I was out having dinner the other night in Manhattan when a super awesome diner reared his drunk head. My wife and I were sitting down to enjoy our meal and became aware of a “situation” at a near by table. It seemed drunky crow, old man booze hound was getting into an argument with, what was later to be determined as, his ex wife. Sweet. There is fairly constant uncomfortable arguing going on when old man awesome starts arguing that yes, in fact, he does have a trust fund. This is met with stern opposition from his plastic surgery laden ex. Clearly, she believed his trust fund was not a reality. We went back to our meal. When their check came it was discovered that although Mr. Super Awesome had yakked his first coarse of veal scallopini onto his plate, his ex was certain that he had not finished his rather expensive fish entree. Therefore he shouldn’t have to pay for it. I mean this is a logical thought right? I didn’t finish it, so I don’t have to pay for it. Clearly having a trust fund entitles one to many things, like this nice restaurant perk! At this point the restaurant staff is keen on getting this inebriated couple out of their establishment. On their way out, Mr. and Ex Mrs. Awesome share a private moment where they play tug of war with their umbrella. Isn’t love (and large amounts of booze, trust fund money, and awesomeness) grand? Sometimes I get the feeling that some New Yorkers feel very entitled to things. Often it is something that they assume they deserve and act very rude when confronted with the idea that they do not.

The Princeton Clubhouse is looking for a new marketing person. I thought, “hmm, let me check them out.”

I had no idea when I clicked on the link that this was a clubhouse with squash courts and rooms for you to stay in. What exactly is a clubhouse? Upon seeing the different facilities and services offered, I was reminded of several Seinfeld episodes where Jerry and the gang go and play squash or tennis. So pretty much it’s like a fitness club except much snootier seeming.

Who goes to Clubhouses in a recession? But then I thought about it and realized that people still workout during a recession, so why not be members of clubhouses too? And then I thought about it further and realized clubhouses are frequented by those who aren’t hugely affected by a recession, and even if they are, they are so rich that it won’t really have an impact on their wallet. And that is a good thing because the Clubhouse will employ someone who is most likely not clubhouse attendance caliber, but still benefit.

The exclusivity and House Rules drew me further in and I found it extremely fun to read through their rules. Here’s a sampling, but go to the site if you want to read them all.

Effective September 1, 2008

• Laptops and texting by cellular phone are permitted so long as they are silenced.

• Business Meetings, which require obvious use and display of papers, are disruptive to other members and are not permitted. A quiet business conversation among two or three people is permissible. Club employees have been instructed to call attention to violations and to request that the member conform to the rules. Members who refuse to remedy a violation may be escorted from the Clubhouse.

• No food or drink may be brought in from the outside for consumption inside the Clubhouse with the exception of members and guests consuming food or drink within their bedroom.

• No food may be brought into any Club sponsored events/programs when food is not furnished for the particular event/program.

• The Club’s address or telephone numbers may not be used on business related materials.

• The addresses and telephone numbers of members may not be revealed except with member’s permission.

• Working Press and members of the media are not permitted in the Clubhouse except by permission of management. Photography and audiovisual recordings of any kind are not permitted inside the Clubhouse except by permission of management.

• Club employees are not to be sent out of the Clubhouse by a member.

• Club management is empowered to enforce the House Rules on behalf of the House Committee.

• Dining Policies

  Papers and documents should be handled and displayed discreetly in dining areas, subject to the discretion of management.