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Original poster

To take bets on how late my friend will be

36 replies

FermezLaBouche · 09/08/2012 10:48

Disclaimer: this is a lighthearted thread started only to prevent me working myself up into an indignant rage. If he is on time I will grovel and eat my hat.

I'm supposed to be going for a nice day out with my friend to the beach. I've made a couple of amazing (if I say so myself!) baguettes and got some cokes and beers in the fridge.

He text last night to say he would be at mine at eleven this morning. But his interpretation of "eleven" is often anywhere between eleven and one. I freely admit I get really pissed off when people are late, it drives me up the wall. But I want today to a pleasant and relaxing day so I am NOT going to get stressed.

I am going to put a tenner on 11:48 with an extra fiver on receiving a text at 11:14 saying "shit - overslept, be there soon!" :) Extra disclaimer - I've only just moved back to this city and am just excited about being so close to the beach!

OP posts:
Gumby · 09/08/2012 10:50

After first text go to the beach & meet him there

Original poster
FermezLaBouche · 09/08/2012 10:56

I ought to really but would feel a bit mean. Also having two cars for the whole day out might be a bit of a pain. No word yet...

OP posts:
lurkedtoolong · 09/08/2012 10:57

Tenner on 11.43, with the excuse he thought it was 11.30 you were meeting.

Original poster
FermezLaBouche · 09/08/2012 11:05

Oh FFS - this may null and void all bets and it shows I have no self restraint whatsoever, but I sent a nice passive aggressive cheerful text saying "morning X, I assume we are awake??"
And got in return, "FUCK! Sorreeee, I am a lazy c**t in the holidays. 11:45 latest."
Replied "you're USELESS" and received a jumble of about 50 random characters which I assume means "I know you're right but shuddup."
:) Pissed off we're going to be going later, but it's made me giggle anyway!

OP posts:
DontmindifIdo · 09/08/2012 11:05

Go yourself at 11:10am, two cars might be a pain, but its a pain because he was late!

Best way to deal with late people, 'train' them into realising they will miss out/be inconvienced, not you.

I speak as a previously 'late' person, while I was certain it wasn't my fault and these things happen etc, I was not late for work and I had certain people I somehow wasn't late for, they were the people who would leave without me, not wait for me, not do what I wanted to do if I was late, arrange things with definate start times (like going to the cinema to see a certain film, they would go in without me, not miss it, or to get on certain trains, they would just get on without me).

I am not a 'late' person anymore, except with 1 friend who is also always late, I don't do it deliberately, but I do think I make less effort as she doesn't mind as she's just as bad. (And if I get there 10 minutes late, I've normally got another five to wait for her anyway)

DontmindifIdo · 09/08/2012 11:06

oh X posts, text back "I'm going to make the most of it and get going, meet me there"

Original poster
FermezLaBouche · 09/08/2012 11:11

Don'tmindifIDo that's exactly what I should do! I'm probably going to sound like some kind of "lateness-enabler" or something (!) but I have been away from this city for 6 years and only had phone contact with this friend, so I can't be that mean for a first offence.... :) I'm probably setting myself up for years of "Where the FUCK ARE YOU" and my usual - "If you didn't MEAN 11 why did you SAY 11????"

Got funny images of you and your fellow late friend constantly missing eachother...

OP posts:
SoleSource · 09/08/2012 11:34

Is he there yet?

Original poster
FermezLaBouche · 09/08/2012 11:36

No!! Also got someone coming to pick up a Freecycle item which I don't particularly want to just leave on door handle....so I will accept the tardiness for now. When the item's gone I will become more huffy.

OP posts:
RuleBritannia · 09/08/2012 11:39

A day out? Meeting at 11.30am and then going somewhere is hardly a 'day out'. More like a half day out, in my view. For me, a day out starts at 6.30am!

Original poster
FermezLaBouche · 09/08/2012 11:41

Rule I couldn't agree more. But I know from experience with my friend that any suggestions of 6:30 would be met with a hollow guffaw and an expletive.

OP posts:
SoleSource · 09/08/2012 11:42

Why so early Rule lol

Original poster
FermezLaBouche · 09/08/2012 11:43

Sole, I love earliness too. I've had it ingrained since childhood! I do love travelling on the motorways when they're absolutely clear first thing in the morning and feeling a bit smug. :( But to counter that there's also the irritation of arriving at places 2 hours before anything opens....

