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Recently an, acquaintance, decided for my birthday he would buy me a two month subscription to Star Wars: The Old Republic. I had tried the game and didn't much care for it. I never said anything to him about this other then having been trying the game out; so he didn't know I disliked it. When he told me what my gift was he followed it up with a stipulation that I had to play with him, on a specific day and time. I grudgingly agreed because it would be rude to turn down the gift, even if you don't like it.

This was almost two months ago now and I have played with him maybe twice or three times. Every time I have seen him he never forgets to remind me of the fact that I haven't played with him. I have tried to play with him but between two jobs, an assistant dance instructor for my wife, and performance gigs I never have the time. I explain this everytime he brings it up but he doesn't get it; I have a different life, one that doesn't allow much time to play MMOs, let alone ones that are fail to engage me within the first 5lvls...yet he always finds a way to bring it up.

So, has anyone ever had "that effing gift" that just makes you wish they had consulted someone who knew you better and not decided on that gift?

Tell him to shut the feth up about it.

You didn't ask for the fething gift, and a real friend doesn't give you a fething guilt trip every time you talk to him. That's a mom's job, anyway.

Start calling him mom when he brings it up. Alternatively, find new friends.

 kronk wrote:
Tell him to shut the feth up about it.

You didn't ask for the fething gift, and a real friend doesn't give you a fething guilt trip every time you talk to him. That's a mom's job, anyway.

Start calling him mom when he brings it up. Alternatively, find new friends.

That's why I called him an acquaintance, not a friend. He is just someone I tolerate because our wives are friends, otherwise we don't hang out.

Ah. Then you have to tell your wife she has to stop hanging out with that dude's wife.

Simple!

 kronk wrote:
Ah. Then you have to tell your wife she has to stop hanging out with that dude's wife.

Simple!

LOL, tried it...

Sounds like the present was more for him than you

Sleep with his wife and show him pictures. He'll stop hanging out with you, I promise.

Exactly! You have to go nuclear.

I like my gifts.
But i got a 25$ gift card to kohls, a high end clothing place.
What am i going to do with that?

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
I like my gifts.
But i got a 25$ gift card to kohls, a high end clothing place.
What am i going to do with that?

Hit the sales rack.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
I like my gifts.
But i got a 25$ gift card to kohls, a high end clothing place.
What am i going to do with that?

At least they didn't tell you how to spend it there.

I sold it to my mom for the price.
But seriously, My family doesnt know me at all.

 ProtoClone wrote:
This was almost two months ago now

What's the problem? You're 'almost' out of time in the gift. Suck it up, log in one more time and then you're good.

 pretre wrote:

 ProtoClone wrote:
This was almost two months ago now

What's the problem? You're 'almost' out of time in the gift. Suck it up, log in one more time and then you're good.

Yeah, and I realize that...but this who post was more about if anyone else has had a gift that really just ended up being complete crap.

Never really had that.
I've had some unexpected gifts but I've never had a gift i really hate...

You know it is a gift, right? So what if it is crap. It is like getting socks for Christmas. Big deal. Thank the person and move on. If he brings it up at social functions, smile and say 'Yeah, it was really cool. I really liked X. Just never got into it. Thanks again though!'

I'm reminded of this:

Not personally, however my wife gets shafted every year from my step mother.

By way of explanation, I have two step-sisters who absolutely love little trinkets and Christmas ornaments. Bear in mind that these are not cheap. Usually one ornament runs around $80+

For some reason, my step-mother has it in her head that my wife must love the same things. So, each year for Christmas she gets one or more ornaments and a charm for a bracelet that was given to her years ago.

Now, granted, ornaments can be a "nice" thing. However, we have 6 kids. 3 of which are under 4 years old; all of which are boys. So, we've learned that breakable things have no place in our house. Our tree, not due to any financial reasons, but simply out of necessity is usually covered with those cheap ornaments you get for like $10 for 50 balls.

As far as the charms, she now has 12 of them and never wears the bracelet because she doesn't like dangly things.

We've tried dropping hints about how we don't want anything breakable in our house. We've even sent amazon wish lists etc. Apparently the only thing left is to just have a conversation and actually tell her not to waste the money. But, we are cowards so that conversation will likely never happen.

