This happens to me all the time except I’ve never had galaktoboureko.
But whenever I’m in a big group at a table, I always manage to sit just on the break. So I’m constantly trying to be in one conversation, then when I realize that they aren’t paying attention to me, I try to squeez in the other one. To completly no avail.
When dining alone, I’ve been sat at a table and not have a waiter come for 20 mins so I just leave, a few times.
When I (alone or with a group) have turned invisible at a restaurant after dining, I have a great way of turning visible again. I make a big show of getting up and putting my coat on. That usually brings the waitron right over, check in hand.
Has never happened to me in a restaurant, but it used to be a problem in high school for me. I distinctly remember sititng in front of a boy (not directly in front, but I had to pass in front of him to get to where I was), and several minutes later he asks me how long I’ve been sitting there, having not noticed me sit down. And I also had other people tell me that they often didn’t notice me enter or leave a room.
Yet one more reason I’m glad to be out of there.
I also have a way of managing to sit just between two conversations at a table. Which really sucks when you’re eating three meals a day with anywhere from 3-20 people at a very long table. Not that I often manage to enter the conversation much if I manage to sit myself smack in the middle of it.
A few weeks ago there was an office party for everyone with a November birthday. I was the only guy in the room. Fred came in and said “Happy birthday, everyone! Happy birthday, Steph! Happy birthday, Edwina! Where’s Todd? Is he out today or something?” He was looking right at me when he said it.
This happens to me more often than I care to acknowledge. But anyway …
Harlan Ellison wrote a story about this, “Are You Listening?” The character in the story becomes so desperate that he resorts to punching people in the face, and they still don’t notice him.
Steve Martin also did a funny bit about this on one of his early TV specials. Steve walks up to a bunch of pretty young cheerleaders at a sporting event, and they don’t notice him. He tries to get their attention – “Hey, it’s me, Steve Martin! The famous comedian!” – to no avail. He concludes that he must be invisible, and vows to use his invisibility powers to fight crime and benefit society. Then we see cops removing from the women’s locker room in handcuffs. “Officers, you don’t understand. I’m invisible …”
Is it horribly wrong that I find several of these posts (particularly Khadaji’s) highly amusing?
Is it that the pain, too, is invisible?
I’ve never heard of this before. It’s never happened to me. Other than on occasions wherein I have a reasonable explanation…like old-school bartenders and waiters who prefer to “talk to the man,” i.e. my boyfriend, rather than to me.
I will say that even on those occasions, which are rare, I’m extremely annoyed and feel the urge to flap my arms around and say, “HI, HELLO! I’M SITTING RIGHT HERE! WOMEN CAN VOTE AND ORDER THEIR OWN DRINKS NOW! NO REALLY!”
Even when I’ve paid the check, and it’s obvious, I’ve had waiters/bartenders thank my boyfriend.
:mad:
So I can only imagine how frustrating it would be for this invisibility to be real. And frequent, rather than an example of out-dated thinking.
I wonder why…?
You are what we in the medical industry call a N.O.N. a “Naturally-Ocurring-Ninja”
The usual remedy is a loud-obnoxious shirt, a whistle, and no deoderant.
I’ve had that happen a few times. The most notable one was when I took in my record player for repairs - I was with a guy at the time, and the repair guy insisted on talking to my friend instead of me. Even after I made it clear that the damn thing was mine, he said, “It’ll be about $50” while looking straight at my friend. I should have made him pay for it.
Trouble is, I haven’t ordered yet. Don’t even get water!
I have it happen ALL the time. From sensor doors not opening for me when I stand under the sensor to bar staff at bars - will serve people on each side and behind me, just not me, to waiters, to people I order my sandwich from, to when I’m walking and people just walk into me. I’m 6" tall. It’s not like people can’t not see me 
But I do have a reverse invisibilty sometimes.
I live in NYC and there are many, let’s call them panhandlers, who will single me out of the great river of humanity flowing past them to request funding. It’s kind of freaky.
That might explain it right there.
You must be making eye contact with them for a split second too long! Are you from a smaller town? I read about the same thing happening to a guy from a small town moving to a big city, until he realized the eye contact thing.
Or maybe you just look like the type who’ll give a buck to a panhandler.
I think it’s the way he goes around singing, “I’m in the Money,” all the time.
I have similar problems.
Friends who completely ignored me in company being the most grievous. Those people are no longer friends. Once or twice, sure. But when I’m ignored on a regular basis, FUCK YOU.
Crouching in the book aisle of a drug store waiting for my antibiotics. Mom with two rambunctious boys corrals then directly around me (one on either side, her in back of me) and stands over me yelling at them. Is completely shocked when I stand up inches from her looking very unhappy.
I’m very used to saying “Excuse Me” in a near growl.
Well, I don’t know you, and I have never seen you, so please take this as it is being presented only – are you quite overweight? Especially in Europe, this is a major reason people ignore others. I noticed it would happen to me a lot when I was SMO – people just wouldn’t see me, as hard as it is to imagine not seeing someone who was literally bigger around than tall.
Whether this is or isn’t the case, my suggestion to you would be to start being the first person to order. When the server comes to the table, pre-empt them by saying “I would like to order <whatever drink> to start.” If you are ignored at that point, then perhaps standing up and walking out is in order. You are paying them to serve you and if they are ignoring you, then why on Og’s blue Earth would you want to give them your money?
I’m having such a crap day and that made me laugh out loud - thanks.
I was trying to convert for the non-metric people
6’ tall I mean, and average weight (in response to Litoris’ question).
i have come to believe all my clothes are made from material left over from cloaks of invisibility. it is the only explaination.
You’ve never had it? I’ve never even heard of it. Not being familiar with Turkish, I was forced to assume it was a recipe that fell backwards in time into the hands of a Montreal restauranteur from far in the future when Klingons cohabitated with the Japanese.
I’m avoiding eye contact with them. It’s weird. I am usually ignored by people trying to get my opinion or get me to sign a petition, so, it’s not so bad being invisible.