⭐️ Come see us in ATLANTA on December 4th! Click here for tix and details! ⭐️
Saving Café Seats, Overstuffing Shared Fridges, Rescheduling Marathons, and More
Saving Café Seats, Overstuffing Shared Fridges, Reschedulin…
Etiquette, manners, and beyond! In this episode, Nick and Leah answer listener questions about saving café seats, overstuffing shared fridg…
Choose your favorite podcast player
Aug. 7, 2023

Saving Café Seats, Overstuffing Shared Fridges, Rescheduling Marathons, and More

Etiquette, manners, and beyond! In this episode, Nick and Leah answer listener questions about saving café seats, overstuffing shared fridges, rescheduling marathons, and much more.

Etiquette, manners, and beyond! In this episode, Nick and Leah answer listener questions about saving café seats, overstuffing shared fridges, rescheduling marathons, and much more. Please follow us! (We'd send you a hand-written thank you note if we could.)

Have a question for us? Call or text (267) CALL-RBW or visit ask.wyrbw.com

 

QUESTIONS FROM THE WILDERNESS:

  • Is it OK to save a seat in a café before going up to the counter to order?
  • What do I do about my roommates who stuff the fridge too full?
  • How do I tell a friend her driving is unsafe?
  • Should I reimburse my houseguests for a broken sink they fixed?
  • Bonkers: Rescheduling a marathon

 

THINGS MENTIONED DURING THE SHOW

 

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO...

 

CREDITS

Hosts: Nick Leighton & Leah Bonnema

Producer & Editor: Nick Leighton

Theme Music: Rob Paravonian

 

ADVERTISE ON OUR SHOW

Click here for details

 

TRANSCRIPT

Episode 193

 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Nick: Hey, everybody. It's Nick Leighton.

Leah: And it's Leah Bonnema.

Nick: And we got so many great questions from you all in the wilderness ...

Leah: [howls]

Nick: ... that we have a bonus episode. So here we go. Our first question is quote, "If I walk into a cafe that's starting to fill up, and the number of people in line is greater than the number of empty tables available, is it rude to claim a table by placing my belongings on it before the people ahead of me have had a chance to order? I think so, right? But what if there are precisely three people ahead of me and four tables available, and one of those tables happens to be my favorite? Am I okay putting my backpack down as a way of nabbing the spot I love most? I'd only do it knowing everyone is guaranteed a seat somewhere, but I still worry it's grabby and rude. And what if there's only one open table left and I'm the one who's been waiting patiently in line, then just before I place my order, someone comes in off the street and drops their stuff there. Can I say something? Does it change anything if it's a group of people and one of them sits down while the others order?"

Leah: I mean that just sounds like a Leah Bonnema panic attack.

Nick: [laughs] There's a lot happening in this question.

Leah: So much.

Nick: Like, there's a lot of different—it's a fractal. This is a fractal.

Leah: I love it because I see the brain at work, and it's very much like my brain when I'm in line where you're like, "Okay, what's the right thing? Oh, these people coming in, if I don't take the table, somebody else is gonna take the table. But it feels rude if I take the table." You know, it's just fraught with panic.

Nick: Okay, so what is the answer here? How do we reduce the anxiety of this situation?

Leah: My honest, real answer is ...

Nick: That's what we want.

Leah: ... in one's mind. It feels polite to be like, "I'm gonna wait in line until I get my stuff and sit down." But other people are not playing that same game.

Nick: Yes. This is the problem, that there are etiquette scenarios where doing the right thing ends up punishing you.

Leah: You will be punished. [laughs]

Nick: And it's sort of like, why should I be punished for doing the right thing?

Leah: And by you I mean me. [laughs]

Nick: No, anybody who's trying to do the polite thing. Like, actually related example: I was just in a coffee shop this morning, and I held the door open for someone so that they could walk in and not have it slam in their face. And what they should have done is then let me go first in line.

Leah: Yes.

Nick: And they did not.

Leah: Of course they didn't.