OP posts:
RuleBritannia · 09/08/2012 11:46

OP's friend is obviously an owl. I am a lark.

If everyone doesn't some don't know what they are, an owl is someone who can stay up late at night and therefore must get up late; a lark is someone who goes to bed early (10.30pm ish) and gets up early. A day starts with dawn so, if we want a day out that's when we start moving. It's not necessarily when we leave the house but we would leave by 7.00am certainly. It's not a 'day' out otherwise.

Original poster
FermezLaBouche · 09/08/2012 11:49

Booohoooo, I am a fellow lark too, but I know few others. I like an early bedtime, so often feel like a bit of a party pooper when I can't stay up for things. (I just seem to crash come 11pm)

Starting to feel a bit exasperated and irrational now. The beach is going to be full of OTHER PEOPLE!!!

OP posts:
SoleSource · 09/08/2012 11:49

I'm an owl but never late.

Original poster
FermezLaBouche · 09/08/2012 11:52

Actually I agree that the owl/lark thing is separate from the lateness issue. He's just text to say he's in [my city] - hopefully not texting while driving. Probably aware I will be seething. I'm actually not too pissed off but an HOUR late - hes here now.

OP posts:
throckenholt · 09/08/2012 11:55

The beach was always going to be full of OTHER PEOPLE - because you weren't going to get there until lots of other people get there too. If you want empty then you need to go early or late.

I empathise though - I hate waiting for people who say they will be there are x, and you know full well they won't. I get irrationally angry.

SoleSource · 09/08/2012 13:36

Has he arrived yet?

Original poster
FermezLaBouche · 09/08/2012 14:37

Oh dear, we are back already!

When he turned up he was feeling guilty so offered to drive. (Fine by me!) On the way I got a call from a furniture company who announced that they were going to be delivering my new table and chairs at half one as opposed to next week. I said I couldn't do this, to which they compromised at three. (Could write whole other thread about this as it's annoyed me, but anyway.)

Friend was obviously a bit pissed off about this as it meant majorly cutting the day short. But he couldnt really say much as he had been an hour late. We got totally lost in Sunderland as the signs to the coast just seem to stop. The beach we wanted to visit was obviously packed and we could not park for love nor money, so we carried on to South Shields. (Ugh.)

We paddled for about 8 seconds in the sea, had our sandwich and decided to pack up and head home. At this point a MASSIVE alsation cocked its leg about 3cm away from my friend and I just cracked up as he went bright red and was trying to remain calm.

So, all in all, not a good day and we are sitting at mine waiting for my furniture to arrive. The moral of the story is - set off for days out at sensible times like 7am if you want to park and peace and quiet!!!! (Could have told him that!)

OP posts:
ChitchatAtHome · 09/08/2012 14:45

I said I couldn't do this, to which they compromised at three.

Wow... just wow.... Are you a woman or a mouse???!!! No way would I have cut short a day out for a flipping furniture delivery that was due a week later.

HexagonalQueenOfEveything · 09/08/2012 14:53

I agree with DontmindifIdo. If someone is late regularly then you need to make it so that they are the one inconvenienced, not you. I have one friend who was regularly an hour late to meet me, meaning I would be standing around in town waiting for her. So after several times of this, I started going off round the town (preferably to the furthest point from the meeting place) and when she got there I wouldn't be at our meeting place and she would have to phone me and then come to meet me in the town centre. Also if we had arranged to have lunch, I would just take my DCs and have lunch without her, and she would have to then make her own arrangements for lunch as by the time she had arrived we had finished.

Also a couple of times, when she was really late, we're talking over 1.5 hours here, I just went home. So she'd get to town, I'd gone home and she then had to go home again, therefore was inconvenienced.

I rarely meet her now as she is very inconsiderate in other ways too, but when I do meet her she is never late.

Original poster
FermezLaBouche · 09/08/2012 14:56

Chitchat - as I've just moved I have pretty much no furniture - I really wanted this stuff delivered so I didn't have to spend another evening sitting on the floor. It was a bit pathetic of me to agree though!

OP posts:
SoleSource · 09/08/2012 14:57

Must have been very logival reason as to why you didn.t tell the delivery drivers to get fucked. I bet you have a lovely day.

Original poster
FermezLaBouche · 09/08/2012 14:59

Well we're heading out in a bit on foot to have a couple of beer garden pints as I feel quite guilty! We are going to re-schedule beach for next week with a reasonable start.

OP posts: