Etiquette - December 2007

2007-12-26 19:07:52 · 7 answers · asked by stuart j 1

My wife & her family of 5 all speak English, French, & Spanish. Their complete fluency is truly amazing and they are rightfully proud of it.

I, meanwhile, am your typical midwesterner with high school level Spanish. After 2 yrs of marriage, the multicultural thrill has worn off a bit and I find myself simply bored at the dinner table as they talk for hours in French (of which I know not a word). I've asked my wife if they can speak in English or at least Spanish for me, and she says it's "difficult" for a few reasons: (i) her mother is very proud of their linguistic prowess and wants her children to exercise their French, (ii) there is a certain "closeness" her family has when speaking in French (particularly mother-daughter 1-on-1), and (iii) she's asked but they haven't changed.

I find myself growing increasingly angry when they all laugh at the punch line while I stare at my plate. I love my wife dearly, but this distances me from her family.

Ideas on what I should do?

2007-12-26 18:50:50 · 20 answers · asked by AmericanIdiot 1

Assume the person calling you is not acting creepy in the first place, and is friendly and you some what know them in person, and says that they looked your number up in the phone book. They call to ask to hang out. Creepy or flattering?

2007-12-26 18:43:37 · 23 answers · asked by Anonymous

so we go on a road trip with a rental car. i tally up what i owe at the end of the trip by dividing the total cost of the car rental by the number of people in the car. its about this time the wife of the married couple along for the ride insists my division is wrong because her and her husband should only count as one person since they are married. let me make this crystal clear - both her and her husband were passengers in this vehicle for the entire trip and occupying two of the five seats available (the two front seats i might add). my first reaction was my jaw hitting the floor. the guy next to me said "that doesn't sound right". but then another married couple not involved in the trip agreed with the first couple - a married couple should only count as one paying unit. as illogical as it sounded to me, i didn't want to make a big deal and i ponied up the extra cash. 10 minutes later i walk away and feel like a complete idiot. did i just get shafted or what?

2007-12-26 18:09:49 · 24 answers · asked by checkmate8064 2

OK, I always said that woman are the worst enemies of a woman. So tell your gender and say if you would vote for a female president. Please do not make any references to Hillary Clinton or her politics. Pretend this is another woman from an unmentioned party.

2007-12-26 17:59:38 · 15 answers · asked by Manny 2

hi there, anonymous female in her twenties here. I have a friend who is staying with my husband and I in our two bedroom home. Having no children and a spare room, we run into quite a few visitors who end up asking if they can "stay" with us from time to time.

Under the circumstances that my good friend had been going through (with her "fiance") I agreed to let her stay for 3 months. all of OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, & DECEMBER. I even wrote a friendly short one page lease of expectations etc

Halfway through the lease I found out she had been PREGNANT even before she moved in. Well as soon as I confronted her she was a little embarassed, and since mid Nov, Ive only seen her for a total of 4 days.

Well the time has come for her to get her stuff out of the room, she has only dropped by, and I want to respectfully have her get her items out ASAP so we can turn it back into an office, we REALLY need the space, and I am SOOO not good at these things!! Please help.

2007-12-26 15:46:31 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous

I am wanting to get some soil sent over here to surprise her and cheer her up. How would I get hold of the right people and who would I even talk to, to make this happen and to make sure it gets through to customs. Any ideas?

2007-12-26 15:38:00 · 4 answers · asked by yomudd4x4 2

My cousin was over for for Christmas yesterday. After we all ate and relaxed he said the food was giving him gas and ask if girls have gas too. I said of course we do. He asked if we pooped I was annoyed but I answered yes. He went on and on about how it was shocking. How can you be 15 years old and not know girls have bodily functions? We are have the same digestive system as guys. I am sick and tired of the double standard.

2007-12-26 14:57:47 · 12 answers · asked by nubian princess 2

Background: Our 79 year old Mom does not like my 42 year old sister's MIL who is an artist. Sis's two boys are 20 and 24 years old. MIL is an artist and our Mother has always criticized her work. MIL painted portraits of Sis & Family. Sis loved them so bought & framed prints and gave to our parents for XMas.

Mom's response? In a dead, monotone voice: "We got your gift". It was clear she didn't like them and it really hurt Sis's feelings and she is so upset.

Mom has been called out numerous times for the hurtful, callous, insensitive things she says and does. By now she should know better. I'm fit to be tied over this. I told her that she hurt Sis's feelings deeply and she could at least have PRETENDED to like the gift. She should display the portraits even if SHE doesn't like them. It's her daughter, grandchildren, and son-in-law!

How should one respond to a gift they don't like, espec. from family?

Any other suggestions or comments appreciated.

Thanks!

2007-12-26 14:50:55 · 10 answers · asked by Dubber 2

If you use a gift card and you want to leave a tip, can you take the tip out of the gift card balance? How does that work? For example, for Olive Garden gift cards.

2007-12-26 14:49:54 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous

Im in quite a dilemma here. Since i recently got re-hired for a job, i am in training now and the schedule is coarse and strict. I have to work this saturday (since we had Xmas off) and be off Sunday, then I have to work again MONDAY (New year eve) then have new year day off. Real screwed up.

I am thinking to just call sick for monday, new year eve, to connect the 3 days so i can make a 3 hour trip to Miami so i can ring in the new year.

