Annie writes, “This a note my roommate left me expressing her discontent with me because I would, while straightening up, put her placemats back in the drawer. I was putting away her placemats to clean up…but also because they are the most hideous things I have ever seen [see exhibit b]. She also got mad at me for putting out my old bathmat while I was washing hers. I especially like that she assumes I will ‘trash it’ when I am ready.”
EXHIBIT B, the placemats:
242 responses so far ↓
#1
The Other Commenter
Gah! My eyes! Surely Bonnie has some other piece of personal decoration that would be more appropriate. Something Bedazzled, perhaps.
Aug 23, 2007 at 10:37 am rating: 25
#2
mere
so, you clean around the house and do the laundry .. your reward: dancing chef placemats.
awesome.
okey dokey.
i wonder if annie sent a text wanting ‘to talk ‘ about it.
Aug 23, 2007 at 10:38 am rating: 18
#3
Zigs
Annie was right to hide those placemats —
They’re the kind of thing you’d find in a “kitchen mockup” of a below average furniture store.
Oofah. As soon as Bonnie gets some taste, then she should start contributing to the house decorations.
Aug 23, 2007 at 10:43 am rating: 9
#4
Trevor
The placemats? Yeah, not such great taste.
Annie sending her note and a pic of the ‘mats for all to mock? That’s in worse taste.
Aug 23, 2007 at 10:52 am rating: 60
#5
Mrs. Bender
Oh my god, those placemats are just plain hideous! I wouldn’t have just put them in the drawer Annie, I think I would’ve probably thrown them in the fireplace (while a fire was in it)! If I were Bonnie I not only wouldn’t have bought the placemats, but I certainly wouldn’t lay claim to them as my own! Bonnie, find something else of yours to decorate the house with!! As for the bathmat, Annie, you don’t have to part with yours until you are “ready” – don’t rush the separation process though, it’s not good for the psyche.
But I do have to say the note is very well written with paragraphs and just beautiful penmanship, and don’t get alot of that here on this site!
Aug 23, 2007 at 10:56 am rating: 7
#6
lauralaiwc
id burn them, personally. forget this passive aggressive stuff, lets just be aggressive.
id love to see a reciprocal note about having replacement place mats ready to go for when the roomie is ready to trash hers, as they slide about on the table.
there has to be either more stress in the house for someone to freak out over putting place mats away…i only put mine out when i have company so it looks nice…or the note-writer needs to take a nap and stop being cranky.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:00 am rating: 4
#7
Zen
Are you for real? You actually clean and she has a problem with her fugly placemats. You seem so considerate with the temporary bath rug exchange too.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I put my placemats away after each use and take them out when we are having a meal. Leaving them out seems messy and cluttered to me.
I wonder what her real problem is with you.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:01 am rating: 11
#8
ursula
So, yeah, not many people are going to like those place mats, but heh, in life you have to compromise. It sounds like she really likes them and what’s the harm of having them out on the table if it makes her feel good? Lighten up and stop being a style nazi. And embarrassing other people to make yourself feel superior= LAME.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:02 am rating: 76
#9
Toby
Those place mats. Burn them!
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:02 am rating: 6
#10
anglophile
Oh for cripe’s sakes. Let the poor girl have her placemats out. What’s the difference?
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:04 am rating: 54
#11
CA Girl
AHHH! My eyes! It feels like burning!
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:08 am rating: 2
#12
CA Girl
The one thing I am wondering… DID Annie have a fun day with her family? Because family is important!
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:17 am rating: 15
#13
Naomi
I think my corneas are forever tortured by that ugly thing.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:19 am rating: 1
#14
Katy
Team Annie, I say. Her roommate is LOOKING for a fight and just needs to STFU.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:27 am rating: 7
#15
MK
Gahd! I don’t miss the wasted evil energy housemates bring out in one another. My housemate Brad used to label all his food, but would try to be funny. Like “Eggs O’Brad”. Then I found a six-month-old dozen of that effer’s eggs when moving out, and I wanted to stuff em in a box and mail them to him. No denying they were his at that point.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:36 am rating: 5
#16
Hannah
Eh. Team Need More Info. Sure, the place mats aren’t great, but if Annie decorated the rest of the house, then for crissake give the girl her friggin place mats!
Bonnie wrote this really calming and sweetly, and as it stands now, Annie looks like a pretty vindictive person for sending it AND a picture of the place mats along.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:36 am rating: 51
#17
Shae
HOLEY MOLEY. I was expecting bad placemats, VERY bad placemats, but I was still not prepared for what I scrolled down to see.
