People Reveal The Things They Hate About Staying At Other Peoples' Houses
[rebelmouse-image 18355393 is_animated_gif=Most of us have what we call our comfort zone and for many our physical comfort zone is in our own home. But inevitably at some point we end up having to leave home and spend the night elsewhere. And sometimes that includes invading someone else's home. It can be an uncomfortable and anxiety inducing situation.
Reddit user Another_Weeaboo asked "What do you hate most about spending the night (or longer) at someone else's house?"
Here's what people liked least about being a houseguest.
Not My Brand
[rebelmouse-image 18355394 is_animated_gif=They inevitably have weird milk. Even the same brand and % that I drink always tastes bad at someone else's house.
Everyone's refrigerator has different organization and smells different.
Social Caterpillar
[rebelmouse-image 18352484 is_animated_gif=I get pretty bad social anxiety, it's the feeling that I can't relax. The only time that I can truly relax is when I'm home alone.
Best Friend is Home Alone
[rebelmouse-image 18355395 is_animated_gif=My dog isn't there with me. I can leave him to go to work, sure, but leaving him overnight? It always breaks my heart.
Hiding Place
[rebelmouse-image 18355396 is_animated_gif=The constant worry that they'll find out I'm there.
TBS
[rebelmouse-image 18355397 is_animated_gif=I get up to pee a lot (I'm fine, it's been like this since I was a kid). Makes me so self conscious of getting up. At a hotel it's great, but at someone's house I always get so nervous about getting up five times and waking people up.... I hate it.
Finding Mr. Sandman
[rebelmouse-image 18355398 is_animated_gif=Trying to sleep.
I'm already an insomniac. Adding the discomfort of a strange bed and unfamiliar surroundings doesn't help.
Bedding Down
[rebelmouse-image 18355367 is_animated_gif=The guest bed and all it's accoutrements. There have been so many times I have slept at someone's house and they have the thinnest blankets known to mankind. The house is always freezing too. I once bought a small comforter to fix the situation. Then they got mad that I just didn't ask them for another blanket. Hey dude, I didn't know your house dropped 40 degrees between the hours of 2-5am and I don't feel right waking you up for that.
Bad Guest
[rebelmouse-image 18355399 is_animated_gif=Well, when I would crash at a friend's house when I was a teen, it was usually because we got trashed. So it was always the worst getting the stink eye from the guy's parents while they reluctantly make you breakfast. "Here's an egg, get out of my house".
No Thank You, I'll Pass
[rebelmouse-image 18355400 is_animated_gif=Generally feeling uncomfortable because I'm not in control of anything. If I'm at home and I want a cup of coffee, I make it. I know exactly where the coffee is, how to use the machine, and I don't need anyone's permission. At someone else's house, you have to ask, "Is it OK if I make coffee?" And then you have to figure out where everything is and how everything works.
This idea extends to everything. You want to watch something on TV? Well, the hosts are watching Property Brothers or Fox and Friends, hope you like it. You want to get something to eat? The hosts are making tuna casserole for dinner, it'll be ready in two hours, sit tight. Want to do something that only you're interested in? That's rude because you're not including the hosts. And on and on.
I'll gladly pay for a hotel to avoid the awkwardness.
Who Gets to Clean?
[rebelmouse-image 18354170 is_animated_gif=I will always try to do some cleaning. Like I'll wake up before my hosts and I'll clean up the mess we made in the kitchen the night before. Put all the bottles/cans in the bin, take out the trash, do some dishes, wipe down the counter, etc. Then they wake up a little later and it's like, "Ahhh man you didn't have to do that," and they look all embarrassed or something because I'm the guest and I shouldn't have to clean up. Which makes sense I guess but I'm also trying to be a good guest and I hate the idea of somebody else having to clean up after me. So it's just kinda like this awkward thing I do where I guess it makes them feel weird but I can't help doing it.
Scheduling Conflicts
[rebelmouse-image 18355401 is_animated_gif=I used to sleep over a lot and do some couch-surfing, but when traveling now I would always book a hotel, b&b or camping, because I really need my own space and schedule. I like visiting friends, but I don't like to be forced to "entertain" them the entire time. In the future when I have a spare room, friends can come and go as they please and I'll have my own schedule.