Nick: They cut me in line. And it's sort of like I did a nice thing by holding the door open, which is a world we want to live in, that's a society that we want. And instead of reinforcing that behavior, you have done wrong. And next time I'm gonna think twice. Well, I'm probably not. But, like, I would want to think twice and be like, "Oh, are you a bad person? Are you gonna cut me in line if I hold this door open for you?" And so this is similar. This is a similar situation.

Leah: It is. And I see it. You wait in line politely, and then somebody comes in, hasn't waited in line, puts her stuff down on the table. You lose the last table even though you were waiting and trying to be polite. And that's just—in this scenario, I feel like that's just how it's gonna happen, and so you're gonna have to instead go in, drop your stuff on the table and get in line.

Nick: Yeah. I mean ...

Leah: Or be fine with losing the table.

Nick: I mean, I feel like the official etiquette rule should be you only take a table when you need the table, which is when you have your food. And you shouldn't hold a table when you're not eating. I feel like it would be nice if we could all come to an agreement on this.

Leah: I agree 100 percent.

Nick: Because if we did it that way, there probably would be enough tables for everybody and, like, waiting times would be fairly minimal.

Leah: I agree. I'm also the person who's been waiting in line politely and not taking tables and then constantly losing tables and then being like, "Oh no, it's okay. I'm gonna stand in the corner with my plate and my computer and my phone and my drink and just wait." And then people sit at tables for hours and you're like, why am I following all the rules?

Nick: Yeah. No, why am I following all the rules? Yeah. No, I get that sentiment, and it does feel so disheartening because you want there to be some reward for being a good etiquette person. And sometimes there's not. Other than just your own satisfaction that you are still doing a good thing. [laughs]

Leah: This was an emotional crisis I reached this week for ...

Nick: Oh?

Leah: I'm so glad we got this question because this week I had this come up in multiple different scenarios.

Nick: Okay.

Leah: Where every time I did what I thought was the polite thing, and every time it was actually used against me.

Nick: [gasps] Oh, I don't care for that!

Leah: Me neither. And so I was like, I guess we're now going to ...

Nick: Never do the right thing ever?

Leah: ... start being a rule breaker? But then I also love being nice.

Nick: Yeah, I think you gotta play the long game when it comes to etiquette, and just know that in the end, when we take stock of it all, that being a good, considerate and mindful person is still in everybody's best interest.

Leah: I agree with that. I would like to rebel against it. I do agree with that. I personally, if I get a place and I'm waiting in line, I will wait until I have my stuff to sit down. But if I am coming in with somebody else, I don't have a problem with them sitting down and then me go getting their order.

Nick: That does feel different somehow, although if the idea is that we should not be holding seats when they're not being actively used for eating, the fact that there's a warm body doing that doesn't really make a difference. Like, if it's a coat or a person, like, we're still not using the table for its intended purpose.

Leah: Mmm, it does feel different to me.

Nick: No, I agree. It totally feels different. Absolutely. But I'm just saying, like, if we think of why we don't want to do that, which is like, oh, we're just taking up a table, not using it, like, the fact that a person is there, like, that doesn't change that fact.

Leah: It sort of feels to me like a movie theater. Like, you go in—and this is if the seats are not assigned, you go in and you get your seats with your friend, and then one of the person goes out and gets the popcorn.

Nick: Yes. I think Miss Manners says you can save a seat, but not a swath. So I feel like there is a degree. Like, a seat is fine, but once it becomes multiple seats and now we're taking a whole row, and you're the first to arrive and people haven't even left their house yet, like, there is some continuum upon which it is too far. And I guess this is up for grabs where exactly these points should lie, but I think there is sort of a difference between one seat and 50 seats.

Leah: Agreed. And then I think also, say we're in a busy cafe and we walk in, and we see there's one empty seat and then there's a person who's ordered who, like, obviously has their stuff and they're walking over to that table and we beeline to get in front of them, that's too far.

Nick: [laughs] Yeah. No, that's rude. Yeah.

Leah: That's very rude.