What the hell’s going on there? Are those guys in the middle sitting on each other’s laps? Or is that a set of siamese triplets?
I think they’ve all had a little too much wine… as did the roommate who purchased them.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:39 am rating: 6
#18
CA Girl
I think all those chefs should really put down the bread and pasta… maybe try Atkins?
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:42 am rating: 1
#19
Max Roswell
The placemats are truly heinous, but I don’t find the note to be too passive/aggressive. Seems like a polite request from an obviously blind person.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:42 am rating: 25
#20
Joanna
The best part of the note would be the “Okey Dokey”.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:46 am rating: 5
#21
Anon
Team Compromise here. If Bonnie hates the bath mat and Annie hates the placemats, why don’t you agree to remove both? If it’s really an issue, Annie, which it seems to be for Bonnie, you need to work on integrating your two styles. Go shopping together for new bath mats or placemats that you can both agree on. Then if Bonnie still wants her placemats she can use them for end table covers in her bedroom. Problem solved.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:54 am rating: 14
#22
Patrick
The Note: Very sweet and nice way to say. “I grind my teeth and growl when I see my mats gone and hence you are an Ass. Have a GREAT day!”
The Mats: I read through the federal statute regarding fashion taste. The crime of owning and displaying such hideous items carries a life sentence with Martha Stewart without possibility of parole.
Trevor: You are retarded.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:54 am rating: 5
#23
Goldie
So Annie actually cleans after Bonnie and this is the thanks she gets?
These are some fugly placemats, BTW. Nothing says “bon appetit” as a drawing of three fat dancing guys!
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:55 am rating: 2
#24
Anon
And Patrick, I agree RE: Trevor.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:55 am rating: 2
#25
jen
This one smells of impending escalation. It’s like passive-aggressive theater:
“I’m pretending to put these away to be neat and conscientious, but I’m really making a PA statement about what I think of your taste.”
“Rather than ask WTF about my placemats and what you are implying about my taste, I will leave the fifth draft of a note in my best 8th grade handwriting after discussing it at length with my mom and two of my best friends from summer camp.”
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:57 am rating: 32
#26
PatHMV
Right on, Jen…
Constantly putting away the (admittedly) hideous placemats is definitely PA. And really, the note’s not PA. It says very clearly what the problem is, that Annie’s decorated the place to look the way she wants it to look, without letting Bonnie do her share of the decorating in the common areas. Every time Bonnie tries to put something of hers out, Annie puts it away, replaces it “temporarily” or whatever.
At least Bonnie’s started a conversation about what’s bothering her, unlike Annie, who just briskly hides everything of Bonnie’s that she doesn’t like. They need to sit down and negotiate. Annie can’t stand the hideous placemats, but maybe there’s something else Bonnie would like to put out that would be more tolerable that they can compromise on.
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:07 pm rating: 42
#27
Katzendogz
I agree with Trevor and Ursula. The point of this site is to mock passive aggressive notes, not a person’s taste in furnishings.
Also, the people who think it’s also in bad taste for Bonnie to be upset when Annie has cleaned, why is that even relevant? Maybe it was Annie’s turn to clean.
Annie is being passive aggressive too, because she’s admitted to us that she put away the place mats because she finds them ugly. If they had been her place mats, she likely would have set them aside while cleaning the table and then put them back. I’m sure Bonnie knows this, and because she feels like nothing in the common areas reflect her taste it’s ticking her off.
Both of these girls are guilty of PA behavior, and I agree with Anon in #22 that they should solve the problem by picking out something they both like for the dining and bathrooms.
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:08 pm rating: 10
#28
agirlie
Poor Annie having to deal with such an awful situation!
You know, having a roommate is hard enough without turning molehills onto mountains.
I agree with ursula and Hannah.
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:11 pm rating: 2
#29
Fraulein N
I agree with Anon — Team Compromise.
Lurve Bonnie’s handwriting and grammar, though!
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:16 pm rating: 2
#30
CA Girl
Thank God my first REAL “roommate” (living with a friend at her parent’s house doesn’t count) happens to be my husband… he likes whatever styles and furnishings I TELL him to like!!
But I can’t get away from just how awful those placemats are! I wonder how different these comments would be if Annie hadn’t supplied Exhibit B…?
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:18 pm rating: 4
#31
LC
What prevents Annie from simply stating to Bonnie “Hey, I don’t care for the fugly mats, so when we’re not eating I’m going to put them away”?