Restrained
[rebelmouse-image 18355402 is_animated_gif=The chains are starting to chafe my wrists...also this basement smells like mildew.
Awkward
[rebelmouse-image 18355403 is_animated_gif="Make yourself at home", "You don't need to ask if you want a drink/something to eat, just grab it from the fridge" I will never feel comfortable just taking things out of peoples cupboards and eating/drinking or using them, no matter how many times they say they really don't mind.
Not Entirely Welcome
[rebelmouse-image 18348571 is_animated_gif=Hearing the parents of the friend who I'm staying over with ask my friend "is he really spending the night here?".
So I'm caught between just wanting to go home so their parents won't feel uncomfortable, and staying because my friend went through the trouble to prepare food and other stuff.
Horseback Riding and Tennis
[rebelmouse-image 18352192 is_animated_gif=Getting visited by Aunt Flo, even worse if it's a surprise. When I was like 14 I stained a friend's carpet because we were sitting on the floor. I was mortified.
3rd Wheel
[rebelmouse-image 18355404 is_animated_gif=I was going through a rough patch and a friend let me stay at her and her husband's house. They were great, invited me places. Were cool with just hanging out. Gave me a whole room. Space in the fridge. Didn't even charge me.
I spent every minute I could away from that house and trying to avoid being around them. I'd pop in to sleep, and leave asap in the morning for work. I felt I was intruding on their life, even though they said they were cool with having me around and I believe them. It just felt wrong.
Bathroom Anxiety
[rebelmouse-image 18355406 is_animated_gif=Depending on the house layout, having to poop. I don't mind using other toilets but some of the popular open house layouts have the guest bath right off the living room or kitchen area and not a huge fan of everyone hearing me.
Sensory Sensitive
[rebelmouse-image 18355407 is_animated_gif=I have issues with repetitive sounds or blinking lights. I loathe when people have clocks that I can hear the ticking on when I'm trying to fall asleep. I also can't stand if there's an electronic in the room that lights up and changes at night.
Faucet By NASA
[rebelmouse-image 18355408 is_animated_gif=I hate using other people's showers, not because someone else has been in there, but because I never know how to use it properly. Despite being widespread and nominally mass-produced, every shower seems to be slightly different, meaning that it takes about a good 15 minutes of experimenting before I can actually get it to a good, constant temperature. And no one wants to be the idiot who has to get half-re-dressed to ask for help with the shower.
Other peoples' showers are the WORST. It's always some kind of weird skyrim lock picking type trial to get the water to come out of the correct spout and be the right temperature.
All By Myself
[rebelmouse-image 18355409 is_animated_gif=I need alone time. And I feel weird needing to be alone in someone else's house.
During a stay of a week or longer it's not really an issue. But in a short stay people find it weird if you just want to lock yourself alone in a room for a few hours. Especially if it's someone you are visiting because they feel like they need to smash as much time with you as possible in to however long you are there.
Being around people non-stop is exhausting for me.
Stifled
[rebelmouse-image 18355410 is_animated_gif=Not having control over the the temperature of the house.
Near the end of her life I spent a lot of time at my grandmother's house. I spent the night when I could. One thing that drove me insane was the fact that she kept her thermostat set at 85f (around 29c) and insisted that all of her fans remain turned off. Great. This was during the height of summer in Southeast Florida so it was stifling hot in the house. The fan in the bedroom where I stayed only worked on the slowest setting and that wasn't much help. I had to buy several fans to make sleeping a possibility.
Age Has It's Advantages
[rebelmouse-image 18355411 is_animated_gif=When you wake up and they're still sleeping, you have to pretend that you're still asleep until they're ready to get up.
Admittedly when you become an adult and this happens, you end up not giving a darn and just going about your day as if the house was yours. Make yourself breakfast, shower, grab the newspaper, it's all good past a certain age. You won't even care that you're using someone else's towels once you hit 35!
Animals
[rebelmouse-image 18355412 is_animated_gif=Terrible breakfast choices.
Kashi and skim milk with sunrise blend tea brewed in a microwave?