Nick: Or let's not shove them out of the way. Let's not flip over their tray.

Leah: We, like, throw our backpack to land on the table right before them. We're like, "Got there first!" That's an FSR.

Nick: Fair enough. Now should you say something? Should you say something?

Leah: I'm not gonna get involved.

Nick: Yeah, I'm not interested in that. Yeah, I think we're just gonna let that go.

Leah: I think we have to accept that that's a part of the—if we choose to wait in line and not claim a seat, it's a possible thing that may happen.

Nick: Now one final thought I did have was: etiquette is local, and etiquette does require on a group of people to agree on certain rules. And so if the society within this cafe is such that we agree, claim your table when you want at whatever point you arrive and that's fine, and everybody agrees that that's the rules inside of this cafe, then it does become fine. Like, there have been times where, like, I was in some situation where, like, everybody was just cutting in line, and if I just, like, waited in the queue, like I would actually never get inside. And it was sort of like, well, I guess we're just suspending etiquette rules. But it's like, no. Etiquette rules weren't suspended, they were just different in this context. This society of people has decided that we don't wait in lines. That's our etiquette. And so maybe the final thought here is that if it's a cafe where we just save tables first, maybe that's fine then.

Leah: I also feel, now that we're gonna list all the reasons why, besides me thinking that some people don't know that—maybe they came from a society where we're all doing that and they just didn't know. Which I always like to imagine that the person's not doing it maliciously. That way it feels easier.

Nick: Yes, for sure.

Leah: Is that maybe they had to sit down because they'd been standing for too long, or I have come into cafes where I was traveling. I had a suitcase, I had a backpack, I had, like, extra clothes and I had to put it down before I got in line. I just ...

Nick: Okay.

Leah: You know, you're like, "I gotta leave this stuff somewhere so I can move my arms."

Nick: Fair enough. Okay. So I think we covered all of the ways to approach this question and then some.

Leah: [laughs] I think the only thing that we came down really hard on is that we're not gonna bring it up if somebody comes in and jumps.

Nick: Yeah, I don't think that's a hill you want to die on. So I think we just let that go.

Leah: We just let it go and we think they—they had no idea and ...

Nick: Or they have a good reason for it, or it's not for us to question and another table will come along, and so we'll just wait. And in the meantime, we'll just text Nick and Leah all about it.

Leah: And then we will collectively vent against this person.

Nick: That's what we're here for. So our next question is quote, "I live in an apartment with two other roommates in Brooklyn. I've never met them before moving in, but they are both lovely people with whom I've become friends. The problem is our fridge and pantry space. I've lived in big cities with not a lot of space for a few years, so I'm well practiced at condensing my groceries and not buying what I don't need. My roommates, on the other hand, are the opposite. They have so much stuff that our fridge and pantry are constantly stuffed to the brim to the point of overflowing. A few months ago, our fridge was so full that it couldn't circulate air properly and we had to throw a lot of groceries away. While it was an aggravating situation for everyone, our fridge and pantry still remain packed, and I'm concerned we will end up in the same situation again. Plus, I would like to be able to take up my fair share of space. Thoughts?"

Leah: I feel like this is one of those polite-yet-direct, non-judgmental conversations where we're like, "Hey, I'd love to sit down and have a group chat. I think we all shop differently."

Nick: Yeah.

Leah: "So I'd love to talk about how we could divide the fridge in an even way."

Nick: Yeah, I think we just need a house meeting, and I think the tone is that non-judgmental, value-neutral. Yeah, that's gonna be your key to success here. Now I was thinking: is it too far to get a label maker?

Leah: That doesn't feel like the first step.

Nick: [laughs] Right? I do feel label makers are great. I have one—obviously—but it does feel a little aggressive, right? Maybe it's a little aggressive.

Leah: Everything I have from Nick has his name on it. [laughs]

Nick: [laughs] That's true. Actually, the microphone Leah's using right now in Los Angeles, thousands of miles away, does have a sticker that says "Nick" on it. [laughs] Just want to make sure you keep track of it.

