Speaking of NPR and manners. I was listening to The Story today and at the tail end they had a smaller story that a guy from Chicago had written in to share. They called him to get the rest of the story.

→[More:]

...While at a train station in Florence, he heard an American woman speaking loudly to the ticket agent. She commandeered John to translate. John obliged, sort of: he shouted at the agent in the silliest Italian-accented English he could muster. His performance earned him a standing ovation from the Italians, and a curt expletive [asshole] from the woman. Back home in Chicago a few years later, John ran into the same American woman, who got in his face as she had before. John rose to the occasion once again.

He said the woman pointed a finger about 2" from his face and said, "I know YOU!" He didn't remember her and asked her to refresh his memory, so she did. Then she gave him her business card. He said, "for what?" She said, "To stay in touch!"

He tore it up into 4 pieces, threw it over his shoulder and said, "ASSHOLE!" and walked away.

He said that the train ticket agent at the window was just being slow and seeming not to understand her b/c she was being such a bitch. After the guy made the request for her, the agent handed her the tickets he had already printed but was holding onto for torment purposes. :D

And it's cool that they're looking for more stories. I [heart] NPR!

http://thestory.org/yourstory/