guests | Piss and Moan

Host

Posted on September 17, 2020 by backuphill

What do you do? How do you handle the situation?

So, one of the adult children wants to have their children’s (our grandchildren) birthday party at our house. They asked if that could happen at the end of the month.

Sounds simple, right? Sure, go ahead! We love you. We love them. No problem!

But there is history. There is always history.

They have done this once before. Asked if they could use the house and yard for a birthday party and we said that was fine. Very little communication with them between the ask and the event.

Day of the event comes and we find out it is a four hour “open house” where people can just drop in and hang out. 40 people show up (not including family and many of whom we don’t know) at various times during this open house. The kids, on a very limited budget, didn’t plan or budget for said party. They didn’t have enough supplies for said party. They didn’t have enough food for said party. They had no alternative plans for said party if the weather was crappy that day. They didn’t stick around long after the open house was over to clean up.

Guess who picked up all the slack, both in time and expense? I guess you don’t need to guess since you know it was us.

So, what do you do this time when they ask? Just let them do it, no questions asked? Or, do you put limitations on it? Do you set expectations, or do you just go with the flow?

Loaded questions, because you know how I would handle it (at least you should by now). But, the other person in the house doesn’t think it should be handled that way.

What is reasonable, logical, and practical?

In the dark

Posted on November 25, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Timotej Nagy on Pexels.com

There is something disconcerting about entering a dark room. It is one thing when it’s your room and you are familiar with it, it is a totally different thing when the room is completely unfamiliar to you.

Over the weekend I was on an overnight adventure that required a hotel stay. I got to the hotel after dark and checked in. After receiving directions to get to the room, I learned there was an “outer” door that would lead to and entry way where I would find two doors, one for my room and one for another (an A and B room).

When I got to the room, the outer door was locked (as I expected it to be). I unlocked it and started to step in to the entry room and there was no light. None. I expected it would be motion activated, but no such luck. So, the fumbling with full hands and a phone flashlight ensued and I managed to unlock my room door. (As it turns out, someone had switched off the motion activated light.)

Once I got the room door open, the light switches by the door in the room didn’t work. So, now the fumbling Olympics of feeling your way through an unfamiliar, dark room began. I finally located a lamp on the nightstand and turned on a light. As it turns out, someone (probably the last guest) had turned off the lamp that was plugged into a switched outlet, thus making the switch useless to the next guest.

I have to say it is more than a little irritating to check into a hotel and find two lights, either near or in, your room not working. If you know your guests will be checking in after dark (we are in the winter months here, so it gets dark early), why not make sure the lights will work as expected. OR, better yet, why not make sure there is a light on IN THE ROOM when the guest gets there? It’s the little things folks. The little things that impress and make you want to stay there again. Sure, maybe most people wouldn’t notice, but I guarantee there are many who would.

Yeah, but what about the wasted power…blah blah blah…I don’t care. With LED bulbs the power usage would be minute compared to the repeat business it would generate because people notice the little things. Everyone likes to come home to a lit house on a dark night or evening. It’s these types of things that I mention when I leave a rating online.

A hotel should treat it’s guests like they are arriving home.

It’s the little things. Details matter.

Relatively needy

Posted on August 13, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Henda Watani on Pexels.com

As you may have read yesterday, there are some relatives staying with us. I have to preface that with the fact that these are in addition to the relatives who have been staying with us in the camper in our yard. So, needless to say, there are quite a few extra people around.

Well, yesterday when I got home, it seemed everyone who doesn’t have permanent residence IN the house needed something. Things they couldn’t take care of themselves or needed assistance with, or even just didn’t take care of themselves even though they caused the issue.

One relative needed help gathering supplies for a campfire in the backyard. Not a hard task, but since I didn’t really want a fire in the backyard pit it was rather irritating. It was just assumed it was OK rather than asking. So as to not make waves, I just did it.

One relative didn’t pick up their crap. So I put it away.

One relative broke a light switch. I went about repairs, only to find that it can’t be fixed and will need to be replaces.

One relative had to tell me, immediately about the day even though she could see that I was busy with other things. She literally followed me around talking while I took care of other stuff.

One relative complained because my face “said I looked like I was irritated.”

All of this was within the first 20 minutes of being home.

I’ll tell you what…some days it just doesn’t pay to go home. Perhaps I’ll not go home for the rest of the week…

Elevated

Posted on July 30, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Michael Morse on Pexels.com

I don’t know what it is about me. Do I look like I really like elevators?

I don’t know why this is, but every time I have traveled for work in the last three years and stayed in a hotel I have been in the room directly across from the elevator.

If you have traveled much, you know that is an issue because people getting off the elevator generally aren’t quiet. They are loud and noisy in the elevator and as they get off the elevator. They typically quiet down as they turn the corner to head down the hallway to their rooms. As such, anyone in the room closest to the elevator gets the brunt of “offload” or “load” noise.

It’s irritating, really.

It definitely doesn’t elevate my stay.

What about staying in a hotel annoys you?