Leah: Just want to make sure you know it's not yours. [laughs]

Nick: Right. I do need it back at some point, and so want you to know whose it is. Yeah. So label maker? Yeah, I guess it felt a little aggressive. Or color coded tape or some sort of line system within the fridge.

Leah: Could just be like, we each have a shelf.

Nick: Yes. I mean, I was thinking of that though. There are different shelves, and we have the crisper drawer. We have the door. Like, there's different zones in the fridge. But yes, I think some conversation that, like, "Oh, air circulation is important for the fridge to work properly and so we cannot have things shoved to the far reaches of every corner up against all the walls because then it doesn't work." And then, yeah, let's just, like, not shop at Costco. Like, why do we have so much stuff? It's New York City.

Leah: Well, I think shopping at Costco is a great way in New York City to save money because you go to a bodega and get two things for $30.

Nick: Sure. But, like, where am I gonna put 96 rolls of toilet paper in my house?

Leah: Well, I think the conversation is just saying, "We have different shopping habits."

Nick: "And your style is ruining everything."

Leah: But that part of the sentence is silent.

Nick: [laughs] Right. No, but I think we do often talk about these polite-yet-direct conversations, and we do talk about, like, oh, they should be value neutral and non judgmental. And if that was the only thing anybody ever took away from our show, that actually will solve 99 percent of all etiquette problems, I think.

Leah: And it's—it's not not hard. Like, it's definitely a thing that you practice.

Nick: Oh, I toss it out like, oh, this is super easy. Right. No, no. It takes practice. You have to psych yourself up for it. A lot of times even I have this problem: I think I'm using a value-neutral, non-judgmental tone. I'm trying really hard. Sometimes that is very difficult for me. I'm still working on it. It's a journey. We're all on a different path.

Leah: We're all so shocked.

Nick: [laughs]

Leah: I also—you don't want to come from a place of guilt, which is where I come from. Like, expressing your feelings, you shouldn't feel bad. Like, I'd be like, "I'm so sorry. Can I have a part of the fridge?"

Nick: Yeah. No, you should not ...

Leah: That's not what it is. It's not what it is.

Nick: No, don't feel guilty about having this conversation, because we all want to have fresh food. Like, we all have the same goal. So let's just work together to figure out how we can achieve our goals.

Leah: Yes! That's—let's work together to figure out how we can achieve our goals. I think that's a great way to close out your thing. It sounds so fun.

Nick: Yeah. There you go. So our next question is quote, "I'm going on a group trip with some old friends, and one of those friends has volunteered to get the rental car because her company has a large discount. The problem is that this friend doesn't normally drive and would be the primary driver on the car. A couple of months ago, we were on a road trip with this friend and let her take a turn driving my car. We went over 100 miles per hour, bouncing from side of the lane to the other side of the lane while she casually drove one handed at the bottom of the wheel. We've reminded her to slow down a couple of times, but every time she got engrossed in conversation and she quickly forgot, and resumed driving 40 miles an hour above the speed limit, narrowly missing the barrier multiple times between us and oncoming traffic.

Nick: "After about half an hour, we finally found a polite way to convince her to trade driving with one of us. We were truly fearing for our lives, but didn't know how to break it to her that she was a terrible driver, so we just avoided having her drive again. However, now she's insisting that she pay for this new rental car and drive on this upcoming trip as a favor to all of us. I feel like we finally need to broach the topic and let her know we just don't feel safe with her behind the wheel. I tried to politely offer to drive, but she refused firmly already. How can I approach this conversation? I don't want her to feel ganged up on and embarrassed that we've been feeling this way about her driving for months. But I also don't want to die. PS-I almost texted you two months ago about how to resolve this while I was in the hundred-mile-per-hour car ride, but I was too scared to look at my phone to finish the text."

Leah: I mean, this is a safety trumps etiquette.

