Permit me to rant for a few minutes.

I just returned from what was supposed to be a nice, relaxing dinner out on a Friday night. It was anything BUT.

First off, for some reason unknown to me, everybody and his brother chose the same restaurant. After waiting for a table to be cleared, we sat down to find we were surrounded by families with little kids.

Kids who couldn’t sit still. Kids who hollered and tossed food on the floor. Kids whose parents thought they were oh-so-cute.

Then I went to the restroom to wash my hands and found the door locked.

Locked.

This is a restroom with private stalls, not a one-toilet affair.

Who needs to lock the door when others could use the facilities and leave?

So we get our salads and try to eat amid all this confusion — people coming in and going out, busboys pushing cleanup carts down the aisles, loud talking, well, you get the idea.

A madhouse.

Just as our food arrives, a young dad at a table near us announces to everybody within earshot that the two kids with him have strep throat.

Strep throat, mind you.

Not a mere sore throat or cold.

Strep throat.

Now the interwebs say strep throat is contagious and caused by a bacteria. They also say people with strep throat need to be on antibiotics and should STAY HOME.

What part of that didn’t these idiots get??

Needless to say, my dinner was ruined, and we wasted good money for nothing, as I left most of my food untouched on the plate in an effort to get out of there FAST.

And the checkout guy dared to ask me how my dinner was.

Next time, I guess I’ll just stay home and eat kibbles with my Sheltie!