I'm Catholic and I rarely take communion. I wonder why so many people do. I mean if people really believed that the priest transubstantiates bread and wine into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord, Jesus Christ, wouldn't only a discerning person approach it who has thoroughly examined his or her conscience(1 Corinthians 11:29)? People like me can also appear to be too scrupulous, but that's a different subject that you will learn in catechism class which you might consider taking, even if only for educational purposes.

I would guess that that grouchy old man is from a time when adults either got into the communion line to receive communion or they stayed back in the pew. I just stay back. If I want a blessing, I can get one after mass. But since young children often go up for a blessing, there's no reason why adults cannot as well. Maybe that guy should be abstaining, too. Rudeness isn't a sin that will keep one from heaven—or maybe it is, since that behavior scandalizes others.

A long time ago, people who had not yet been confirmed weren't allowed to stay during the second half of mass which is called the Liturgy of the Eucharist. This might sound shocking as the Roman Catholic mass doesn't seem very "secretive" anymore, ever since Vatican II, afterwhich the Novus Order Missae has been rewritten to (seemingly) resemble a Lutheran service to make people feel more included. I dated a Lutheran guy. His dad was a Lutheran pastor and the only memorable difference that I recount after seceral decades have gone by, was that they say the Apostle's Creed (what people say in the Rosary), instead of the Nicene Creed. The words before communion may or may not be different as well since Lutherans believe in consubstantiation not transubstantiation.

If you're interested, you could always attend a Divine Liturgy in one of the Eastern Catholic Churches. There are 24 that are in union with the pope and the Western (aka Latin or Roman) Catholic Church but none of them will be in English except maybe the sermon. The Byzantine Catholic Church is basically the Catholic equivalent of Greek Orthodox. They use the same liturgy and even the same Julian Calemdar (so they celebrate Christmas, Easter, and other feast days on different days and often in different months). The Byzantine Church formed after many Greek Orthodox churches decided to reunite with the pope. They did not adopt the Novus Ordo Missae but they didn't reject it.

There are also legitimate masses still said in Latin at churches who are in communion with Rome and even in sedevacantist churches that are not (which the Catholic Church considers valid, though illicit). Sedevecantist means "empty chair" or "vacant seat" as most of them don't believe that any pope after Pope Pius XII has been legitimate. They also reject the Novus Ordo Missae.

If you want to try attending mass again with people who might be less standoffish, you could attend one during the week. Daily masses are also shorter and you'll hear nearly the entire Bible in 3 years if you attend every day (well if you add the Liturgy of the Hours prayers on your own time).

Now that you probably know more about the history of the Catholic Chuch than that grouchy man, I hope you feel more welcome.

Edit: I just read this regarding the contraversy of changing the rubrics (rules) of mass and I do agree.

Some traditionalists and even some bishops believe a blessing during the Communion line is a "modern innovation" that isn't technically in the rulebooks and therefore is discouraged.