July 7, 2008 -PPM - WiFi Resturants

Now that I’m back in front of a computer and able to drive a car, it’s time to get the blogging started.

This week’s Pet Peeve Monday (PPM) concerns ubiquitous Wi-Fi. Sure, it has it’s possibilities: trains, planes, airports. But do we really need it at restaurants and bars?

Just before my disabling surgery last month, I went to the local restaurant/bar to have an adult beverage and watch a ballgame. I don’t want to say the name of the establishment, but let’s just say everyday is Friday there.

To my amazement, three of the choice viewing bar stools and most of the bar area was consumed by 3 “Gamers” and their laptops.

They weren’t even ordering food, but sipping bottom-less glasses of Diet Coke. It can’t be good for business. The bartender said they had been going at it for 4 hours, without a bathroom break. Ouch!!!

They were playing some on-line version of Dungeons and Dragons or Mario Brothers. Somehow these individuals escaped from their mama’s basement to see the outside world. However, they weren’t even talking to each other. They were Instant Messaging. No need for socializing when you have a keyboard. They’ve eliminated the total need for human contact (except when requesting that 4th refill).

Here’s the thing. I’m already PEEVED about Waitress Who Give You Too Much Information About Themselves and People Who Use Cell Phones In Restaurants, now it’s overweight, anti-social, couch potato, game playing nerds taking over my “safety zone” where I used to be able to catch the game.

Restaurants are no longer places to relax and have a cold beverage. They’ve become places where I can play PET PEEVE BINGO.

If the TV Show Cheers were remade today, you would have to create a new character that was a morphing of Cliff and Norm. He would just take up 3 bar stools, 2 for him and one for his laptop. He wouldn’t have any lines on the show, just a snort and a chuckle each episode. He would drop dead one episode of hardening of the arteries or DVT. Since it was on Cheers, it would be ironic, because No One Would Know His Name.

Wi-Fi in Restaurants. Can’t we just eat, drink, and be merry?

Do we really need to surf the net for airfares or play online games when we are eating?

What’s next, Wi-Fi at funeral homes? I can already see the marketing tagline. “Stay connected until it’s time for the Final Log-off.”

As I always say to the Trekkies when I come across them in hotel lobbies.

GET A LIFE.