Venting
 

Hi All,

Ok, I just HAVE TO GET THIS OFF MY CHEST (note to all
men reading this--- get your minds out of the gutter!)

Friends of mine went to a family wedding this past
weekend on the east coast, and being the kind friend
that I am, I offered to watch their two small dogs at
their home. Their home is about an hour from me. They
left Thur AM; I had requested that they leave me a
list of instructions about the dog/house, vet's
number, etc. I got the vet's business card and a house
key--- oh well, how hard can this be, right?

I got there Thursday night and their nephew (my age)
was there, so I wasn't totally alone, which was nice,
being in a quiet house and all. I made the long trek
to work Fri AM Well
Friday night, I get to the house and turn the key in
the lock. I heard it click... but it wouldn't open...
I tried to jiggle the lock, rush the door (OW), bang
the door, rush the door again (OW OW OW), etc. Tap,
tap, tap... think, brain, think. So I had to drive to
where I could get cell phone reception and called the
nephew, who was at his restaurant job (thank goodness
he answered the phone!) He had a garage door opener
that I could borrow-- but I had to drive to his work--
40 minutes away! Lovely way to spend a Friday night.
Anyhoo, that solved that problem and I was able to get
into the house.

Saturday, I made plans with friends to go out in
Hollywood. They were to come to the house and we were
going to get ready together and then go hit the bars.
Well, around 8 pm, I went outside (wearing jeans and a
t-shirt) to grab the newspaper, and a gust of wind
appeared and SLAM!!! Locked out again-- no keys, no
cell phone, no SHOES!!! What's a girl to do? I knew my
friends weren't expected for another hour. I started
to walk down the street (barefoot) and came upon a
little old man walking his dog. He invited me to his
house to use the phone, where the local neighborhood
security company flatly refused to help me (Dog
Sitter) b/c my friends were not members of the
security patrol THANKS! So then I called AAA (I am so
glad I have AAA!) so they could break into my car,
where the garage door opener lay in plain view,
mocking me-- that would allow me to get into the
house. While AAA was getting into my car, my friends
showed up; they had alcohol. We drank out of
tupperware containers on the front porch waiting for
the blessed garage door opener to emerge from my car.
At last it did, and with the time it took for the
drama to settle and to get ready to go out, we had
only an hour and one drink each at The Standard. And
noooo eye candy in sight! I thought this was Saturday
night on the strip!

Sunday afternoon, I figured I would go home to do my
bills, grocery shopping, wash my car, laundry, etc--
all the things I had neglected over the weekend. I
received a phone call from my friends to let me know
when their flight was coming in and recommended I
bring one of their cars to pick them up. I said, "Oh,
I'm in Redondo, and I will pick you up in my car. The
luggage will fit." SILENCE.

"Oh, I assumed you would be at my house, watching my
dogs."

Pardon moi? Doth mine ears deceive me? "Um, actually,
I needed to do my personal errands today, but they
have food, and I walked them this morning."

Silence.... "Oh, I just assumed you'd by at my house,
watching my dogs."

Biting fist, trying to keep calm. "Ok then... see you
at the airport."

Fast forward to several hours later, stuck in horrible
airport security check point traffic, and finally,
meeting my friends to pick them up. We drove back, and
I parked.

Sarcastic--- "Hey thanks for watering the plants and
checking the mail."

Ok.... the same man who didn't give me a list of what
his house-sitting needs would be....

"I really appreciate that all of the plants are dead.
Thanks."

I whipped around. "Excuse me. You may talk to your
family members and business associates that way, but
you do NOT have that privilege with ME."

I know, I know. You're all thinking, "Go ADPiUCF, it's
your birthday..." but instead--- I got from him, "Will
you move so we can go into the house?"

Wow.

So we go into the house, and actually it is a pleasant
conversation. I sat down to watch TV with them, and I
was throwing a toy for the dogs to play with. I hit a
column and as the toy's stitching is loose (most of
the dog toys are actual stuffed toys), some little
beads flew out. "Could you NOT throw the toy against
the wall like that? You're just making a mess for my
wife to clean up."

Ok then. I stood up. "Sure. I'm going home now."

