embarrassed to say i was looking for ideas...

I have found that I am a bit of a post-COVID-curmudgeon. Some social obligations I once took on happily now feel like a bit of a chore. Is it only me?

Oh, I was looking for ideas, too! A dear friend has her in-laws visiting for a few days and has secretly called me a few times in desperation.

Mtn, I've become a post-COVID restaurant curmudgeon. The other day, I met a friend for a $90 lunch that I could have most happily made at home with conversation at a normal decibel range. When did restaurants get so noisy? And what's with the sudden obsession with rose wine?

That seating area above, though, Gizmo, makes my knees hurt looking at it.

What, y’all didn’t get any ideas from gizmo’s pic?! I’m ashamed to say I did.

When did restaurants get so noisy? And what's with the sudden obsession with rose wine?

Where I live, noisy restaurants and rosé have been a thing for a long time. I happen to like rosé, but the noise level in some places is just terrible. This is a good article on the subject from a few years ago: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/11/how-restaurants-got-so-loud/576715/

Feathers, ridiculous decibel levels is one of the reasons I stopped going out. You go out with friends to talk and not have to cook and clean up dinner. You want to relax. So if you take the talk and relax part out, and end up shouting or listening to other people's loudness amplified by the acoustics of the room, sitting under the air conditioning and freezing, etc., and given the trend in ordering takeout that was emerging even before the pandemic, well, then yes, I can see it. Hubs and I long ago decided we prefer to entertain at home due to no nice places to go out to eat nearby. The few that we have keep closing.

I was prepared to recommend my "go to" resources that I have often lent to friends, the book, "Dealing With People You Can't Stand" by Rick Brinkman and Rick Kirschner. Applies to a lot of social situations as well . . .

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Edited to add that I finally got the "rose" part. A favorite wine of my parents and I back in the day, but for a while it was so passe that you couldn't find it anywhere. I expect soon commercials with the theme, "This is not your parents rose!" I had some at a wine tapas bar two years ago and only got it because it was so unusual to find it on a wine selection. It was superb, not like the cheapo rose I remembered from my youth. I wanted to get a bottle, but it was 40 bucks. Not gonna happen in my world, not spending that much on something to quickly drink away. But anyone seeking ideas for a Christmas gift for me . . .

Rose because it’s light and pretty.

Restaurant noise level is a pet peeve with us. there are places we dont go simply because of the noise level. my husband believes in The Hard Rock Cafe business model: lots of noise makes it seem exciting and turns tables..

ever since america got beyond lancers and sutter home, i love drinking pretty rose. especially between 3:00-7:00 April thru october.

I haven't liked eating in restaurants for years. I'm always skeptical of the cleanliness.

Now I just have a better excuse to decline.

And I didn't quite get that photo at first - until the seating was pointed out. Think maybe it's for small people - small young people? I can picture myself perched on the edge of a seat there with my knees higher than my hips - not too relaxing.

Or might it be a trick of the photo and the seat's higher than it looks?

It looks very squatty and deep. I love squatty seating. It's wonderful to be able to put your feet flat on the floor while seated and I can't do that in many restaurants. But....there's no back to that bench.

Overall I think this is the type of seating where you're seated on the floor, but more comfy. Sort of casual Moroccan. I like it.

“embarrassed to say i was looking for ideas...”

LMAO! Since being vaccinated I’ve only had people over once—Easter dinner. Not sure if it’s Covid laziness or getting old but the planning, shopping, cooking, cleaning—-it’s exhausting.

Re that table in the OP—-I might be able to sit down, but getting up would surely be a dicey proposition. I’ll leave it to the teens.

I was imagining someone passing the salt and getting beaned by the "lamp" or whatever that is hanging over the table falling on them and impaling them. Yes, I do have a few imaginary candidates for that fate . . .

I do love rose, but we went out to eat last night for our anniversary (36 years!), and oh my the noise. Idk if I’m just not used to it, but it really detracted from the fun night out.

I've been the person that had to be entertained that wasn't liked.

Joseph, I’d happily invite you over and not expect you to tell me if my counter seam looked ok. 😄

Joe, Try bringing a bottle of this:

I'm not an oenophile, so it may be total junk. But I had a guest bring it and I liked it. $16,

I had to google oenophile because I’m not one. I thought it might be,”Person who knows about 8-track tapes from 1972, specifically ”Summer Breeze” by Seals and Croft”.

Being very short -- and I mean less than 5' -- that seating arrangement looks right-sized to me.

I used to work with a woman who was an amateur flamenco dancer. She commented that my sitting on the edge of the chair was something that the flamenco crowd did. Now I tell myself I do it out of affinity for those artists rather than being able to have my feet on the floor.

Edited to add: I love the combination of the rug and tile.

“I have found that I am a bit of a post-COVID-curmudgeon. Some social obligations I once took on happily now feel like a bit of a chore. Is it only me?”

NOPE! For only the second time post-vax I am hosting one overnight with my BFF and husband. No one else has been in my home.

I guess we are the outliers here—- we managed to entertain several times during the pandemic with an elaborate system of testing and quarantining, and since we’ve been vaccinated have had golf weekends, family weekends, two dinner parties and have been to others homes several times for cookouts and brunches. i could not WAIT to get back to our normal life. i continued to sing with pur choral society from last September (specially made singers’ masks, 10 feet apart, small sectional rehearsals, streaming and outdoor concerts until our last, in person one with an orchestra in May!) and not one singer contracted Covid. We ate outside on the terrace at the golf club once a week as the kitchen and wait staff were tested weekly. Our street had fortnightly outdoor cocktail parties, westher permitting, and we celebrated birthdays, had a Halloween party and several Christmas events all outdoors. We are finally back to church and i have to say that finally receiving the Host from a priest’s hands almost brought me to tears.

There are a scant handful of restaurants in our small town that I like, certainly nothing resembling fine dining—they are all very casual. Virtually all our entertaining is done at home or at the golf club whether casual or formal.

I entertained last summer on our screened in porch with plans made for social distancing of the guests, but it was problematic here in MI. The weather ended up being cold and damp--in August! We can't entertain outdoors even though we have a big nice yard, unless in the middle of the day. The rest of the time given over to the mosquitoes, and in peak season, the whole dang day. I wear protection of course, but difficult to protect guests--like maybe everyone gets a complimentary bottle of Deep Woods Off upon arrival? I'm not going to do a massive random pesticide spray, (plus that stuff is irritating on nasal passages, I know because everyone in my neighborhood sprays) and I've tried citronella candles. But then even with that, it might rain . . . I'm anxious to entertain more but going to have to give my home a rethink with an eye towards group gatherings. It's not necessarily designed for that, it's a cottage type home. We were already kinda doing that before the pandemic, but now post pandemic, like a lot of curmudgeons, I'm wanting to be more selective of who I share my space with and how. Not because of virus concerns, just a desire to keep my personal space conducive to my health, both physical and mental.