u/handawanda

The French Quarter is crowded with renowned restaurants, but Ditka prefers to dine at an unheralded place in Metairie called Impastato's, out near a giant shopping mall and convenient to I10 and his long drive home. He usually agrees to eat in town only when he knows there's a parking garage near the restaurant.

Although Ditka has lived in the New Orleans area for more than a year now, he hasn't done any shopping in the city. "What?" he says. "You're going to go to a clothing store here?" He laughs. "You'll have to show me. Where?"

What about the upscale Rubenstein Brothers or Saks Fifth Avenue? Ditka shakes his head. "You go to Chicago and you go to Nordstrom's or some of those places that are just fantastic," he says. "Now, that's where you do your shopping."

I hate all the unnecessary emails --

• I'm available between 9 and 1, how about you?
  • how about 10?
    • that works; should I send the invite or you?

So when someone emails, "could you chat at 2:00 tomorrow?" -- I often just cut to the chase and reply with a Teams invite for that time.

Is that rude? In my mind, I see it as respecting everyone's time by cutting down on the unnecessary back and forth, but perhaps others see it differently.