Gods above and below you people are animals.
Naturalists
[rebelmouse-image 18355413 is_animated_gif=When they don't tell you that no one really wears clothes at their house.
Walk into the living room and their dad's sat in his tighty-whities on the sofa watching TV.
Walker Lamond is the author of Rules for My Unborn Son, in which he brings us this collection of traditional, humorous, and urbane fatherly advice for boys.

1. There are plenty of ways to enter a pool. The stairs is not one of them.
2. Never cancel dinner plans by text message.
3. Dont knock it til you try it.
4. If a street performer makes you stop walking, you owe him a buck.
5. Always use we when referring to your home team or your government.
6. When entrusted with a secret, keep it.
7. DONT underestimate free throws in a game of HORSE.
8. Just because you can doesnt mean you should.
9. Dont dumb it down.
10. You only get one chance to notice a new haircut.
11. If youre staying more than one night, unpack.
12. Never park in front of a bar.
13. Expect the seat in front of you to recline. Prepare accordingly.
14. Keep a picture of your first fish, first car, and first girl/boyfriend.
15. Hold your heroes to a high standard.
16. A suntan is earned, not bought.
17. Never lie to your doctor.
18. All guns are loaded.
19. Dont mention sunburns. Believe me, they know.
20. The best way to show thanks is to wear it. Even if its only once.
21. Take a vacation from your cell phone, internet, and TV once a year.
22. Dont fill up on bread, no matter how good it is.
23. A handshake beats an autograph.
24. Dont linger in the doorway. In or out.
25. If you choose to go in drag, dont sell yourself short.
26. If you want to know what makes you unique, sit for a caricature.
27. Never get your haircut the day of a special event.
28. Be mindful of what comes between you and the Earth. Always buy good shoes, tires, and sheets.
29. Never eat lunch at your desk if you can avoid it.
30. When youre with new friends, dont just talk about old friends.
31. Eat lunch with the new kids.
32. When traveling, keep your wits about you.
33. Its never too late for an apology.
34. Dont pose with booze.
35. If you have right of way, TAKE IT.
36. You dont get to choose your own nickname.
37. When you marry someone, remember you marry their entire family.
38. Never push someone off a dock.
39. Under no circumstances should you ask a woman if she is pregnant.
40. Its not enough to be proud of your ancestry, live up to it.
41. Dont make a scene.
42. When giving a thank you speech, short and sweet is best.
43. Know when to ignore the camera.
44. Never gloat.
45. Invest in great luggage.
46. Make time for your mom on your birthday, Its her special day too.
47. When opening presents, no one likes a good guesser.
48. Sympathy is a crutch, never fake a limp.
49. Give credit. Take Blame.
50. Suck it up every now and again.
51. Never be the last one in the pool.
52. Dont stare.
53. Address everyone that carries a firearm professionally.
54. Stand up to bullies. Youll only have to do it once.
55. If youve made your point, stop talking.
56. Admit it when youre wrong.
57. If you offer to help dont quit until the job is done.
58. Look people in the eye when you thank them.
59. Thank the bus driver.
60. Never answer the phone at the dinner table.
61. Forgive yourself for your mistakes.
62. Know at least one good joke.
63. Dont boo. Even the ref is somebodys son.
64. Know how to cook one good meal.
65. Learn to drive a stick shift.
66. Be cool to younger kids. Reputations are built over a lifetime.
67. Its okay to go to the movies by yourself.
68. Dance with your mother/father.
69. Dont lose your cool. Especially at work.
70. Always thank the host.
71. If you dont understand, ask before its too late.
72. Know the size of your boyfriend/girlfriend's clothes.
73. There is nothing wrong with a plain t-shirt.
74. Be a good listener. Dont just take your turn to talk.
75. Keep your word.
76. In college always sit in the front. Youll stand out immediately. Come grade time it might come in handy.
77. Carry your mothers bags. She carried you for 9 months.
78. Be patient with airport security. They are just doing their job.
79. Dont be the talker in a movie.
80. The opposite sex likes people who shower.
81. You are what you do. Not what you say.
82. Learn to change a tire.
83. Be kind. Everyone has a hard fight ahead of them.
84. An hour with grandparents is time well spent. Ask for advice when you need it.
85. Dont litter.
86. If you have a sister, get to know her boyfriend. Your opinion is important.
87. You wont always be the strongest of fastest. But you can be the toughest.