I’m kinda on Bonnie’s side here. She seems to want to work things out politely, at least. Unless they live in some kind of goddamed show palace and entertain foreign dignitaries on a nightly basis, the fugly placemats don’t seem like such a ridiculous concession on Annie’s part. DON’T BE A SNOBBY BITCH!
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:20 pm rating: 20
#32
Rebecca
I’m with Bonnie on this one. She wrote a perfectly pleasant note, and everything she asked seemed reasonable. If Annie had a problem with that note, she probably would be hard to live with, and Bonnie should get some credit for putting up with what seems like a controlling roommate.
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:29 pm rating: 18
#33
Cathy
I was immediately struck by Bonnie’s sweet, childlike penmanship (not a good thing, in my experience, as it usually indicates emotional immaturity).
Then I was struck by that place mat. Seems a bit racy to me. What are those three in the middle doing?! Is that one naked? Is the one in the back going to kiss the others or is he just enjoying the antics of the other two? And what on earth is under the shirt/dress of the one on the right and why is he caressing it!?
For an emotionally immature chick, she sure seems to appreciate a little of the salacious with her meal.
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:31 pm rating: 4
#34
tweedle
tweedle dee and tweedle dum; we all take turns being thum.
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:35 pm rating: 0
#35
elsa
I am Italian and our bodies aren’t shaped like that!!
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:36 pm rating: 1
#36
CA Girl
Elsa, I don’t think anyone who isn’t a Muppet is shaped like that… don’t you think these guys look like the Chef Muppet or is it just me?
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:37 pm rating: 1
#37
iamhotterthanyouandurmommatoo
i disagree with ALL of you. those placemats are AWESOME and should be allowed their day in the sun.
team placemats
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:42 pm rating: 22
#38
Mrs. Bender
So Bonnie thinks she is hotter and me and my momma too? Cause there definitely cannot be TWO people in this world who like those placemats!!
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:44 pm rating: 3
#39
GooMan
Okey Dokey?
LOL!!!!!
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:44 pm rating: 2
#40
Rachel B.
Both girls involved seem pleasant enough and should have the right to have a few things around that make them smile, therefore I find myself voting for Team: too much freaking orange!!!
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:47 pm rating: 0
#41
Shae
It doesn’t matter how politely Bonnie asked. Home decor is a privilege, not a right.
Anyone who chooses such blatantly horrific place mats will have to learn that she has not earned the privilege to have “a few things of [her] own” around the house.
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:51 pm rating: 1
#42
the hyper one
I’m with team “hide the hideous place mats”. And I cannot believe that Annie washed the bathmat. What nerve.
Okey Dokey!
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:56 pm rating: 2
#43
Amanda
It’s a little PA to put your roommates’ ugly place mats away under the guise of cleaning, but Bonnie should really lighten up before freaking out that all of her stuff has gone missing. As this site proves, she’s lucky enough that she has a roommate who cares to clean. This whole thing could be solved by compromise.
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:57 pm rating: 1
#44
Joe
As someone who has been roommates with a person who was already living in the house before I moved in, and had to keep the vast majority of my very nice household stuff crammed into a storage shed in the backyard, I know how Bonnie feels. Lighten up, Annie. Is it your place and is Bonnie just renting a room from you, or does the place belong to both of you? Do you want it to feel like home to her, or do you want her to feel like you wish she would just stay in her bedroom and only creep out after you are asleep? While you’re at it, why don’t you post some pics of your decor? I’m sure we could all have fun trashing your idea of what looks good.
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:58 pm rating: 24
#45
Fulano
Who even uses placemats anymore? How old are these people, five?
Aug 23, 2007 at 12:58 pm rating: 2
#46
Shannon from Canada
Good lord . . . those are fucking ugly. Why in the world would she find those “nice”? SERIOUSLY!? What are they made of? Plastic covered felt? Looks like they came from a dollar store, a really crappy dollar store.
I am totally on team “hide the ugly place mats!”
Aug 23, 2007 at 1:04 pm rating: 2
#47
Heathen
I’m with team “Annie is a Twat.” That was a nice note, it wasn’t passive aggressive or even aggressive. Annie sounds like a vile human being, a terrible snob, and someone who communicates by posting private messages for the whole world to see.
I know it’s nice to be 23 and know everything about life, but being an adult is about compromise. Someday you’ll grow up — hopefully — and laugh at yourself for being such a bitch.
