Monday May 29, 2006

'Probably not' means 'yes'?

Posted by Rob (#1) on May 29, 2006 12:01 CEST

Family drama: I won't be present at my grandparents' 25-year wedding jubilee this afternoon and tonight. And now my dad is pissed off at me for not letting anyone know in advance.

Whatever.

I cannot leave work early today. This means I won't be able to leave Amsterdam until after 6pm. I would then arrive at the dinner one hour late, around 9pm. But I would have to leave before 11pm if I want to be home by 1am - and with the alarm at 7am, I really want to be. I'm sorry, but that's just bloody pointless. So could I not have taken the day off?

Well: for weeks I have made it clear that I was not sure. I recently started a new job and I simply have to wait some time until my days off accumulate again (I'm at zero after my trips to London in April and Copenhagen in May, planned long ahead). I have said so over and over again. So indeed I did not send an RSVP, but for as long as I've lived no reply has defaulted to 'not present'. In fact, at my dad's wedding two weeks ago I expressed my concerns and clearly told him, my aunt and my grandparents that I would try, but that they should not count on me unless I explicitly informed them I could make it.

Apparently that's not good enough. Whatever.

(Before people moan that I'm going to see Taking Back Sunday tonight: that's right here in Amsterdam. I will not have to leave work early for it nor will I have to leave it early to get home in time, so it simply fits my schedule where the family plans do not. It wouldn't have been the first time for me to cancel seeing a gig because of family plans anyway, so I will admit I'm not complaining things are working out differently this time. It's not a matter of preference but one of feasibility.)

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Tags: Taking Back Sunday, dad, family
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