Hoo boy. While very, very, very drunk at a wedding reception, my aunt came up to me and said "We're going to sing "I Kissed a Girl" at (cousin's) wedding! You should help!" . I was sitting there trying to figure out when my face had stopped communicating with my brain, so I just said okay. I took a taxi back to the hotel, watched public access TV for a minute until I figured out it wasn't SNL (as I said: drunk), and went to bed. The next morning, however, I remembered that I hate "I Kissed a Girl" because it's about sexually exploiting lesbians as a "game". And also it would be really embarrassing to sing! But mostly the first reason. There's also the issue that afaik, everyone in the singing group is straight (except for me, but I'm not out to my family so it's a moot point).
[more inside]
posted by WhathaveIdonenow?
on May 5, 2013 -
26 answers
My preschooler is getting just old enough to have a proper social life (playdates, birthday parties, etc.). I've got some specific questions about the parental etiquette expectations surrounding these kiddie get-togethers.
[more inside]
posted by Bardolph
on Apr 5, 2013 -
24 answers
My fiance and I have different opinions about visiting and whether or not we should call first. I'm not saying either of us are right or wrong, but I'm wondering if it's a regional thing.
[more inside]
posted by patheral
on Jan 15, 2013 -
74 answers
My friend is growing a beautiful bushy beard and moustache. After several months it's wonderfully luxuriant. But, it's got to the stage where he can't eat without spillage. As for soup, forget about it - he can hardly have a mouthful before he has to wield a napkin and wipe spoonfuls away. My friend is very elegant and finds this sloppiness excruciating, especially in public.
[more inside]
posted by glasseyes
on Jan 11, 2013 -
21 answers
I am a guy living in a co-ed sharehouse in Japan. I may have committed a faux pas, and would like to know proper sharehouse shower etiquette. Details inside.
[more inside]
posted by Kamelot123
on Nov 14, 2012 -
18 answers
We are very, very late with our wedding thank-yous. Over a year. We
know we are horrible people, okay? Now what?
[more inside]
posted by Madamina
on Nov 6, 2012 -
32 answers
It's 3pm now. Going to an event, a dinner, that starts at 6pm hopefully, but I have a cold. Might it turn out that I am unwelcome at the event if I go? Thing is, I know exactly who gave me the cold and don't really thank them for it. Is it bad etiquette to go to something like this if you have a cold? They are not friends or anything that I would otherwise be exposed to.
[more inside]
posted by Nish ton
on Nov 3, 2012 -
24 answers
What is appropriate in terns of modifying a home cooked meal?
[more inside]
posted by bq
on Oct 25, 2012 -
63 answers
Miss Manners filter: What to do when I feel like my friend/roommate is trying to drive a small wedge in my relationship. I can't decide what the "I'm afraid that won't be possible" is for this situation. Small wall o' text inside.
[more inside]
posted by jorlyfish
on Oct 22, 2012 -
22 answers
What did I do that was inappropriate in my consultation with this gardener/ landscape designer?
[more inside]
posted by steinwald
on Sep 22, 2012 -
30 answers
My partner sometimes speaks or writes to me in the imperative mood ("Do this, then do that." "Take the car to the shop.") It is an issue because I feel she is speaking to the staff, and I am not the staff. I have objected to this behavior continuously over several years. We are in couples' counseling, but it does not seem to be working. We're apparently at an impasse.
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Aug 7, 2012 -
49 answers
Manners-filter: Is it bad form to ask an ex-vendor about previously promised tickets from a few months ago?
[more inside]
posted by windbox
on May 30, 2012 -
19 answers
[Grad School Filter] “Hello more-established stranger who already did the academic research I wanted to do and my committee is making me email you…” Does anyone have any verbage that seems graceful and appropriate?
[more inside]
posted by powerbumpkin
on May 29, 2012 -
11 answers
I live in a house in a suburban neighborhood and my neighbor's dog lives full-time in a kennel that is on the line of our property. The neighbors do not clean the kennel regularly and it smells.
[more inside]
posted by WhathaveIdonenow?
on Apr 8, 2012 -
10 answers
How do I decline an open dinner invitation from an acquaintance with whom I do not wish to spend time?
[more inside]
posted by kellygreen
on Mar 18, 2012 -
17 answers
How do I, very much an
asker, make it easy and comfortable for an askee if they want to say "no"?
or do I need to just not ask? [more inside]
posted by spbmp
on Mar 10, 2012 -
29 answers
Am I a total snob for being embarrassed by my friend's table habit? If so, how can I fix it?
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Dec 29, 2011 -
58 answers
Unwilling toddlers and forced social interactions with adults: is it OK to instruct your child to (for instance) hug Great-Aunt Maisie, when she'd prefer not to?
