What's Your Filthy Habit?

For better or worse, we’re all human. And we all have habits that, without malice intended, annoy our significant others, roommates, spouses and family. With Third Eye Theatre Ensemble’s production of ‘The Filthy Habit’ opening at the Chicago Fringe Festival in two weeks, I thought I’d do research on a few ‘filthy habits’ that annoy others. If you are guilty of any of the following….do be, but don’t allow it to ruin your day….
 
Eating Noisily: At some point in life, I know we all have had to endure the noisy eater who manages to enjoy their food in a manner not unlike pigs slurping on their swill. Chomping, slurping, swallowing, burping and ‘Ahhhing’ after taking a sip of their drink. Ideally, you’d love to point out this habit, but you don’t. You just suffer through until they finish every….last….aggravating…..morsel on their plate.
 
Constant Use of Mobile Phones: I believe the art of conversation is becoming obsolete. I miss those days of just enjoying each other’s company without someone checking and looking down at their mobile phone for their latest text or tweet. A study asked people how they felt after their mobile phones were taken away from them for 24 hours. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read that they felt ‘anxious,’ ‘jittery,’ ‘restless,’ and ‘panicky.’ Look up from your phones friends; you can actually see your friend in person sitting across the table from you. Enjoy the time together!
 
Talking Too Much: There are just some people who don’t know when to stop talking. And you know that you are not really interested in what they have to say and feel it’s not a conversation because you can’t get two words in. To have a meaningful, interesting conversation, requires listening, not just speaking. Some people overlook this simple concept.
 
Not Responding to Texts/Emails in a Timely Fashion: All of us know someone that falls into this category. Reasons such as ‘I’ve just been so busy over the last couple of days’ or ‘I  just didn’t get the chance’ are too often cited excuses for the wall of silence. The non-responsive person usually doesn’t feel they’ve done anything wrong. Find the time to respond, even if it’s just a ‘Hey, got your message, things are crazy, but I promise I will get back to you.’ This would certainly appease any human being.
 
Well, this has been my rant on annoying habits. Third Eye Theatre Ensemble’s latest production is the short one act opera ‘The Filthy Habit’ by composer Peter Hilliard with libretto by Chicago’s own Matt Boresi. Third Eye is honored to produce the first opera to be a part of the Chicago Fringe Festival in the Jefferson Park neighborhood. The Fringe Festival is a 10 day celebration of theater with 50 acts from around the country performing over 200 pieces running August 31st-September 11th. Third Eye’s production of ‘The Filthy Habit’ is slated for three performances: Saturday, September 3rd at 7pm, Monday, September 5th (Labor Day) at 2:30pm and Friday, September 9th at 8:30pm. We will be at the CCJP Meeting Hall, 5320 W. Giddings.

Tickets can be purchased here: https://dime.io/events/the-filthy-habit/  Come out and join us for our first comedic production. It’s going to be a blast. Till next time….keep a song in your heart.

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