----------

To add insult to injury, my mother in law isn't any better. 3 years ago she gave my wife a little plastic pot. Two years ago she gave her an ornament that had obviously been broken and glued (badly) back together. I received a baby book... for a girl. We don't have girls and, given our track record, probably never will. After that I kindly told her to not bother spending any money on us, just put it towards the kids instead. If it wasn't that my dad usually gives me cool stuff, I'd tell them to do the same thing. Oh well.

DCMs have a special tactic for people like that. You have to pay for the knowledge though...

 d-usa wrote:
DCMs have a special tactic for people like that. You have to pay for the knowledge though...

It's like Scientology, only specialised for wargamers

Yakface is cooler than Tom Cruise though.

clively wrote:


Now, granted, ornaments can be a "nice" thing. However, we have 6 kids. 3 of which are under 4 years old; all of which are boys. So, we've learned that breakable things have no place in our house. Our tree, not due to any financial reasons, but simply out of necessity is usually covered with those cheap ornaments you get for like $10 for 50 balls.

As a kid our tree was roped to the wall, no joke. Two hooks were embeded in the wall on either side of the tree and a length of cord was run between them.

We still knocked it over every year somehow.

I had a bunch of mates, who instead of getting me something I wanted, would get me something they thought I would like instead - and pool their money to get it.

I got a WD subscription for 5 years running (2002-2007). They got it for me because I played 40k and thought I would like it.
At first it was fine, then the quality submarined so quickly, it may as well have been the Thresher.

I eventually told them to stop getting it, and buy individual gifts. So now I get crap movies on dvd every year (like Battleship or Battlefield Earth) instead.

Makes me kind of wish for the WD subscription again ...

This Christmas my mom got me one of those leg lamps from A Christmas Story. She though I'd love it because I once watched the movie with her and enjoyed it.

My wife just finally returned it this afternoon, and now I have a Toys R Us gift card I don't know what to do with.

I don't have any awful gifts that hung around my neck like a rotting anchor, though.

I buy myself the best gifts every year and it fething rocks!

OP, I will by you a car on the condition that you drive me wherever I want to go whenever I want to go there and never use it for your own purposes.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Ouze wrote:
now I have a Toys R Us gift card I don't know what to do with

Buy Star Wars Legos for your children/nieces/nephews/etc.

 ProtoClone wrote:

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
I like my gifts.
But i got a 25$ gift card to kohls, a high end clothing place.
What am i going to do with that?

At least they didn't tell you how to spend it there.

My cousin whispered to my mom
"He likes kohls right? He likes clothes huh?"
If you give someone a gift card, know what they like.
I dont mind clothes, I got an awesome Flanal sweater and i loved it.

Get him into 40k if he isnt already. Then watch his expendable income spiral into disaster. When he's on his last leg, his wife has left him, his dog has died and in desperate need of intervention tell him: "That's what you get for getting me a TOR subscription!" Slowly show him the light and bring him out of the darkness. The bond you'll create will be as strong as any on the planet. Brothers you will be, brothers.

Arigata-meiwaku: An act someone does for you that you didn’t want to have them do and tried to avoid having them do, but they went ahead anyway, determined to do you a favor, and then things went wrong and caused you a lot of trouble, yet in the end social conventions required you to express gratitude


This should basically be the family motto on my mother's side.

Manchu wrote:

 Ouze wrote:
now I have a Toys R Us gift card I don't know what to do with

Buy Star Wars Legos for yourself

 kronk wrote:
I buy myself the best gifts every year and it fething rocks!

This is my major issue at present. I have next to no bills and a steady income so if I really want or need something I just buy it. Not to insane proportions mind you, I'm not blowing whole paychecks on Forge World, but enough so that I must be a pain to shop for, for birthdays and the like.

 azazel the cat wrote:
Arigata-meiwaku: An act someone does for you that you didn’t want to have them do and tried to avoid having them do, but they went ahead anyway, determined to do you a favor, and then things went wrong and caused you a lot of trouble, yet in the end social conventions required you to express gratitude


This should basically be the family motto on my mother's side.

I am writing this down for future reference.