People

Today, the quiet room was pretty full, a little unusual for a Saturday morning, and I swear, people are the worst.

It started out with an older guy on his laptop watching videos at full volume. He eventually figured out how to adjust the sound, but only turned it down, not off. For a while, it was just mildly annoying: videos of big bands, screaming toddlers, etc.

Then a couple came in. It is never a good sign when a group comes into the quiet room and sits together. There is not a group on planet Earth that can sit side by side silently. These two were no exception. They started out with a whole conversation on where to sit, this empty table or the other one? Where can I plug in my phone? Have you seen this thing on my phone? It's funny, isn't it?

But then the old dude decides to watch a movie. A movie with lots of screaming in Japanese in the anime tradition. Nope. I scuttled over and quietly asked if he had any headphones. He said no and asked if he could borrow mine.

NO

I asked that he watch his movie outside. OUTSIDE the quiet room. He nodded and waved me away, then turned off his movie. He's still sitting there with the volume on, no headphones, and surfing. I'm waiting for a Fox News report to start blasting.

At least my intervention with the old dude got the couple to focus on their books. Now they're communicating through sighs and meaningful looks.

And, of course, the other two regulars in the quiet room were NO HELP. I hate people.