An honest dialogue about love, life, and everything in-between...

Friday, December 30, 2011

Acting Right

12:00 PM |




After reviewing the previous rules, I felt it is necessary to outline the rules for house parties and other various group functions that occur at a persons place of residence. While many of the rules from Section A do apply, there are several others that need to be addressed.

#1. Never show up empty handed unless instructed to do so. You should always offer to bring something to the party. This goes for frequent visitors and especially for new visitors. For new visitors this is a sort of 'thank you', if you will, to the host for ... I hate to say allow but, allowing you to come into their home. For frequent guests, this is obviously someone you know well, so it's just the nice thing to do.

#2. If you are a guest to the party and do not know the host, do not invite extra people. It doesn't matter if the host has said it's OK or hasn't. AND this goes double if you haven't even told the host you have extra people coming. You are already an extra person. You don't know this host well enough to invite people to their house. Who says the host wants all these strange people to know where they live? And while the host may be open to it, I wouldn't even ask. Let's just say don't do it and leave it at that.

#3. If you are a frequent visitor to these parties, you should at the very least offer to help clean up after functions are done. Many times the host will say that's not necessary. Some will insist that you go home or sit down, but the offer is still a good gesture. And really if everyone cleaned up after just themselves, much of the work is done. Sometimes, simply picking up stray cups, plates, napkins or arranging dishes in a common place is good enough to help take some of the stress off the host after the party is done.

#4. The liquor stays at the hosts house. YOU....DO....NOT....take the bottle you brought over to the house back when you leave. It doesn't matter if it's completely full, never opened, or only has a little bit left. You shouldn't ask to take the bottle back. The only time you leave with the liquor you brought is if the host puts it back into your hands. This is another way of saying 'thank you' to the host for opening up their home.

#5. If you are a visitor to the house party and no one but the person you came with knows you, don't be a wallflower. After you take a moment to assess the situation, mingle with the other guests. Make new friends. Play a game of Spades. At the very least talk to the host. Don't sit on a couch on your phone the entire evening. And most certainly don't be a creeper and just stare at everyone all night from the corner. House parties are probably the lowest pressure situations. Many attendees are already drunk by the time you get there. You don't have to worry about money for food or drinks. It's not about trying to holler at the most people or get a bunch of numbers by the end of the night. It's just fun. Just get in there, meet some new people and have a good time.

#6. Don't eat, drink and run. Don't come to someone's house and eat up all their food, drink all their liquor and then poof like a fart in the wind. It's just rude.

#7. If you break something, offer to replace it. This is someone's house. This is someone's stuff. Don't just hide it either. How would you feel if something in your house just showed up broken the next day? In this instance, even if the host says don't worry about it, I'd still replace it.

#8. This should go without saying but, I'll say it. Don't bad mouth the party or the party goers during, before or after on any kind of social media, or verbally to anyone. That's in such bad taste. Here these people are, many who probably don't know you, offering you a good time and a place to hang out for the evening. Giving of their food, their liquor, their home, and many times themselves. It is incredibly rude to be disrespectful, to their face or behind their back. If you didn't have a good time, then just don't return or leave early. There's absolutely no reason to talk shit. None. What. So. Ever.

With the New Year just a day away, many of you will be either out at parties or visiting other people's home. I thought I would just give out some guidelines and some things to consider as you being to usher in a new time. If you haven't always been the best, it's the perfect time to start anew. As always: Respect yourselves. Respect each other. Put good in and you'll get good out. ♥



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