Comments on: Choosing the Right Seat: How not to get stuck next to someone that sucks

By: Lyle Hopwood

Lyle Hopwood — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 03:22:00 +0000

There are two spaces between ‘important’ and ‘it is’ in #6! Augh!

(I’m not doing this right, am I? I’m not going to be in any of those seats.)

By: Gilbert Wham

Gilbert Wham — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 23:31:00 +0000

Works with fencing too. Or it *did* till I realised what a stabby motherfucker one of my friends is. Jesus, he fast…

By: Martijn

Martijn — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:48:00 +0000

Just make sure you claim your elbow and glass space before the guy to your left does. And he won’t have as much experience with it as we do.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:40:00 +0000

I pick the seat that will make it easiest to get up to pee every 20 minutes.

By: oasisob1

oasisob1 — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 20:57:00 +0000

I’ve discovered that sitting closest to the bar prevents me from having to sit next to someone who sucks. Or at least I don’t notice. I can’t say much for the person who has to sit next to me, however.

By: Gilbert Wham

Gilbert Wham — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 20:52:00 +0000

Fuck ‘em. And they’d better watch out for my goddamn wineglass as well, right-handed weirdo mutants.

By: Charlie Parker

Charlie Parker — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 20:46:00 +0000

I’m sure that this graphic would make a completely charming placemat.

Who sucks? Well, most people have some trait that irritates other people. But how can one engage a person in such a way that makes the experience at least reasonable for both? Practice.

By: Narmitaj

Narmitaj — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:24:00 +0000

I never sit next to the person that sucks!

Oh….

Wait a minute.

Maybe I am the person that sucks…

Actually I’m pretty good at getting the optimum seat in, eg, the 8-person rectable. (Then, assuming my suckitude, two people have to sit next to the person that sucks, plus one opposite, ho ho).

By: tw1515tw

tw1515tw — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:24:00 +0000

Derren Brown’s method of keeping the seat next to you free might also work.

As soon as you see someone you don’t like, you should smile at them as they approach and pat the seat invitingly.

http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/derren-browns-guide-to-overcoming-awkward-situations

By: ldobe

ldobe — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:18:00 +0000

I never thought about table positioning till now. I like booths, and I always take the interior side. Something about snuggling into a corner pleases my lizard brain. I guess I like the security of the impossibility of tripping a waiter or somehow falling over into the aisle.

By: Ian Wood

Ian Wood — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:09:00 +0000

I just never leave the house. Primates are difficult.

By: huskerdont

huskerdont — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:45:00 +0000

Completely opposite to my strategy, which is to sit on the end so as not to have to talk to too many f*ckers, and to have leg room and easy access to the restrooms. But there are terms for people like me…

By: welcomeabored

welcomeabored — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:41:00 +0000

Scenario: You’ve just been through the buffet line and you’re the first to sit down at a round table that seats 12. You’re wondering why you sat down at a table by yourself, because then it looks like you want to be alone, and why would you want that at a retreat… involving hundreds of yammering middle-aged women who only shut up long enough to sleep, and my assigned roommate didn’t even shut then… oh, nevermind… I should have just sat there and enjoyed the break in the conversation.

EDIT: Silence may be golden, but hindsight and regret can be such effin nags.l

By: Ian Fay

Ian Fay — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:22:00 +0000

Agreed. I’m always very careful to pick end or corner seats for that very reason.

By: Jeff Scherr

Jeff Scherr — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:21:00 +0000

It’s about time someone shed some light on this. 3 cheers

By: Christopher

Christopher — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:10:00 +0000

No mention is made of the difficulty for us southpaws to find seats in any of the rectangular configurations that don’t have us bumping elbows with whomever’s unlucky enough to be on the distaff side.