He Said/She Said with Robin and Shawn

Dear SSHS,
I went to a very fancy party at a gorgeous home (castle really) on New Year’s Eve. We were dressed to the nines. I was surprised when our host asked us to remove our shoes to protect the hardwood floors. Just wondering what you thought of that. –-Cold Feet in Alamo

She Said: Was there plastic covering the couches too? I know I’ll get heat from readers who live in lovely expensive homes with flooring from Brazil, but I think it’s bad form to invite people to a fancy party and then ask them to dress down when they get there. Shoes make the outfit in my book and if I’m going to go to that much trouble to gussy up, I like it to be from head to toe. No, I’m going to have to say, if you want to preserve the floors, adopt a no-shoe policy for the everyday traffic, but viva la high heels for high end parties.

He Said: There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a host asking her guests to take off their shoes when entering her house for a party. Yes it’s a little bit tacky, but good floors aren’t cheap to replace or repair. For a one night party, the host doesn’t want to be looking at her scratched up floor for the next few years. However, if guests are asked to remove their shoes, then the host should provide every guest with comfortable (not cheap!) slippers for the evening that they can take home with them as a party favor.

Dear HSSS,
I met a woman online and we really seemed to hit it off. She’s attractive and obviously smart, but our first date was a real disappointment. She was on her phone the whole time, snapping pictures of the meal and posting them, taking selfies of us, etc. When asked, she said she was a social media personality with lots of followers. There won’t be a second date, but is this the new normal?
–Old School in Walnut Creek

He Said: Unfortunately, this is the new normal and both guys and girls think it’s “cool” to be a social media butterfly. It’s actually VERY annoying that some people think their online personas are more important than real life and living in the moment. Most social media personalities don’t make a dime off all the time and energy they put into their efforts anyway. A date is supposed to be fun, spent getting to know the person you’re with. You’re definitely in the right for not giving her a second date.

She Said: If you’ve left the kids with a new babysitter, a friend’s about to go into labor, or an elderly parent may be in need of assistance, then by all means, leave the phone on the table, on vibrate. But outside of emergency situations, phones should not be out of purses or pockets during a meal. It’s common courtesy. Clearly this “smart” girl wasn’t taught that and probably isn’t getting a lot of second dates. Go find yourself a girl with class. There are still plenty of them out there.

Robin Fahr is a communications specialist and co-host with Shawn Shizzo on Conversations and He Said/She Said seen daily on Tri-Valley TV, Channel 30 and online at www.trivalleytv.org. You can also catch He Said/She Said on The Talk Pod. Send your questions to www.AskHeSaidSheSaid.com.