Nick: Absolutely. I mean, that's what I wrote down. Yeah. Yeah. As a reminder: health and safety always trumps etiquette. Always, always, always. Do not put yourself in harm's way just for the sake of being, quote-unquote, "Polite." Like, don't do it. Don't go into that stranger's van because they ask you nicely. Like, just make sure you take care of your health and safety first, please.

Leah: And I've been in this position. I was on a road gig. It was me and two other comics, and the comic who was driving was a horrible driver. She would pull the wheel every time she talked, and the other comic and I sat her down and said, "One of us has to drive your car. We feel unsafe." And it just had to happen. I mean, it was that or get in an accident.

Nick: Yeah. I mean, what are your choices here? Die? Yeah. Let's not have that on the table as an option.

Leah: Let us not have that on the table.

Nick: No. And driving is a skill. It is absolutely a skill. I know I get rusty at it. You know, I'm a Californian. I love driving, love just taking the wheel, go out for a drive in the country, top down, good tunes. Love it. But I get very rusty. I don't drive—like, I probably only drive once a quarter at this point. And so, you know, the first couple seconds behind the wheel are like, "Okay, right. This is how this goes." Yeah, you get rusty. And so yeah, like, not everybody's good at it.

Leah: Well, this person also seems like a casual driver. They're going a hundred, they're—they're ...

Nick: Yeah, this is not 10 and 2.

Leah: They're holding the bottom of the steering wheel.

Nick: Yeah.

Leah: It's just—I mean, this is just one of those conversations that ...

Nick: Yeah. Like, there's no easy way to have it other than I think just have it, which is just like, "Hey, Lisa. Thank you so much for getting the rental car. I don't think I feel safe with you driving. Would it be okay if me and this other person drove for this trip?" And I think we just say that. It's not a negotiation.

Leah: It's not a negotiation.

Nick: "I don't feel safe with you driving. Would it be okay if one of us drove?"

Leah: Or you could say, "I really appreciate you offering to get the rental car. I want to drive. It's how I feel safest."

Nick: Okay. Interesting. I like that at first blush. Yes, "I feel safest." Could we have an objection to that? Could Lisa say something which is like, "Oh, the rental discount is only when I'm the driver."

Leah: Well then I would say that I'm gonna get—then I'm gonna rent my own car.

Nick: Okay. I mean, I feel like we do need to just let Lisa know that her driving is unsafe in our opinion.

Leah: Yes. I feel like this was another way to walk into it, but I guess ...

Nick: [laughs] Right. But I think we're gonna end there.

Leah: ... we're going to end there anyway. So ...

Nick: Yeah. So I feel like it's just easier to start with that. And I think a one-on-one conversation, I don't think we need to make it like she walks into a room and all the friends are sitting there in chairs and be like, "Come in, sit down." And, like, I don't think we want that vibe. I think it's more of a, "Hey, I've been thinking about this upcoming trip. I don't feel safe," etcetera, etcetera. And I think we just, like, one-on-one, in-person or on the phone kind of conversation. I think that's what we do.

Leah: I also think that somebody's driving, it's actually—it feels hurtful to say this to our friend, but—and maybe they'll be mad at you for a little bit, but it's actually very dangerous. And they should think about their driving.

Nick: Yeah. Oh, that's a good point. Yeah. I mean, you're actually doing them no favors by hiding this information from them, because they are clearly not aware of the danger that they pose to themselves.

Leah: And to other people.

Nick: And to other people. Right. And this person probably drives at other times not with you and, like, not knowing that they're driving is a concern to you and other people, like, this is actually information they should have.

Leah: And even if it's hurtful, it's—it's a danger.

Nick: Yeah. I mean, I think a little bit of hurt feelings is better than, like, a serious accident.

Leah: And I hate feeling like I'm being rude, but that's not rude. You're just being responsible.

Nick: Yeah. So just as a reminder: health and safety always trumps etiquette.

Leah: Always.

Nick: Always, always, always. So our next question is quote, "I have a modest second home in a popular New England beach town. A couple of months ago, my sister's best friend and her husband were looking at hotels for a weekend getaway in the town, which can be quite expensive. And I offered for them to use our house, which they did, and they very much appreciated it. The last time we were at the house, we had turned off the water before leaving since we knew we wouldn't be back for a couple of months. Unfortunately, when these guests turned the water back on, they noticed a leak under the kitchen sink.

