A friend in need... is frankly just annoying some times!

Travel plans are coming along. If the lazy travel agent would return my calls, I might be able to finalise most of it. I think all travel agents are just pissed because their jobs are becoming obsolete now that people can book everything over the internet. But you'd think that would make them want to try harder to keep the clients they do have. Apparently not.

And now for a rant. And it's about someone who reads this blog, but I have to get it off my chest, so I'm going to post it, with the hopes that they know once I do, I will be over it and never have to discuss it again. Which is probably the best choice of action.

I don't mind helping out friends and doing favours for them. I like to think the more I do, the more they would be willing to help me should I ever need it. I do, however, get annoyed when people misrepresent the favour they're asking you to do, even if it is innocently done.

A friend emailed me and asked if I would help with a small sewing task. A simple zig-zag stitch, so they said. I am pretty busy with uni, work and organising my trip, so it took some time to find a suitable night. I emailed that I would be home from work on Thursday night at 5.30pm, with the assumption this person would be over as soon as they finished work, which would have been before 6.00pm.

I usually eat dinner at 6.00pm. I know that sounds early, but I start work at 6.30am, which means I have lunch at 11am, which means that dinner after 6.00pm is practically unthinkable for me. I'd eat at 5.00pm if I could, but I'm only just finished at the gym then, and William doesn't get home until just before 6.00pm anyway. So I have to wait. And I'm generally starving by 6.00pm.

However, it was only a simple zig zag stitch, I thought, so my friend would be over by 6 at the latest, I'd run it through my machine, and they'd be gone by 6.30 at the latest and then I could eat dinner (I didn't want to prepare it and start eating and have them show up in the middle of dinner, because I think that's rude). They hadn't arrived by 20 past, so I sent a message and got the reply that they were only just on their way. I thought maybe they'd been held up at work, so I let it go. I was slightly annoyed they hadn't let me know, because I could have eaten dinner at 6 as usual, and been finished by the time they arrived. My stomach was already growling at me.

They arrived some time after 6.30. And the reason they were late was not because of work. It was because they'd gone home to talk to a boy. A boy they probably shouldn't even be speaking to after his performance some months ago anyway, but that's neither here nor there. So they'd kept me waiting, without telling me, because they thought talking to this guy couldn't wait, but my dinner could - rude. Grr. And the job was not a simple zig zag stitch. It hadn't even been pinned together. I don't know if you know this, but pinning stretch fabric is not exactly an easy job. Primarily because the fabric stretches out once the person puts it on, so you can't just merrily pin away as you can on normal fabric, or the whole thing would be be too small once they put it on. You have to measure out the material stretched out, and then mark it, so that once it's sprung back, you can pin it in intervals. Basically, you have to pin each end, then put a pin in the middle, then keep halving the spaces with pins, making little bubbles of fabric which will stretch and even out once sewn. You have to make sure you keep it even, or it won't stretch out as it's supposed to, and will end up all wonky. I had assumed this person had it all pinned up, because they'd said all they needed was the stitching done. And then it turned out they didn't want it to be straight the whole way around, they wanted a dip in the middle, which was also not straight forward. And there were appliques to sew on the top (which, admittedly, I offered to do, because I had the thing there and might as well have done it while I was at it).

So anyway, after at least an hour of measuring and pinning, I only had one layer pinned up, I was starving, and I had no intention of finishing it that night. The next night I had uni until 9pm, so I wasn't going to do it then either. Which basically meant I had to work on it all day Saturday, because they wanted to pick it up Sunday morning in order to have enough time to sew sequins and beads on. Which I realised would be virtually impossible once the garment was off the mannequin, as the fabric would spring back. I suggested they come over and lightly glue the sequins in place first, while it was stretched out, so that once it was off, they just had to sew the sequins and beads on where they were.

It took me 4 hours on Saturday to finish it. Bear in mind I have two assignments I was planning on working on, plus finalisations of travel plans. Sewing stretch fabric all day was not in my initial plans. Sunday morning rolls around. I don't know what time they're coming over, but they've got work on at 1, and the gluing would take at least 2 hours (measuring and drawing out the pattern, then gluing hundreds of sequins on), so I thought they'd be there by 11.00 at the latest. I hadn't received word from them by 10, so William and I decided to go for a walk. A few seconds later I received a phone call, and they hadn't left their house yet, so I told them I'd be back from my walk at 11. I presumed by telling them this, that is when they would show up.

I then get a phone call at 11.30. They haven't even left their house yet. They're telling me they start work at 1 (I know) and they don't think they'll be able to do the sequins in time (they would have if they'd shown up at 11 as I mentioned). They wanted to know what I was doing on Monday night. I really started to get annoyed then. I have things to do. I have assignments to finish. I have travel plans to do. I don't simply sit around on my butt once I get home from work. I don't watch a lot of TV or read many books. I am in my study until at least 11pm most nights, if I don't have actual uni classes on. So I said I wasn't available. Which basically meant I was stuck with gluing the sequins on if I wanted to get rid of this thing, especially considering they needed it by Tuesday night. Obviously I could have just given it to them as it was and let them worry about how to do the sequins and beading, but I am just not that mean. Unfortunately.

They came over at 12. We drew the pattern on. I was still annoyed that I now had a day of gluing sequins ahead of me. Especially since I'd already declared the day a write off for assignments anyway and had planned to sew up dress to take travelling with me (because finding a dress in non-wrinkle material is impossible) - since I already had my sewing machine out, I thought I may as well use it. Obviously that wasn't going to happen that day now.

I started gluing at 12.30. I didn't finish until 2.30. And now the top of my thumb is numb from constantly squeezing the glue bottle for 2 hours. I kid you not. I still can't feel it 18 hours later. There's just a weird pins and needles feeling in it. I'm hoping the feeling returns in it soon, because it's very weird to type when you haven't got feeling in one of your fingers.

I honestly wouldn't have minded the whole thing if the person had just shown up on time, but it was the fact they were constantly late, and obviously assuming I had all the time in the world to spend on this thing, plus the fact it wasn't the simple sewing job I had agreed to do that annoyed me. And I didn't get to do any of my assignments, travel plans, or sew my own dress. The entire weekend was a waste for me. I mean, I quite like sewing and what not, so I would even agree to do it again if asked, but I just wish they'd outlined what the job really required before hand.

I know the person is extremely grateful for the work I've done, but I honestly just wish they would realise that other people have schedules too, and things they'd like to do with their time, and if you're going to be somewhere to do something, you should be there on time, or at least call and say you'll be late so I'm not left without my dinner and starving, when I could have eaten before you arrived, or so I'm not left gluing hundreds of sequins on (and a numb thumb) which you could have done before you started work if you'd arrived on time.

Rant over now. No discussions/apologies/whatever are necessary. Let's pretend this never happened.

But you'd better arrive on time tonight!! :Þ