88. Never call someone before or after 9 AM and 9PM.
89. Buy the orange properties in Monopoly.
90. Make the little things count.
91. Always wear a bra at work.
92. There is a fine line between looking sultry and slutty. Find it.
93. Youre never too old to need your mom.
94. Ladies, if you make the decision to wear heels on the first date commit to keeping them on and toning down how much your feet kill.
95. Know the words to your national anthem.
96. Your dance moves might not be the best, but I promise making a fool of yourself is more fun than sitting on the bench alone.
97. Smile at strangers.
98. Make Goals.
99. Being old is not dictated by your bedtime.
100. If you HAVE to fight, punch first and punch hard.
See more amazing work by Walker Lamond in his Blog, or find his book on Amazon.

We live in an era where online dating has become the norm. But people aren't always who and what they say they are. If you aren't familiar with the term 'catfish', it basically means luring someone into a relationship by pretending to be someone completely different through a fictional online persona.
Here are 10 creepy and bizarre catfish stories:
This article is based on the AskReddit question: "Online daters of Reddit, have you ever been the victim of a 'Catfish'? If so, how did you find out that they were lying?" Source can be found at the end of the article.
1/10. Not me but my older brothers best friend. He had been talking to this girl online for a really long time. He was planning on driving to Texas (we live in north Georgia) to visit her. When he told her that he was going to drive over to see her she confessed that she was actually an overweight 43 year old lady. He was 23 at the time. He doesn't like to talk about it
-Hoggiebearz
2/10. The first time, a girl sent me pictures of herself and she looked like around my age. When we finally met for our first date, I realized that she was not the girl from the pictures because she was barely 18 and was enormous compared to the girl I had pictures of. She was apologetic, and explained that she sent me pictures of her sister instead of herself for various reasons. The lie about her age was only a slight problem because she had just turned 18 days before so I wasn't in any legal danger. We remained friends for years.
The second time was the last time I tried to meet a girl online. I was a junior in college and had been talking to this girl a few states away for weeks online. She claimed to be 19 (I was 20) and she was a cute red head in the pics she sent me, so I chatted her up regularly even though she lived far away. At some point, she surprises me with her plan to take a bus out to my university and spend the weekend hanging out and partying with me.
When I picked her up at the bus stop I barely recognized her. She sort of looked like the cute redhead I had pictures of, but waaaaaay younger, like she could be the daughter of the girl I had been talking to online. I played it cool, trying to be a gentleman, but quickly decided that spending the weekend partying with what appears to be a 14-16 year old would be a bad idea. I told her that there were no good parties on the docket and took her home to my parents house where I figured we could lay low until Sunday when I could shuffle her back onto a bus and be rid of the jailbait.
Well, late the next evening while we were sitting on the living room floor watching a movie with my parents, the phone rings. I answered the phone to hear a crying woman pleading to know where her daughter was and if she is ok. That's when it hit me... I was harboring a freakin' teenage runaway. I got the girl on the phone with her mom, and started grabbing all of her stuff and putting in my car. Apparently her mom had found my phone number on their phone bill and traveled to my school looking for her daughter.
I promised to meet her on campus with her daughter ASAP. Well, we didn't even make it out of the driveway before the police cars showed up. The cop looked at me, then pointed to the girl and said, "Is that her?", and I replied, "yeah, take her home man" and that was it. Luckily for me, I think this girl may have had a history of running away from home because they didn't ask me a single question or anything they just took the girl and left. Then my mom came out into the driveway asking why the cops were there... I had some 'splainin' to do.
What Most People Don't Realize About Homophobia, This Guy Nails It
I don't understand homophobia. I mean the word "homophobia." I don't get it. Fear of gays? If a lot of gay folks move into your neighborhood, your property value goes up and you get a new Whole Foods.
What's to be afraid of?