Nick: I insisted several times that they just leave it and enjoy their stay as we were gonna be at the house the following week and we would take care of it. The husband, who is a part-time contractor, went out and bought a new faucet and fixed it anyway, telling us that it was no problem. I asked multiple times how much it was gonna cost and got no response. When we arrived at the house the next week, we found the receipt for the faucet on the counter along with a box it came in. I believe they left it just in case anything went wrong and not as an invoice. My question is: do we pay them back the $120 for the faucet, or do we consider it a wash for the money that was saved for them not getting hotel, which would have been much more expensive? Of note, they did give us a bottle of wine and a few outfits for our newborn son as a thank you. What are your thoughts?"

Leah: My thoughts are that they were just trying to do something nice as a—as a thank you for having them.

Nick: Yes. My initial thought is, oh, these are great houseguests and you should have them back.

Leah: [laughs] Yes. Yes.

Nick: But I was thinking about this this morning, because I've been thinking about this the last couple days. I was like, is it that? Is that all it is? Is there anything else? And it did bother me that we did ask, oh, how much do I owe you for the sink? And you didn't respond at all. I don't like that, because now you've made me wonder. And I don't want to wonder. I wanted you just to say "No, no. Don't worry about it. Thank you so much for the great house. We had a great time." I needed something there.

Leah: Hmm. That's a very good point.

Nick: Because you didn't respond, and then you left the thing on my counter. And it's sort of like, what am I supposed to do with this information?

Leah: Yeah, it didn't actually hit me that part of it until you just read it out loud right now.

Nick: Right?

Leah: Because it's the "I asked specifically how much it cost and then ..."

Nick: It feels like there's a darker layer here. Yes. Yes. So I don't know if it's just me trying to find conspiracy, but it does feel like there was an opportunity that was missed. And I don't like that part.

Leah: So then if, say for example, say hypothetically ...

Nick: Okay.

Leah: ... that was true.

Nick: Right.

Leah: Should our letter-writer then take another path, and just taking it as a thank you?

Nick: At this point we asked, we got no response. It's a thank you. It's a wash. It's over. I don't think we pursue this further. We're not gonna, like, send them a check. Like, it's done. It's probably a gift. I believe that's probably the fair interpretation based on the available evidence to us, but I think it would have been nice had the houseguests acknowledged firmly, affirmatively, clearly, "Oh, no, don't worry about it. Happy to have helped. And I'm just leaving this on your counter as an FYI. Or if you need the receipt, let me know I have it. I'm not even gonna show you the bill." Or I guess leaving the bill out is okay had we had the conversation, which was like, "Oh, no, totally on me. Don't worry about it. But I left the paperwork just in case you needed it." And just to tell you that.

Leah: Also, it would be weird if you said, "Please don't do that. I'll take care of it." They went out and did it and then ...

Nick: Oh! Oh, I didn't think about that part. Yes, you went against my wishes.

Leah: And then you did it anyway. And then you're like, "This is how much it costs."

Nick: Because also maybe I don't like the faucet you went and bought, so now I actually have to remove your faucet and put a new one in.

Leah: The only part that makes it a little confusing is in the middle is that our letter-writer said, "Let me pay you back."

Nick: Right.

Leah: And then they didn't respond.

Nick: But I think this is a good point that, like, "I said, 'Oh, don't worry about it,' and you did it anyway."

Leah: But, like, if I was at your house and I fixed something, and you told me not to and I did it anyway?

Nick: Right?

L And then I was like, "Also here's the bill." It would be ...

Nick: [laughs] Right. I mean, we might be reading too much into it, but this is not outside of the world of possibility. Right. Right.

Leah: I think they just did it as a—wanted to help.

Nick: They did a nice thing. Yeah.

Leah: They wanted to help.