I'm sorry, I am not going to argue with a man in his
own house. Hungover, tired from traveling, whatever
his excuse, I will not be talked to that way. I think
what I am angriest about is that I got home (an hour's
drive, with Sunday night traffic-- by 11 PM) and his
wife, my very dear friend, calls me--- to see if I am
ok... because I was not acting "myself." Say what? If
you were ridiculed and made to feel like an
inadaquate moron all day, you might take offense to
this, too, and not buy into, "Oh you know he just
likes to tease and you shouldn't take it seriously."

I'm sorry-- I didn't know there was an inner lock on
the front door, which makes it virtually impossible to
get in from the outside, I was locked twice, I was no
given no instruction on the dog's going out habits
(like if your little dog can't be alone for 5 hours
b/c she has a nervous condition, tell me that and I
will work my personal weekend errands around it!!!),
emergency numbers outside of the vet, info on where
the mailbox was, plants-- if any-- to water, etc. I
may spend a lot of time with these friends, but I
don't live with them, and I did them a decent favor--
I did get a thank you, but I am so offended at the
husband's mean attitude that I could spit nails

Grrrr.... I sound like a dog, myself!

Thanks
for this spiritual cleansing opportunity :)

I'm mad FOR you! What an a$$hole that man is!!! It sounds like his poor wife has to make excuses a lot for the neanderthal, which is probably why she called you to tell you he was joking around (BTW, it doesn't sound that way to ME!)

I think that man is sadly lacking.

I would be mad, too!!

WHAT A CREEP! I'd smack him and tell him to eat ______! Preferably his dog's since he seems to be so concerned about it!

I put more blame on the friend, if she had any sense she'd say something to him....it's obvious you don't know this guy as well as you know her (or a friend that he could have found to housesit), she could should have mitigated between the two better when the conflict(s) started. Not bright.

The nerve of your friend's husband to treat you like this. He thinks he being funny, but from reading your post he isn't. I think they were both at fault for giving you poor instructions (neglecting the plants) and not giving you the key for that other lock. Some people can be such a$$holes.

http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/.../GCeekpink.gif

i think the man is right. you agreed to care for the pets, and instead, you managed to lock yourself out twice and get drunk.

LOL, thats funny because that is probably what the guy WAS thinking.

Not that he is right. Fuck Him. Oh and Fuck Your Friend Too. I'd give her some serious blow off attitude for a few weeks.

You were kinda irresponsible about the whole thing but unless they were paying you, you were still doing THEM a favor.

I would have let him have it when he gave me attitude. It was up to you to tell him he was a dick at that point.

If it really bothers you, tell him off anyway. You know you want to, lol.

You should sleep with him and break up their marriage.

-Rudey
--That would teach them!

Thanks for all the encouragement! It'll blow over. To clarify-- I left the dogs alone for less than five hours in order to complete my weekend errands. In a typical workday, a pet would probably be home alone for a much longer time than this. I've grown up with dogs, cats, horses, hamsters--- I felt well-equipped to care for two small dogs.

As for my being irresponsible, I don't understand how my friends not explaning that their door has a separate lock from the inside--- and my getting locked out twice due to their lack of explanation (it's not an apparent lock; the house is very old)-- is a case of irresponsibility. I feel my friends were irresponsible in not indicating what their needs would be while they were out of town, after I had asked them for a list of things about the house I needed to know. I never got this list. I am not about to water a plant that could turn out to be a valuable bit of desert landscape that can only be watered once a month, etc. Also, if someone would like you to do something, telling them directly is the best way to ensure it gets done-- not sarcastic quips that leave one with a hint of mystery--- Do you want me to do this or are you just getting a rise out of me? -- Regardless, I did this as a 100% volunteer favor to my friends, and I felt they handled it completely irresponsibly by not communicating with me and then the husband being very rude and condescending (I realize he likes to tease and was overtired from his trip, but there is never a good time to be rude, and you never treat a friend who has done you a favor like this-- in that horrid manner.) I won't be so quick to help them next time they go out of town. For the sake of our friendship. Thanks for the feedback and letting me vent.