[more inside]
posted by Bardolph
on Dec 29, 2011 -
46 answers
Is it thoughtful or vulgar to leave a candle burning in the guest bathroom when you entertain?
[more inside]
posted by Morrigan
on Nov 28, 2011 -
79 answers
I'm sending my brother + SIL a handmade baby bunting that has been around cats...and they have a dog. It is reasonable or rude to let them know this in case the dog finds it irresistibly chewable?
[more inside]
posted by FlyByDay
on Sep 17, 2011 -
10 answers
Dog Filter: If you have a really awesome dog that you adopted when they were around a year old- tell me about it. Specifically, the journey from crazy wily pup to well mannered dog whom you can take anywhere and not have to worry about a thing.
posted by MayNicholas
on Feb 27, 2011 -
15 answers
Is there some kind of official or everyone-knows-about-it gesture to indicate that someone has their fly open? If not, why not?
[more inside]
posted by cgk
on Dec 4, 2010 -
25 answers
Despite my profile name, my wife and I recently celebrated our two year anniversary. Yay! We recently received an engagement party and wedding invitation from a couple that didn't give us a gift for our wedding. Now, we're not sure how to handle the gift situation. Do we get them a gift as we would any other wedding, do we scale down the size of the gift, or do we not give a gift at all?
[more inside]
posted by love is a murderer
on Oct 19, 2010 -
65 answers
Rock concert etiquette: What are the unwritten rules of general admission, unseated shows. re: your spot.
[more inside]
posted by windbox
on Oct 16, 2010 -
32 answers
There is a very small, but still nonzero, chance that my brother-in-law might be a pedophile. I have a toddler daughter who is very close to her aunt. How can I tactfully gather more information about this, and how should I handle it with my family?
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Oct 5, 2010 -
59 answers
Are British people kind of socially retarded or is it normal for them to not be chatty and friendly with people they don't know well?
[more inside]
posted by KimikoPi
on Aug 5, 2010 -
57 answers
How do we control the excessive taking of food in our complimentary breakfast?
My family and I own and operate a Comfort Inn. We offer a free continental breakfast: coffee, toast, bagels, frozen waffles (you just pop them into the toaster), apples, bananas and a lemon cake that we cut up into small slices.
Frequently we have people who take it upon themselves to take way more than they need. We can understand someone taking a bagel to go for later in the day but these are guests who will take 15 extra plates, half a loaf of bread (I kid you not, just empty out the sack onto a plate and then take fifteen to twenty small packets of peanut better and/or cream cheese).
My mother believes that we should place some carefully worded sign next to breakfast in the hopes that people will be considerate of others as well as management and only take what they will eat. Too often people take because they assume they have a right to take.
How could we word such a sign without insulting the guests or make them feel like we're being rude? [more inside]
posted by Fizz
on Jul 11, 2010 -
101 answers
Prickly wedding etiquette question: We got married a little ways back, had a wonderful wedding, an unforgettable honeymoon, and are now back in the real world again. We're ready to sit down and write our thank-you cards, and have run into a slight... hiccup.
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on May 19, 2010 -
43 answers
What's the best way handle negative responses to the news that we are expecting our third child?
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on May 12, 2010 -
50 answers
Calling Ms. Manners: whats an appropriate thing to say when a co-worker's parent has died?
[more inside]
posted by jak68
on Apr 6, 2010 -
31 answers
AnxietyRemedyFilter : Advice on school-related anxiety, which seems to complicate my academic pathway (question on generally interation with administrative staff, teachers, future internship tutors and the like.
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Mar 22, 2010 -
6 answers
I'm a female in my late twenties, and, well... I'd like to be more elegant. Classier. There isn't anyone I'm trying to impress except myself, I guess. I just realized that most of the women I look up to in my life all seem so graceful in their manners, speech, and the way they treat others. I would love to be like that! So, how can I learn to be? Would you recommend any books or tips?
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Jan 30, 2010 -
37 answers
In your opinion, does the responsibility to provide another invitation fall on the giver or the taker of a "rain check?"
[more inside]
posted by plungerjoke
on Jan 15, 2010 -
29 answers
Do you think it is rude for Alice (a commuter cyclist) to slipstream behind Bob (another commuter cyclist, who doesn't know Alice)?
[more inside]
posted by Tapioca
on Nov 24, 2009 -
59 answers
How do I (or do I) politely explain to people that when they laughingly say they have OCD (because they want to be tidy or whatever), I find it truly insensitive?
[more inside]
posted by dzaz
on Aug 24, 2009 -
43 answers