I once heard a guy say, "I don't want gays around. They'll try and convert me."
Umm, they're not Jehovah's Witnesses, Skeeter. They don't spend Sunday knocking on doors asking who's read from the book of Judy Garland.
Sunday isn't for recruiting, it's for brunch, silly.
And if the reason you don't want to be around gay men is because you're afraid they'll somehow be able to talk you into being gay, then surprise... YOU'RE GAY
If you're totally straight, then what are you afraid of?
You'll be at a party, some tall drink of water's gonna be handing out free BJ coupons, and you'll think,
"Well, I can't turn down a deal, now can I? Not in this economy!"
Homophobia isn't fear of gays. It's fear you may BE gay. It should be called: "I'M A HOMO-PHOBIA"
And for the record, don't be afraid. Gay men aren't vampires, they don't bite, and they can't convert you.
They're more like Hagrid from Harry Potter: All they can do is introduce you to a fabulous new world by letting you know the magic was in you all along.
@NatBaimel Comedian
Seem more hilarious stuff by Nat Baimel on Twitter.
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Secret codes exist around the world for many reasons. The primary reasons? To decrease panic or increase privacy. The codes in the collection all fall into this category.
Thanks a bunch to Chris Baraniuk of BBC and Jamie Frater of ListVerse for their articles on Secret Codes that inspired this article. Links to their work are at the bottom of this article.
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10.
Visual codes
Not all codes are alphanumeric. Some are visual, intended to be hidden in plain sight. As BBC Future discovered earlier this year, many banknotes feature a specific pattern of dotscalled the EURion constellation, placed there to prevent people from photocopying money. Many copiers and scanners are programmed to spot it.
And online daters might want to use their profiles to alert potential partners to the fact that they have a sexually transmitted infection, but to do so discreetly. Theres a codeword for that, too: 437737. On a telephone dialing pad with letters associated with numbers, the number spells out herpes.
Other visual codes are scrawled in the landscape around us. One surprising example is the series of signs known as hoboglyphs a collection of symbols meant to provide information to travelling workers and homeless people. Among other things, these could indicate the quality of a nearby water source, or suggest whether the occupant of a house is friendly or not.
(Known as hoboglyphs, these nondescript graffiti tags highlight safe areas, water sources and information about police between the homeless (Credit: Flickr/Everfalling/CC BY 2.0)
The Ten Codes are a list of codes used by law enforcement officers in the United States. They are available on the Internet which would make them seem inappropriate for this list, but a large number of police departments have tried to have them made illegal for distribution, so they deserve a mention. The codes were developed initially in 1937 and were expanded in 1974. The California Police use a variety of extra codes which predated the ten codes. For example, a 187 (one eighty-seven) means homicide. In the ten codes system, a 10-31 means that a crime is in progress, a 10-27-1 means homicide (the 10 is usually not said when it is a three-number sequence), and a 10-00 (ten double-zero) means officer down all patrols respond.Wikipedia has a complete list of the police codes here.
In computer support, a variety of codes can be used when referring to a customer. One of these codes has become fairly well known on the internet: PEBKAC (Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair) but there are a variety of others that are lesser known. One of these is used when reporting a fault which has been fixed: The fault was a PICNIC (problem in chair not in computer), or ID 10 T Error ID 10 T is, of course, IDIOT. Let us hope that you never see this noted down on your file when a serviceman is fixing your computer.
Time Check (usually taking a similar form to: Time check: the time is 12:00) can be a code in stores for a bomb alert. It alerts the staff to follow the bomb procedure, which can be to either try to locate any suspicious packages, or to prepare to get the hell out. If you hear a time check in a store, it is probably a good idea to start moving toward the exit. Surprisingly and shockingly, the majority of stores that use this code actually expect their staff to search for the bomb certainly an aspect of the job that the majority of teenaged checkout operators werent expecting when they signed up I am sure.
A code 10 in hospitals can refer to a mass casualty or serious threat (such as a bomb alert), but the majority of people experiencing a code 10 will do so for another far more common reason: a code 10 authorization is made by a merchant when he needs to call a credit card company to enquire about your card. This means that he is suspicious of you or your card and doesnt want you to know it while he gets it checked out. When the credit card company hears that they have a code 10, they will ask a series of yes/no questions to the merchant in order to find out what the situation is. This will often result in the merchant keeping your card if they believe it is safe to do so. This type of call often results in a call to law enforcement.