Will i get canned if i do this (it will be pretty unbelieveable to them that i got sick on monday!)? Should i do this? Since i am a rehire, i know the job very damn well and i dont care if i get an "occurence" or whatever..

2007-12-26 14:30:33 · 5 answers · asked by Zeta Reticuli 3

2007-12-26 14:26:22 · 12 answers · asked by ~nikki~lynn~ 3

i met a libran man at the gym hes a trainer. now we have been talking and flirting. for the past several days i was there i felt he was avoiding me. when i asked his co-worker that i wanted to speak to him he came out. but it was due to business. and yes i wanted to see him. but he seemed a little agitated . we talked about shop. then i broke down and . told him i liked him. he looked at me in shock and said i like you also. but i have a girl. i said good for you. then as i was finishing working out he stood there talking and staring he could have left but he did not. it made me ,nervous but i asked him did i give him the wrong impression that i did not mean to. then i found out that another lady is pushing up on him hard. i been cool i speak and finish working out. i have caught him staring at me on several occassions. i dont know may be i am just smitten. truthful answers only.

2007-12-26 14:19:15 · 5 answers · asked by mecca 1

I am supposed to drive to Philly tomorrow to visit my friend ( I live in NY). I do not feel like driving there, nor do I have the extra money to go there. Can you please give me suggestions as to what reason I can give as to why I can't go?

2007-12-26 14:17:47 · 17 answers · asked by organizeddivas 5

And what is appropraite to write in them?

2007-12-26 14:03:48 · 7 answers · asked by Lily-Ann 2

I live in an Apartment. Neighbors are using drills to drill things into their walls. It is loud and invasive. I dont want to complain unless I have to. Is 10 o clock a decent time to ask them to be quiet? Or should I wait longer? Remember: apartment. Thanks.

2007-12-26 14:03:42 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous

...and some do not arrive until 45 mins. late? I had an irate, hungry crowd standing around in the kitchen waiting for some of the party, and some arrived while I was still getting dressed. Oh, my.

2007-12-26 13:41:08 · 17 answers · asked by Lady Invisible 2

My so-called 'friend' hits me all the time and her parents dont care they can be sitting next to me and my friend hits they dont even yell at for that and I`m thinking,'Buttholes she just hit yell at her."No they dont she has left black and purple marks on me so one day i told my mom and she told me if she ever hits u again you hit her harder but i dont think i should beacause two wrongs dont make a right.Should i smack her ever time she hits me or should i tell and countine letting her hit please i need an answer.

2007-12-26 13:13:07 · 21 answers · asked by churchlandsoftball 1

what do you think?

2007-12-26 12:57:44 · 9 answers · asked by Diamond 2

There are people who like me for me and i have aqautences( spelled wrong) that like me to but there are other that shun me...how can i stick out as a liked person?

2007-12-26 12:49:12 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous

The only thing I wanted for christmas this year was a Spa gift certificate. My fiance bought me one last year and I am SOOO stressed right now that is is REALLY what I needed.
Instead my fiance bought me two Swarovski crystal figurines, a butterfly and a rose. I HATE them. I have ranted and raved a million times how much I hate knick knacks and he should have known. I am not a Girly-girl so flowers and butter flies are not my style either.
I know they were expensive, much more than a gift certificate. Should I be upset and how do I ask him to take them back and get what I really wanted?

2007-12-26 11:47:42 · 37 answers · asked by alionesque 2

In what situation have you experienced that made you wait for an awful long time to the point you are pissed?

2007-12-26 11:43:52 · 12 answers · asked by BrownSugar 2 Da Maxx 4

note* this is a family member that lives 3 hours away

2007-12-26 11:18:29 · 10 answers · asked by Josh V 1

2007-12-26 11:01:25 · 11 answers · asked by bob in fremont 1

If you are in line at the grocery and you notice the person directly behind you has only one or two items and you have quite a bit more than them, do you offer for them to go ahead of you?

2007-12-26 10:44:48 · 35 answers · asked by Maddie 2

2007-12-26 10:33:06 · 18 answers · asked by Rascal 1

Underweight people are thin for lots of reasons, often due to health. They can be as sensitive to their size as an overweight person is to their size. But average size people have no problem telling them they are skinny and puny. It seems it is ok to call an underweight person skinny but it is not ok to call an overweight person fat. Why do people think it isn't rude to insult underweight people about their size but it is rude to insult overweight people about their size?

2007-12-26 10:25:03 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous

there really annoying im tried to be qiuet when they knoked once they waited to get an reply for 1 hour! :0

2007-12-26 10:24:14 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous

For as long as I can remember I have always hated the food on my plate to touch each other. Even if it's not any kind of liquid. I'm not 22 and still do not let it touch. For big dinners like thanksgiving or Christmas I always have 2 plates with hardly anything on either plate just to keep everything separate. Someone told me this "means" something.. Like a superstishious thing ya no.. What does it mean??

AND KNOW IT DOES NOT MEAN I AM CRAZY!!!

2007-12-26 09:07:01 · 14 answers · asked by auntjenny03 2

Ok. My dad was supposed to take me and my sister to my aunts house and go shopping. He got sick. My mom is also sick, (My cousin Hayden came over to our house while he was sick) What should I do? It seems that everytime something exciting happens, somebody either gets sick or doesnt want to go! Should I ask my aunt if she could take us, or my uncle?

2007-12-26 08:56:22 · 4 answers · asked by Me 2