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Cover Your Mouth When You Cough!

Date published: February 7, 2006

It's funny how two of my rants so far were inspired at the Grocery Store....the first one being the Floor Zamboni from Hell and now this one. I was walking down one of the aisles doing my weekly shopping and this man walked by, coughing his head off and not making any effort whatsoever to cover his mouth--all over the groceries! I was disgusted, to say the least, and being the outspoken person that I am when it comes to this sort of thing, I said "Cover your mouth when you cough!" but he just breezed right by, oblivious. Okay, he probably wasn't born in the USA and there are cultural issues, but come on now.

I had the misfortune to be in line with him at the checkout, and he was blasting his cough all over the counter. Nice. I made a comment, and the checker said he just has allergies and wasn't sick. I said I have allergies too, but I certainly don't "share the joy" when I am coughing. She defended this guy, saying "You can't just tell people to cover their mouths when they cough." The hell I can't! There is such a thing as good manners and that was just despicable!

I liken this to people who come to work sick. I once worked in a web company and one of the other programmers brought her sick kid with strep throat in - and was parked at my computer, my keyboard when I walked in. I was horrified, and immediately went to the store and got Lysol hand sanitizer, and cotton swabs and completely wiped down my keyboard.

Okay, maybe that was Adrian Monk-like behavior to some degree but I don't think so. Bottom line is, what is wrong with people? If you're sick and you have to go out in public, give me a break! Cover your mouth when you cough!

FOOTNOTE: Two days after I posted this, I came down with an upper respiratory infection and was laid up for the better part of the week. I REST MY CASE!

Cutting Fingernails at Breakfast
Well this goes off into another direction, but again addresses good manners in general. I do a lot of networking and attend a few breakfast meetings each week. One morning, I took my place at the table and had my scrambled eggs and fruit, and the guy next to me starts cutting his fingernails at the table. The guy is rather...I don't know how to say it...eclectic? No, that doesn't quite hit it, but he is one of those big guys who wears shorts and sandals in 30 degree weather because he is always hot and sweating. Get the picture? So, he is sitting there cutting his fingernails and I completely lost my appetite. The next week, he came to sit down and I said "You're not going to cut your fingernails at the table again, are you?" He muttered something about 'young people having strange fetishes' and I said "No, that was completely off the wall and rude." Everyone I've told that story to had the same reaction as I did. Unlike the grocery store incident (oh here I go again seeing red)...

Okay I'm done now. I'm still very disgusted and PO'd, but I'm done...again why did the grocery checker defend this action? I guess I wouldn't want to go to her house for dinner.

Enough said. I'll leave you with the lyrics from one of my very favorite TV shows, "Monk", which airs Friday nights at 10PM (unless you have Dish Network on the Pacific Coast-you can catch it at 7).

It's a jungle out there Disorder and confusion everywhere No one seems to care Well I do Hey, who's in charge here? It's a jungle out there Poison in the very air we breathe Do you know what's in the water that you drink? Well I do, and it's amazing People think I'm crazy, 'cause I worry all the time If you paid attention, you'd be worried too You better pay attention Or this world we love so much might just kill you I could be wrong now, but I don't think so It's a jungle out there

*"Monk" is a TV series which airs, on Friday evenings on USA Network. It is about a detective who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and it is quite entertaining.

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