in not wanting this woman to sit next to us

[notalone]

Very minor gripe but took DS to the cinema yesterday and we arrived about 5 mins before the film was about to start. The cinema was pretty empty and the whole front left section was free (about 8 rows of seats) so we sat at the back of this section. Just as the film starts a woman and her DD arrive and out of the whole empty section, sit in the seats next to us. The way this cinema works is you get asked where you want to sit, so why wouldn't you want to enjoy spreading out and having a whole row to yourself rather than choosing to sit right next to someone else in an otherwise empty section.

This also happenned on holiday last year. DP, DS and I went to Wales and found a lovely deserted section of beach to sit on, and another family proceeded to sit about 10 feet away from us on a beach that was otherwise empty for miles.

Sorry, I know this is very minor but was a tad annoying at the time.

I once went to the cinema and had the whole theatre to myself. It was a great experience.

Ivykaty - WTF were those people on lol.

Hey Wiggleit!! Was busy on another thread replying to you at the same time. Great minds think alike hey?!! xx

Surfermum - lol lol lol .You are so right. Maybe I do need to change my name as it is a bit apt!!

I am SO glad it is not just me who feels like this. I don't mind if there are no other places to sit but to sit next to someone else when the place is empty is just weird. I wouldn't mind if she had a reason eg DS of the same age, or wanting some conversation during the trailers, but none of those appied. She just wanted to sit near us. Grrrr!!!

Dragonbutter - the whole place? Literally? Wow - that would be fab!!!!

It was the first time i'd been to the cinema alone. It was an afternoon show, and in a cinema in the highlands.

I rustled my popcorn very loudly.
And farted.
And laughed very loudly.

It was very good fun.

(and yes, if a stranger had come in and sat next to me, i'd have found that very very odd)

Maybe she was scared of the dark .

I had a man on a train once insist on sitting in his allocated seat which happened to be next to me as he was scared of the ticket inspector telling us off if he caught us in the wrong seats. I ended up moving since it was absurd to crowd together when the rest of the carriage was empty.

There was a bloke who sat down next to me on a tube with lots of spare seats. He was giving me the creeps so I got up and moved. Then he got up too and came over and started kicking me

So quite often people who sit weirdly close to you are not quite right

oh dear

I've had people on the tube ask me for bits of my paper before now. Wouldn't have minded but it was a bit I hadn't read yet .

Mind I even found myself inwardly tutting at a crowd of people in the pub last night who walked past my table in order. I mean, how dare they??!

Yep - I think I'm pretty uptight about this too (I also get really with people who can't queue or use a pavement properly - but accept that's TOTALLY unreasonable ).

I've had various experiences like Mumcentreplus, having travelled long distances by bus and coach for years but am from the 'I'm damned if I'm going to move' school of interpersonal relations. Last time I just turned and glared at the guy, said loud enough for the whole top deck to hear "Is there anything wrong with that seat over there?" - No - "Well, f* off and sit in it then"!! It was only while he was grovelling a quiet apology as he moved that I realised he was foreign, and perhaps hadn't meant anything by it at all.

Does anybody remember that Ben Elton sketch 'Gotta get a double seat!' where he talks about the lengths he'll go to to make sure noone sits next to him on the train, including sticking a plastic dog turd on the the seat.

It goes back years now but it really struck a cord and I although I think I am a bit more tolerant now I would still get annoyed if someone sat right next to me in an otherwise empty cinema or train.

Yes Taipo! "double seat, double seat, gotta get a double seat" I still think of it every time I travel by train.

This happened to me and DH at the Big Chill festival - we were happily sitting right at the back of the field on a picnic rug. It was evening and we had both DS' asleep in buggies with us. There was loads of space around us and this family came up and literally lined their picnic rug with ours and sat down! We couldn't believe it.

And then what was even worse was that they started looking at us funny coz we were sharing a spliff. Felt like shouting at them Don't come and sit down next to us and then disapprove of our behaviour!! Except couldn't coz was a bit too stoned ...

I absolutely hate it when I'm browsing in a practically empty shop, and someone walks in and stands right next to me looking at the same items ..... drives me mad.