It's what time?

Almost 4 am.  I have been awake since just before 3.

My stomach is very upset, as it has been just about every night since about the beginning of the year. It's been particularly bad lately and I just hope that it's related to the ridiculous changes in weather around here and my corresponding allergy issues. I won't get into the disgusting details of how having allergy issues = upset stomach.

Anyway, the other thing that is bothering me is that I keep thinking about my Cincinnati reception that occurred this past Friday. Yes folks, it was this past Friday. I just want to go ahead and thank all the people that did show as well as the people who did not show up, yet had a valid excuse and took the time to let me know.

It's rally kinda playing on my mind as to how some people can be so rude as to RSVP to an event where the host is paying for food/drinks/etc. per head... and then not show! We did have some last minute cancellations and I can certainly forgive those people because they had good reasons. And honestly, I didn't notice some of the no-shows until I was thinking about it later and the next day.

But these rude people have made me realize something... never will I RSVP to an event where it is likely that my presence is individually paid for, unless I am damn sure that I can make it.

As a side note, the following reasons are acceptable excuses for not showing Friday night (post-RSVP)...
- Babysitter issues arising at the last minute (although your kid would have totally been welcome)
- Being 9 months pregnant, due within a week, and starting your work day in the wee hours of the morning (specifically judging a pregnant bikini contest)
- Developing a nasty infection in your eye (we don't want to see that!)
- Switching jobs soon before the date and not being able to get the time off work (though, advanced notice would have still been nice since we had until the week before the reception to give a final head count)

So, in the end, this is what I have also learned: I know who my true friends are now. I will stop including people who bitch and moan that I don't spend enough time with them when they can't follow through on a simple RSVP. I will stop making certain people a priority to whom I am clearly not a priority. I thought about sending certain insensitive people a "Guess we missed you Friday night" message... but why waste the energy?

I'm gonna go ahead and call that the end of this rant and hope that I have vented enough frustrations to officially get this off my mind and fall peacefully asleep for the next 2 hours or so before I have to get moving for work. That's assuming that this stomach issue subsides as well. Looks like I'm gonna be propping up on the couch. Yay.