Fraize Dotcom

Seriously – what are you thinking, lady?

I’m sitting in Panera, trying to enjoy my Turkey chili, and the lady just across the way from where I’m sitting is having a very loud conversation on the phone about her child’s lower-gastro-intestinal issues. Every detail, from the consistency of the kid’s stools, to the bloody discharge thereof.

Really, are you talking about this in a GODDAMN RESTAURANT?

Let’s forget for a moment that you take a phone call in the restaurant. I make it a point to remove myself from people trying to have a nice quiet time. Eating in a restaurant should be a singularly private thing. I don’t care to enjoy your conversation if I’m trying to have one of my own. But, to have one so LOUDLY about something so disgusting and graphic is just beyond the pale.

Where do people learn that this is okay? Are they just oblivious to their surroundings, or is it more sinister than that? Is it that they’ve made the decision that they just don’t care? I really think we’re getting more and more insular about everything. We’ve made the decision that you only have yourself to worry about – manners, courtesy and civility are out the window.

Maybe this is how it happens? Someone like me sees the callous nature of their fellow human beings, and decides it’s time to give up being nice to people ’cause nobody is nice to them. It’s a damned shame.

Hi, everybody!

I’ve just finished reading “[Little Brother](http://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/),” by Cory Doctorow. If you have noticed more cameras on our streets and buildings, thought about what our government or military would do should another 9/11 occur, or are at all interested in privacy, you need to go and download this book. It’s free, and very very good. It’s a quick read, too – you can probably get through it in a couple of nights, if you try.

Once you’re done, send me your private key. Here’s mine:

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Peace.

Probably my number one favorite thing I miss about living in Austin is the Alamo Cinema and Drafthouse. For those of you not in the know, it is the only way I ever want to watch first-run movies.

Large comfortable chairs with bench-style tables in front of each row. Waiters take orders for excellent food and draught beer, and scoot it out to you when it’s ready. Before the movie starts, instead of showing boring canned movie trailers, watch related clips, TV episodes and documentaries – sometimes self-produced bits and trailers for other Alamo events. Often, movie-premier weekends offer drinks or food related to the movie shown.

I’ve seen the 3 of the last 4 Harry Potter movies at the Alamo Village on West Anderson in Austin. Each time, they offered us goblets of mead and butterbeer, and entertained us with episodes of “The Worst Witch” while we waited for our feature. Outside, a large “Wizard’s Chess” board was set up while an 8 foot tall Hagrid stomped around shaking hands with nervous kids.

Inside, while the movie plays, the crowd goes utterly silent – why? Talking is severely discouraged. If you make an ass of yourself making noise, you’re asked to leave. Nice, eh?

The experience is so wonderful to see a movie at the Drafthouse, I ended up going to see movies I was only marginally interested in just so I could enjoy the Drafthouse itself. One time I went to see a compilation of YouTube cartoons.

Today, I happened to google “alamo drafthouse virginia” and discovered that they’re planning on opening 10 new Alamo Drafthouses in Virginia in the next year. WOOHOO!!!