I may B a tad U because I take birthdays very seriously and I think the thought that goes into gift giving really shows how much you care for a person. I accept that other people don't hold such high standards. Anyway here goes.
Friend K is celebrating her birthday on the same day as a big event all her friends are attending. The plan was to leave the event to go for dinner and return to it for drinks after. I'm a casual friend of K's, I would know her girlfriend better. In lieu of a present I offer to make her a cake.
At this party is L, an ex friend of mine and the crowd she now hangs with. We have a civility protocol when we're around each other in the company bof mutual friends so no biggie. All of this crowd b including K are artists selling work atbthe event.
Dinners nice and all, then things start bgetting weird. For one thing almost everyone starts scribbling on the paper placemats the restaurant has at the table. Then they start insulting the customers they've had during the day as well as a previous event they blame for being unable to sell any art. The bitterness of it was very unpleasant.
Not one of them had so much as a card forbK. They folded up the paper placemats with their doodles and multiple food stains and gave them to her as a card. They all had a lot of spare time and access to art materials all day, if they'd wanted to draw a card it would have been easy enough for them. I was working full days plus night shifts and I still b managed to bring something.
After the meal, everyone paid their own bill but there was no mention bof chippi by in and paying for Ks, so I paid for hers. I have never been to a birthday meal, let alone a milestone birthday, where the bday girl has paid for her own dinner.
What do you think? Am I holding people up to an unreasonable standard?