funny looks. It works on buses too. The only risk is that a real freak comes in and comes straight over. :( .
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What is a soccer mum?
Do you mean the mother of a kid who plays football? ( you know the version you actualy play with your feet. The one everyone else plays apart from you guys! )
;)
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Originally posted by DREDIOCK
B- I look for the least populated area and sit with my back to a wall preferably in a dark corner and where I can most easily view all entrances and exits. Including windows. While sneering and emiting semi quiet growling noises in the direction of anyone else that looks like they are thinking of sitting near me;)
same here. usually a glaring look, cast in their direction, they move along to another area.
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Could be they were just trying to get quicker service.
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Originally posted by cpxxx
The only risk is that a real freak comes in and comes straight over. :( .
then is the time, to get really freaky.
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Originally posted by DREDIOCK
B- I look for the least populated area and sit with my back to a wall preferably in a dark corner and where I can most easily view all entrances and exits. Including windows. While sneering and emiting semi quiet growling noises in the direction of anyone else that looks like they are thinking of sitting near me;)
Heh. Funny, I was going to say something very similar to this, then I realized its true and it made me sound a little paranoid..... perhaps I should seek professional help. lol
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nope Funky, you go get the food, they don't bring it to ya.
Only one area was further then the rest.
I am leaning towards many people having a bit of the herd animal in them. Safety in numbers and all.
Was a good burger though if you are in the area try it.
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Originally posted by cpxxx
The fix for it is to sit facing the door and as each person comes in, glare at them like a freak. Soon everyone is clustered at the other side of the room giving you funny looks. It works on buses too. The only risk is that a real freak comes in and comes straight over. :( .
:lol
I went to a large bus stop downtown one morning, going home after working the late shift. Car was in the shop and I was already ticked off at having to ride the bus home. There are 3 benches at this stop, and as I crossed the street I could see everyone sitting on the first two, and others bunched up under the overhang covering those two. The other bench was empty save for this one guy who was talking to himself and growling. Since it was raining and I had at least 15 minutes before the bus came there was no way I was packing in with all those others and I sure as heck wasnt going to stand in the rain. So I marched on down to the end and sat down by Mr. Congeniality. He just exploded, ranting and raving about me "pushing him around" and yelling about how all people in uniforms are a***oles. He left and went to stand in the rain and I got the bench all to myself until the bus came. :)
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If you want to 'act' crazy for the purpose of getting some elbow room, it's usually hard to pull off because of how our minds are wired. Record yourself trying to sound crazy, it's hard to keep up for more then a minute.
One thing you might try is to start talking about Aces High without providing any context. That way, you have lots of material, and it won't sound like you're putting people on.
"So, the guys were booming and zooming all over the place and I was on channel one yelling COME BACK HERE YOU *******! This one zero lagged all the way from A23 to A58 in like 5 seconds, and I exploded. Then this other guy tried to turn and burn me in his mustang, but I was in the 109, so I cleaned his clock. Tap tap tap, those shells were knocking at his cockpit door. NEVERMORE quoth Raven04, nevermore! But skuzzy is always on my case on the o'club, (animal snarl) can't even keep my (scream at the nearest person)AVATARD UP(look away, speak softly) because of the bouncy bouncies...."
To you and I, this sounds perfectly normal. To a 'normal' on the street, it is incomprehensible.
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Originally posted by DieAz
same here. usually a glaring look, cast in their direction, they move along to another area.
Oh it works.
Thing is for me at least. My wife tells me I sometimes just naturally have this really intence stare and she often asks me whats wrong. I'll say "nothing why?"
And she'll say. "You were staring at that person as though you were going to kill them." Thing is I dont realise Im doing it and often while I may be looking in the direction of someone Im not really seeing them but thinking about something totally different.
Also I sometimes have the habit of looking at people right in the eyes when Im talking to them which sometimes is unnerving to some people. Something else the wife gets on me about. Again saying Im looking at them like Im going to kill them.
Unless its a woman Im looking at/talking to then according to her I'm looking at them like Im "going to eat them"
Again. None if this is intentional...well most of the time anyway.
I do have some fun with it from time to time though.
But since she keeps pointing this out I try to get into the habit of intentionally not looking directly at people when I first meet them.
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Like most critters, humans prefer to run in packs -- or herds, depending on the ratio of vegetarians.
Safety in numbers ... all of us is smarter than any of us ... ad infinitum.
It would be much more cause for concern if people did not want to sit near you.
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Very funny Chairboy:lol :rofl The trouble is, now everyone here in work is looking at me oddly.
There is definitely a herd instinct. But what does it say about the likes of me and GtoRa? There are always what I call the 'players' and the 'sheep'. I see it a lot when I'm driving across country. The players like me are overtaking and passing and hate to be stuck behind someone. The sheep stick together and baa madly when someone passes them.
You see in the Aces High main arena. The runstangs and the people who won't fight. I break into every bogie I see and usually get shot down for my pains. But at least I try.
You see it in Paintball. Some people hide in the bushes while a few do the fighting.
It's the same in real war, some fighting, most hiding or shooting blindly.
I suppose I'm not a 'team player' No I want take over the team and make it mine. :aok . The 'flock' always needs a sheepdog. ;) .
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belch and pass gas - LOUDLY
that should help the seating arrangements in your immediate vicinity
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I wait on the pass gas part tell they start eating. Punishment for being sheep.
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Originally posted by Eagler
belch and pass gas - LOUDLY
that should help the seating arrangements in your immediate vicinity
That absolutely works.
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:confused: I never have this problem. Ah, that's right. I live in Japan so no one ever sits next to the big, scary gaijin. It's kind of funny, really.
I was at a coffee shop once and there was a row of chairs along a counter facing the window looking out over the sidewalk. There was also several tables and chair, plus a counter people could stand to drink their coffee. { :rolleyes: }
As I got my coffee and went to sit down, I noticed an unusual opportunity. There was another gaijin sitting at the counter.
Here is a schematic:
X = an empty chair.
O = a chair occupied by another gaijin.
============ <-- window
|__________| <-- counter
X O X X X X
A / B C D E
So, where did I sit?
Naturally, I sat at chair D. That way we could relax and take up the entire counter without anyone sitting near us. No one would sit at chairs A, B, C or E. All the Japanese customers coming in after that would squish into all the tables or stand. Some even stood in the middle of the place drinking their coffee, rather than sit in the open chairs.
:D
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Originally posted by GtoRA2
nope Funky, you go get the food, they don't bring it to ya.
Only one area was further then the rest.
I am leaning towards many people having a bit of the herd animal in them. Safety in numbers and all.
Was a good burger though if you are in the area try it.
Hmm Funky doesnt seem to know about Clarke's...
How can this be? This oversight must be corrected immediately!
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Originally posted by DREDIOCK
B- I look for the least populated area and sit with my back to a wall preferably in a dark corner and where I can most easily view all entrances and exits. Including windows. While sneering and emiting semi quiet growling noises in the direction of anyone else that looks like they are thinking of sitting near me;)
Hehe....I'd already be there growling at u. ;)
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Originally posted by aztec
Hehe....I'd already be there growling at u. ;)
Well then I'd haveta start snarling and barking at ya then:)