Question/Rant: What's the dumbest reason for being stood up you've ever heard?

[nolabear]

I just returned from a supposed "meeting" with a group of people who want to be part of a project I'm heading. Mind you; I didn't draft them; they asked to be part of it. Out of a group of five, ONE showed up. This was after we all negotiated the night and some of the no-shows insisted that tonight was the on;y night they could do it, and I agreed to drive to another town to meet. I got one "I'm SURE I'm still contageous" (yeah right; you're doing me a favor), one "I had to do something else" (She forgot that they post when you were last on Facebook, and that other engagement was apparently in Farmville), one e-mailed "Sorry" sent at the time of the meeting (I was supposed to see it by magic I assume) and a simple just-didn't-show-up.

SO, to amuse me while I come down off the roof and compose a tactful e-mail, what are the dumbest, most transparent excuses you've either heard or made yourself for not attending something?

I will cop to having killed off my father more than once, and my sister swears a friend once told her she couldn't attend a party because she was nauseous after having given CPR to her hamster.

[Spock_is_Skeptical]

1. "Sorry, I had to get tested for HIV"

no joke

[old mark]

14. So you say, "Great! So do I - I'll meet you there!" nt

[AsahinaKimi]

2. well I once heard

"Sorry, I had other things to do.."

[XemaSab]

3. I had a guy show up 6 hours late

because he had to go skydiving.

To this day I don't know if that was bullshit or not. :shrug:

[struggle4progress]

4. A number of years ago, I was one of the contacts for an organizing project, and so I'd get phone

calls from people wanting more info

I got a call from somebody, who claimed real interest but insisted on reading about the issue and wanted me to bring some stuff by. Well, I had thousands of pages of stuff I could put in people's hands but I wasn't gonna copy it all and mail it blind. So I talked to the guy and agreed to bring some stuff by and talk a while about what he was actually interested in, in order to decide what else he might like to see. We set a day and time to sit down at his place. Fellow lived about thirty miles away

So I get up early on a Saturday morning, in the pouring rain, and drive to his place. Nice house, ritzy neighborhood. They're expecting somebody, cuz only the front storm door is closed; I can see into the living room, hall and kitchen. It's like 9AM; family is visibly moving around inside; I'm there in the pouring rain on the front porch, trying to keep this brown envelope of document-copies dry, ringing the effin doorbell, and from time to time somebody or other peers at me from the kitchen -- and then ignores me and doesn't answer the door

Well, between choosing and copying documents for the guy and the 60 mile roundtrip, this is a few hours of my time, and I'm serious about the project, so I don't give up easy. I keep ringing the doorbell, then I start knocking politely, and finally I start pounding on the glass, which brings the guy to the door: What do you want? I say I'm so-and-so, you asked me to come by to talk. Dickhead says Oh, yeah. Well, I decided I don't have time for this. I figure it's a setup, intended to piss me off, so I very pleasantly apologize I'm sorry to have disturbed you, and get the eff outta there before I plant my fist in Dickhead's face

[mikita]

13. wow, I agree it was a setup,

and I admire your inner fortitude for not flattening the guy.....

[MilesColtrane]

5. "I was curled up, naked and twitching, in a cocaine induced psychosis."

[gvstn]

6. I don't know about being stood up...

But there seems to be little excuse for being late for a meeting: http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100618/sc_livescience/braincellsinlabdishkeeptime.

[nolabear]

7. ROTFL! You may have hit on something! Welcome to DU!

[tigereye]

8. he said he had to babysit his brother!

this was for the Sadie Hawkins Dance in high school. Why didn't he just say no in the first place? :shrug: It was really hurtful at the time.

(funny I had forgotten all about it!) :rofl:

[orleans]

9. just for the record...

my daughter had to give cpr to her mouse (mouth to mouse as i call it) and she was fine. (sadly, after a trip to the e.r. the darling mouse passed on about six hours later. we were heartbroken)

[gvstn]

10. Again, not about being stood up exactly

My favorite lame excuse was from the movie Floundering (no YouTube clip available, and text doesn't do it justice since cigarettes were so widely available everywhere back in the early 90's ).

John (sounding desperate): I really need to see you today. Please!
John's Girlfriend (sounding bored): Sorry John, I just don't have the time. I have to buy some cigarettes. {pause} And the cat needs a flea-dip. Call me tomorrow. (hangs up phone)

There is something crushing about both those excuses.

[guitar man]

11. I ran out of gas

. I, I had a flat tire. I didn't have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts. IT WASN'T MY FAULT, I SWEAR TO GOD!!

[retread]

12. Had to sort my sock drawer. n/t

[old mark]

15. I have never had that experience, but I'll let you know if and when it ever happens...

:shrug:

mark