Wanted: C4 and a decent alibi. My neighbors... are idiots.

[ZedOmega]

Recently, our neighbors (and I really don't want to get started on them...) started renting out their guest house to a small family from Mexico. Nice folks from what I've seen, and the husband seems to be a hard worker since he's usually not home during the week (unlike another person I know of on that property who'd be perfectly capable of work if he'd sober the fuck up). But you know... there's a line.

The husband walked over to our fenceline in front at the same time I went outside for a cigarette and to let the dog out. We've never been formally introduced to said renters, so you could imagine the surprise when the renter asked for my girlfriend by name. Naturally, I called her outside while keeping my annoyance in check. She stayed outside and talked to them for a minute, and when she came back in, I asked her what the renters wanted. She told me they were asking to borrow our DVD player.

Yes. They asked us to lend them a piece of electronics. One that you can pretty much get in excellent condition from a bargain outlet or pawn shop for upwards of $40.

Now, I seriously don't have a clue how I'm supposed to react. The most I could manage between her telling me what the guy wanted and me telling this story has been permanently locked into 'amused irritation'.

[Aethian]

Maybe I'm just a bit naive but if they just wanted to borrow it to watch a movie and give it back that night or the next morning...whats the harm?

As for asking for her by name, maybe she met them before you had?

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Asking to borrow that sort of thing from someone you barely know is presumptuous and frankly flat out weird.

[blas]

Share some of that C4 with me when you find it, please.

I agree with Kink. It's weird and extremely rude.

[ZedOmega]

Maybe I'm just a bit naive but if they just wanted to borrow it to watch a movie and give it back that night or the next morning...whats the harm?

As for asking for her by name, maybe she met them before you had?

Given the history we have with the people they're renting from, that'd be a DVD player we 'gave away' without even realizing it. Plus, they moved in a few months ago; I've been living with my girlfriend for going on four years now, and we're usually awake when we're both here at home. Up until that point, we didn't know the renters from Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel and Seth.

Asking to borrow that sort of thing from someone you barely know is presumptuous and frankly flat out weird.

I concur. Thank God they didn't ask us to lend them our stove...

Share some of that C4 with me when you find it, please.

I agree with Kink. It's weird and extremely rude.

Gladly. I'll even mold it into almost any shape you consider appropriate. (Except skunks. Those tend to have tails that break off when you set them...)

[Racket_Man]

Share some of that C4 with me when you find it, please.

I agree with Kink. It's weird and extremely rude.

I second, third and fourth that. but..... I want LARGE quanities of C4 please. I have enough rural land for the bodies or small flakey parts thereof

[hatori]

To me it sounds like a cultural difference. I know there are lots of places outside the US where such a request wouldn't be considered rude, though perhaps among more amiable neighbors instead of almost complete strangers.

[telecom_goddess]

I don't know I just don't like lending out my stuff...especially electronics and hard to replace movies/cds/books. I will only lend these things to people I trust...and even then I get burned a little when they take 3 months to return them.

[blas]

Culture difference or not, you shouldn't have to make yourself uncomfortable by having to do something you don't want to in fear of being considered rude.

[Micer]

A cup of sugar or a stick of butter is one thing.

Electronics though, you probably wouldn't see it back, nothing against the trust and generosity of the general population this day and age (when we lived in Miami we had our share of strange neighbors, loved the one that didn't understand why we didn't want to partake of her 'stash', despite all her offers to share) but I'm very sure 'borrowing' would quickly turn into 'this was a house-warming gift!'

[bendertiger]

I'm training myself to join the police (working very well I might add).

THE AMOUNT OF SCUMBAGS OUT THERE...

The ONLY thing you should 'lend' out and hope you never get back is a pack of condoms. If they give you a new box back at least you can trust them a little, if they don't, at least they aren't breeding a new generation of thieves just yet.

[Sapphire Silk]

EE's Hubby often says, "Never lend anything you can't afford to give away."

Friendships are wrecked over loans of property and money. When I loan something out, especially money, if I get it back all well and good. If I don't, I don't get pissy, but I don't lend to that person again . . . but I blame myself.

I don't loan to strangers. That's like asking someone on the street, "Hey, would you like to pick my pocket?"

Needless to say, I can't remember the last time I got worked up because I loaned something and either didn't get it back, or got it back broken.

OTOH, EE and I really need to go through each others houses. I've got several things of hers that I've had awhile, and she's got several things of mine.

[mharbourgirl]

I second, third and fourth that. but..... I want LARGE quanities of C4 please. I have enough rural land for the bodies or small flakey parts thereof

Not secure enough. Could be traced, by dogs or spotting the dig site. I got a better idea.

There's a river out back of my house, and the section immediately available is extremely deep, 10 feet of black mud at the bottom, and swarming with eels and huge leeches. There won't be anything to trace if you let me dump the remains.