Doctor Brown is a code word often used in hospitals to alert security staff to a threat to personnel. If a nurse or doctor is in danger from a violent patient or non-staff member, they can page Doctor Brown to their location and the security staff will rush to their aid. In some hospitals, code silver is used to refer to a person with a weapon, and code gray can mean a violent person without a weapon. Hospitals have a huge array of various codes to describe all manner of situations. They often differ from hospital to hospital and they are usually not internationally recognized. [Image courtesy of The Adventures of Dr. McNinja]
On a ship, a code oscar means someone has gone overboard. If the ship has to maneuver erratically to handle the situation, it must also send out blasts on the signal so that other ships nearby are aware of the fact that it is about to change its course. It should be noted that ships dont have an internationally standardized set of PA signals and they can differ from place to place, but this is a fairly commonly used one. Oh and a code delta can mean that there is a biological hazard though who knows what that might be on a passenger ship. And finally, Code Alpha often means medical emergency.
Code Bravo is the code phrase for a general security alert at airports. Unlike most of the codes on this list, the code is meant to cause alarm but not through knowing what it means: when this alert is raised, all of the security agents will begin to yell Code Bravo in order to frighten the passengers this is supposed to make it easier for the agents to locate the source of the problem without interference from the general public. For those of you who travel on ships from time to time, you may like to know that Code Bravo means fire and it is the most serious alert on a ship if it burns, you either get off or burn with it. Ships also often use sound signals, such as 7 short and 1 long, meaning man the lifeboats.
Inspector Sands (or sometimes Mr Sands), is a code for fire in the United Kingdom. Obviously it would not be appropriate for the service staff of a store to announce a fire publicly, so this code is used to alert the appropriate staff to the danger without upsetting customers. The wording differs from place to place and in the Underground network a recorded Inspector Sands warning is automatically triggered by smoke detectors. In some shops you will hear the code used in a phrase such as Will inspector Sands please report to the mens changing room if the fire is in the mens changing room. It was played on a continuous loop through the underground during the July 7, 2005 bombings, and has been incorrectly described as a code word for a bomb the frequently used code for a bomb in the Underground is Mr Gravel for example, Mr Gravel is in the foyer. Mr Sands (or sometimes Mr Johnson) is also used in theaters in the case of fire. You can listen to a recording of the Underground Inspector Sands warning here.
WalMart gets its own item on this list because they have a large number of codes that are store specific. Some of their codes should not worry you for example a code 10 or a code 20 just means that there has been a dry spill or a wet spill the biggest danger this poses to you is that you might slip over. A code 300 calls for security and a code orange means there has been a chemical spill. But here are the ones you really need to worry about: Code red means there is a fire in the building get the hell out if you hear this. Worse still, a code blue means there is a bomb in the building. Exit swiftly but dont run in case they think you planted it. A code green means there is a hostage situation and a code white means there is an accident. The one you are most likely to hear is a code c which is simply a call for customer service (usually meaning that more cashiers are needed). And finally the most famous WalMart code well, its so famous it needs its own item:
Code Adam was invented by Walmart but it is now an internationally recognized alert. It means missing child. The code was first coined in 1994 in memory of Adam Walsh, a six-year old, who went missing in a Sears department store in Florida in 1981. Adam was later found murdered. The person making the announcement will state we have a code Adam, followed by a description of the missing child. As soon as the alert is heard, security staff will begin to monitor the doors and other exits. If the child is not found within 10 minutes, the police are alerted and a store search begins. Also, if the child is found in the first 10 minutes in the company of an unknown adult, the police must be called and the person detained if it is safe to do so. In 2003, the US Congress passed legislation making a Code Adam program compulsory in all federal office buildings. A similar alert is called an AMBER alert, a backronym for Americas Missing: Broadcasting Emergency Response but initially named for Amber Hagerman, a 9 year old girl who was abducted and murdered.
