Reminding my friends we're not 19

seun

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I've got a number of friends who moved away from our hometown a few years back for jobs, relationships and so on. They come back here every now and again and that's cool. Except for one thing.

All of them (and I mean all) return with at most 24 hours notice. I'll get a text or an email on a Friday saying they're around on the Saturday night, so let's go to a pub. One guy in particular is known for texting on the Saturday afternoon to attempt to arrange something for the evening. I get the impression from them that because they've moved away, they feel as if they've moved on while the rest of us plebs are sitting here, waiting for them to come back and tell us what to do. Now I don't have the wildest social life, but being a grumpy bastard with no money and a wife, it'd be nice to know the plans for a Saturday night with a bit more notice than a day. Other people have babies or are pregnant so they can't just drop everything to go out. Seeing as my friends are travelling fair distances to get back here, I think they're planning their trips a little way in advance so it's not like they just come back spur of the moment.

Does anyone else have friends who seem to think we're all still 19 or is it just me?
 

Mr Flibble

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It's not just you.

One of my mate's wife is exactly like this. Rings at 5 on a Saturday 'Can you get babysitters, we can all go out'. Um, no, not at an hours notice I can't. Besides I'm working. 'Oh but you can swap your shift'. No. Again, not at an hour's notice.

Of course she then compounds this by making plans in advance only, once you've arranged work shifts and babysitters around the plan, either forgets or says 'Oh, sorry, can't make it tonight. I have a headache/bad toe/going out with someone else instead.'
 

shadowwalker

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Makes one feel like an after-thought, doesn't it?

As bad - I had a friend decide to get married on Labor Day - the 'take off for the last long weekend of the summer' holiday! Expecting that people would throw away the whole weekend for a few hours of listening to mushy platitudes and guzzling watered down drinks... (I sent a present and spent the weekend on an island with much better company :D)
 

seun

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Thinking about the difference between now (married, almost 33) to actually being 19 is a little depressing. Back then, it was a case of it's Friday/Saturday night so let's go to the pub. Now it's as much notice as possible, check how much money is left before payday, see if so and so can get a babysitter, think about where to go that won't involve stepping in someone's puke or getting a smack and then maybe go out but be home by eleven.
 

shyne

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Enjoy them dude. These type of spur of the moment things spice up your life.
 

stormie

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As people get older, many get wiser. Or married, or pregnant, or have tons of kids, three jobs....

It happened when my husband and I got married, years ago. Our house was the place everyone came to, spur of the moment. (Living near the beach didn't help matters.)

Now most either understand or have their own hectic lives and plan ahead.
 

Chris P

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Friends? I'm a lousy friend and that's why I don't have your problem. I do most things on my own lately. If I waited for someone to do them with I'd never do anything.
 

Priene

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think about where to go that won't involve stepping in someone's puke or getting a smack

You should probably move out of Peterborough.
 

Mr Flibble

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And nobody's shot her yet?


It's been close once or twice. Very close.

Most of our other friends are all cool though - they don't have kids so they come to see us, open house style. Or they let me and Old Man take it in turns to go out down the pub :D
 

seun

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You should probably move out of Peterborough.

But we've got fountains in Cathedral Square. They shoot water out of the ground and everything.

OK, they're not a good idea for nine months of the year, but apart from that...
 

Chris P

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We've got a fountain (note it is also more commonly known as 'the ball bearing in a walnut' or 'the hanging bollock' fountain, depending on who you're talking to).

Cultural. That's us. :D

In Iowa City we used to have the Three Ladies Peeing fountain. (Pic is safe for work as long as you follow the link and don't google)
 

seun

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We've got a fountain (note it is also more commonly known as 'the ball bearing in a walnut' or 'the hanging bollock' fountain, depending on who you're talking to).

Cultural. That's us. :D

That's one of the ugliest things I've ever seen. And I was impressed with this bit:

Although the water is recycled, it loses 180 gallons of water a day to filtration and evaporation
 

Mr Flibble

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That's one of the ugliest things I've ever seen. And I was impressed with this bit:

Although the water is recycled, it loses 180 gallons of water a day to filtration and evaporation


That's only when it's working. Which isn't often. Mostly it just lurks there, looking bollock-like.
 
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Makes one feel like an after-thought, doesn't it?
This is it exactly.

I hate, hate, hate, getting a call last thing at night for something the next day. Or hearing "You don't have anything else to do." :rolleyes:

Yeah, piss all over the value of my time, why don't you?
 
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Fountains? Fountains? You don't know you're born. We've got a drunk pissing in a gutter and the sheep tied to a lamppost is the local community centre.
 

seun

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Nice to see this thread staying on topic :roll:

I'm off to find more bollock shaped fountains.