I can't freakin' stand people who "pop in". IT'S MIDNIGHT, ASSHOLE!

[Blue-Jay]

I just nearly stabbed two of my friends in the head. They just dropped by my house at fucking midnight without notice. It's not like I wasn't awake or that I'm going to bed anytime soon... Yet somehow, they figured that it would be OK to disturb one of my few "Alone Fridays".

"Alone Friday", some perspective: I play in a band that stays VERY busy. I'm talking 2-3 gigs per week. It's so rare that I get a Friday night to myself, that I really cherish them. AND these assholes decide to just show up at MIDNIGHT to see if I want some fucking company!

To top it off, I had just gotten home a little while ago after a busy day/night, and found out that they had "dropped by" earlier, discovered that I wasn't home, and proceeded to sit on my porch and drink beer for over an hour. They left to find a restroom, I came home, AND THEY CAME BACK!

I don't even like when people "pop in: during the daylight hours without calling.

They still didn't "get" that I was annoyed until I said "Would you two PLEASE. GO. HOME?"

I'm not a hermit by any means, nor am I a misanthropist. It's just that I'm no longer a 20 year old college kid (I'm 37) who has an open-dorm-door policy.

How difficult is it?

1) Call first (preferably before 10:00)
2) Stay away, unless you're invited.

Easy.

I need some new friends.

[Pale_Rider]

1. As long as you have friends available ...

... I guess it doesn't matter.

[Blue-Jay]

4. It *does* matter!

I appreciate that my friends enjoy my company. (thus being considered "friends", I suppose)

However...

DON'T POP IN ON ME AT MIDNIGHT. (or at all. call first)

Be polite.

[Pale_Rider]

12. Hear ya ...

... since I one time felt the same way. Though I usually cordially invited them in. Maybe have a beer with them and promptly made apparent that I was elsewhere (by feigning passing out, or making motions that soon I would be soon passed out).

Later on in my years, I kinda now missed those friendly intrusions seeking my company. Though now with family, my wife will deal with any late-hour interlopers. :evilgrin:

[NightTrain]

2. Thankfully, my friends and I have all outgrown that shit.

I'm 38 and my friends are all in the same age bracket.

[Catherine Vincent]

3. I don't like people that do that either.

They should have the courtesy of phoning first.

[Blue-Jay]

6. Right!

On phoning:

Pre-11:00 PM - ring ring ring... "Hello?"

Post-11:00 PM - ring ring ring... "WHAT?!?!"

[Pirate Smile]

13. Post -11:00 - ring ring ring - panic, "who died?"

[eyesroll]

17. Sums it up pretty well for me...

Unfortunately, my father-in-law has a bad habit of calling in the wee hours of the morning -- "Oh, I thought I'd catch you before you went to work." Still scares the crap out of me.

[stupid grin]

Yeah, well, I'm a moody, hungry, pregnant crab.

Screw the eggos, I would have eaten *them* for my midnight snack.

[Blue-Jay]

7. Welcome to DU MKG.

I seem to remember another poster who had "Maine" and "Girl" as a part of their sign-on....

[TexasBushwhacker]

5. Shut the blinds and don't answer the door

That's what I do. Frankly, I don't answer the door to anyone I'm not expecting after dark. If they bang on your door late and you don't want to encourage "drop ins", ignore them. If they complain later that they banged on your door and you didn't answer, tell them you had your headphones on, or that you were in the bathtub, and take the opportunity to remind them to call first.

[Blue-Jay]

10. Unfortunately,

Door-knocks don't have caller ID. I always answer.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

8. I look out the peephole, make sure whoever is there

isn't suffering from an emergency, then I refuse to open the door.

How old are THEY, anyway? We are in our mid-30s and if our friends just popped the hell over at midnight we'd say "What the HELL were you thinking?"

Actually I'd probably open the door because any friends of ours showing up THAT late WOULD be having an emergency!

Glad you told them to go home.

[eyesroll]

9. So can I come over? I'll be there around, oh, 8 a.m. or so...

Yeah, I hate uninvited guests. Hell, half the time, I hate invited guests.

[Blue-Jay]

18. At least you announced yourself.

Let me clarify: A surprise visit from someone that I rarely see is always welcome. A suprise visit from people who I see all the time is an invasion.

[Susang]

11. You need some new friends?

Because they seek you out and actually wait hours on your porch for you to get home?

We all should be so popular.

[Blue-Jay]

14. It's not a question of being "popular"

I'm not popular. I just have a reputation of being a sucker.

[Susang]

16. I don't follow you

How is having friends camped out on your stoop, waiting to see you, being a *sucker*? :shrug:

[Blue-Jay]

19. Because.

Having people camped out on the porch in the wee hours of the night is creepy. Had they called and asked me if I wanted to "do something", I'd at least have had the option of saying "yes" or "no".

I'm a sucker because I usually cave when I'd rather just be left alone, and they know it.

[Susang]

"Okay."

Sheesh, what a grouch.

[jpgray]

27. I'm with Jay on this one

If I've had an exhausting day and want nothing more than some peace and quiet, I'm not going to respond favorably to a crowd of my friends showing up uninvited ready for drinking and hellraising.

[Susang]

31. Then you're a grouch too!

:P

[jpgray]

32. So I'm told

:D

[Susang]

33. Now if you'll excuse me...

It's 12:30AM here in Chicago and I have a friend I have to go surprise! }(

[Magrittes Pipe]

15. You should have killed them.

I'd testify on your behalf. I'd say you're fuckin' crazy.

[frylock]

20. look at the bright side..

at least they left to find a restroom! Don't you have any shrubbery around the house?

[Blue-Jay]

23. Neither of them are the type to pee on the shrubbery.

They're both women. Logistics.

[Catherine Vincent]

21. Btw, you should return the favor some night in the near future.

Let them see how it feels.

[Blue-Jay]

22. Not gonna happen.

I'm polite, and I can't be bothered to annoy someone just to make a point.

[blackcat77]

24. The Porch Light Rule

If it's on, you're accepting visitors, if it's not, you're not.

Used that back in my bachelor days.

[eyesroll]

25. Only works if your neighborhood doesn't expect you to have the light on

every night.

Still--I guess that's the adult equivalent of hanging a tie or a scarf on your dorm-room door?

[Blue-Jay]

28. Bah!

The adult equivalent is simple:

1) Call before you come over
2) Don't call after 11:00 (negotiable) unless someone has lost a limb
3) If someone has lost a limb, it had better be someone who I like

[eyesroll]

30. I like your version better.

</removes scarf from doorknob and turns the porch light on like the neighborhood wants>

[prolesunited]

26. Who was it, sweetie?

Me and Skittles will KICK THEIR ASS! :-)

[Blue-Jay]

29. It was my cat-sitter and another acquaintance.

Apparently, they were bored and not providing each other with a sufficient amount of entertainment.

[saracat]

34. I don't mind the drop ins and I am a night person

(from my theatre days!) but I hate it when they don't leave ! I have a girlfriend that will arrive and stay for dinner and then stay all night watching the sci fi channel! I have even gone off and left her and it does no good. My husband and I have both left her alone and there she sits. Sometimes she falls asleep! Next time I'm going to throw her out!