Nick: Our default setting should always just be don't assume malintent. They tried to do nice things for you—it was a nice thing by all intents and purposes. And we just leave it at that. But I think in the future, I don't think we ever want to ignore people. I don't think we want to ignore people. And actually, I do get that instinct, which is sort of like, "Oh, I'm gonna ignore your request to pay me because, like, oh, I don't want you to pay me back. And, like, so it's no big deal. And so I actually want to just ignore the fact that you tried to pay me." And somehow, like, in their mind it was like, "Oh, that's more polite to not respond to that." But I think by doing that it actually created this ambiguity, which was a little rude.

Leah: That's a very good point. I recently got something for a friend. I bought tickets for something, and they were like," How much do I owe you?" And I thought I had made it clear no money, you know? But then they asked again, and I was just gonna leave it and not respond to be like, "No, you can't—" but then I just said, "No, no, I got it. It's a gift."

Nick: Yes. We need that. We need that. Because if you continue to ignore it, then it's sort of like, "Do I still owe her money? Now I have this debt on my books that needs to be paid. Like, what do I do with this?"

Leah: But I think that's such a good call on your part. That is an initial instinct where you're trying to be like, "No, no, no," but that you have to say it out loud.

Nick: You do need to verbalize that. Yeah. So I love that we took a seemingly simple question where everybody just was nice and polite, and then saw a dark side which may or may not be actually there.

Leah: I don't think it was.

Nick: [laughs] Probably not. But it's fun to fantasize, I guess.

Leah: [laughs] That's Nick's fantasy: malintent.

Nick: [laughs] Right. And unfortunately, that's often my reality. But our next thing is a bonkers.

Leah: Bonkers!

Nick: Which is your opportunity to share a bonkers etiquette story, something that's bonkers. And let me tell you, these are the highlight of my inbox.

Leah: [laughs]

Nick: I'll be, like, in line somewhere. I'll be on the subway, and one will pop up on my phone and they're just so delightful. Like, I love it. So if you have a bonkers etiquette story for us, please send them in. We love them, we will be sharing them with everybody. So here is one. Quote, "I was training to run a marathon, and told a friend that I was running it on a certain date. And she said, "Really? That doesn't work for me. Can you run it the following week so I can come and cheer you on?" It was a marathon, so no, I was not gonna run 26.2 miles on a date that suited her. Needless to say, she didn't show up on race day and I didn't talk to her for a while after that."

Leah: What? "Can you run a marathon by yourself on your own day so I, the person standing on the sidelines who have done nothing for you ..."

Nick: "Yeah, that doesn't work for me. No." [laughs]

Leah: What? What?

Nick: I mean, what do we do with this? What do we do with this? Like, how do you respond to that?

Leah: I feel like my face would just—I would do that thing where my mouth kind of drops open and I do a little tilt of the chin, and then I just go, "What?"

Nick: What? Yeah. Sorry, no. So I love this.

Leah: I would love to imagine the amount of things this person has asked people to reschedule that has nothing to do with them.

Nick: "Actually, your New Year's Eve party? Not gonna work for me this year, So can you just move that a couple of days? Either way. One or two days is fine."

Leah: I imagine they do it with like—"You know, I want to go to this place, but I'm hoping they could, like, move Disney World because I don't want to fly, and I'd like to go somewhere I can drive to."

Nick: Yeah. "The weather in Rome in July is just too hot. Can we move the Colosseum? Would that be possible? Can we just move it?"

Leah: [laughs] "Can somebody get on that, please?"

Nick: "Yeah, just move it. Just a couple hundred miles north. That's all."

Leah: "Thank you!"

Nick: "Thank you. Thank you so much." So this is bonkers and delightful. So thank you for sharing this with us. If you have a bonkers story for us, please share it with us. And if you have questions or a vent or repent, we'll take it all. Send it to us through our website, WereYouRaisedByWolves.com. Or you can leave us a voicemail or send us a text message: (267) CALL-RBW. And we'll see you next time!

Leah: Bye!

Nick: Bye!