Aug 23, 2007 at 1:06 pm rating: 15
#48
super_fan#99
#38…you beat me to it. I like the placemats, I think they are cool. That being said, if you’re not eating at the table, put ‘em away. I don’t know of anyone in my life that considers placemats as decoration.
Also…I would like to know what was left with the note.
Text me at work if you wanna talk indeed!
Aug 23, 2007 at 1:08 pm rating: 2
#49
Jen
Agreeing with its a PA contest. “Text me if you want to talk” and leaving notes – what is this 5th grade. Grow up and have a conversation. It’s called talking to each other. And sending the note and the pix in – come on – begging for sympathy or at least snide comments.
Aug 23, 2007 at 1:08 pm rating: 1
#50
jimmyjimmyjimmyjimmykalamahoo! kalamahee! kalamabringachairplease!
classic passive agressiveness
and shit placemats
Aug 23, 2007 at 1:13 pm rating: 1
#51
Zora
Leaving placemats on a table in between meals is tacky. It’s the tableware etiquette equivalent of saying “between you and I.”
But if Annie wins on that front, she might be rewarded by framed pictures of dancing chefs in the name of household decor equity. Is it passive aggressive of me to kind of hope for that?
Aug 23, 2007 at 1:20 pm rating: 0
#52
GVI
this note sucks..they were both P/A and those placemats were ugly
Aug 23, 2007 at 1:28 pm rating: 0
#53
will
I often require a long buildup before I’m ready to trash a bathmat. Also, those place mats are horrible.
Aug 23, 2007 at 1:35 pm rating: 1
#54
Mrs. Bender
If I were to be invited to a dinner party, and sat down at the table with those placemats in front of me… well, I don’t think I would be able to eat, instead I would concentrate on just how much I hate those mats and I would most likely say something about them to my host…
Time for Annie and Bonnie to go to Pier 1 or World Market and pick out some placemats and bathmats together that they both agree on!
Aug 23, 2007 at 1:38 pm rating: 2
#55
Quoibina
Three thoughts here:
1. Why don’t they use the placemats as bathmats and vice versa? How’s that for a compromise?
2. Are we certain that Annie’s style is any better than Bonnie’s? She could love orange shag and sunflower wallpaper.
3. Did anyone bother to ask Terry for an opinion so we can send a note of thanks?
Aug 23, 2007 at 1:46 pm rating: 4
#56
Writer, Rejected
Tempest in a teapot. This roommate situation is really too small to get worked up over, in my opinion. What’s the big deal about having to take your placemats out of a drawer at mealtime? They should only be out when you eat on them anyway. Or in this case, when you are carrying them to the too-ugly-to-use trash. And if she wants other stuff of her own, she should hang a painting or two, preferrably not of wierd fat Italian chefs, but whatev.
Aug 23, 2007 at 1:48 pm rating: 2
#57
Terry
They suck!
Aug 23, 2007 at 1:52 pm rating: 2
#58
John
I was on her side until I actually saw the placemats. No mercy!
Aug 23, 2007 at 1:53 pm rating: 1
#59
chloé
Is it sick that I really really want Italian now?
Aug 23, 2007 at 1:57 pm rating: 1
#60
joobs
Ewwww. My house used to have orange shag, and the wallpaper had HUGE orange, green, and yellow poppies. And that was the dining room.
I think Bonnie went out of her way to be nice about it. Yeah, the placemats aren’t fabulous, but come on, let the poor girl put out a couple of measly things.
Not too passive aggressive. More like anal retentive on the part of Annie.
Aug 23, 2007 at 1:59 pm rating: 4
#61
s
i dont know what’s more annoying, the placemats or her handwriting.
Aug 23, 2007 at 2:07 pm rating: 2
#62
Heather
“Okey dokey.”
Classic. Bad taste and bad vocabulary.
Aug 23, 2007 at 2:11 pm rating: 1
#63
Matt
This why I live alone!!!
I think those placemats were on sale at Garden Ridge like 3 years ago. I think they are discriminatory to overweight chefs. What about their feelings?? Although, it would make a great diet plan. Always eating off of those things…looking at what you will become if you keep eating. It’s better than bulemia!!!
Aug 23, 2007 at 2:18 pm rating: 1
#64
Matt
And I forgot an “is”
“This IS why I live alone”
40 lashes from the grammar police please. with the fuzzy handcuffs.
Aug 23, 2007 at 2:20 pm rating: 2
#65
Jen
hey Matt – do you mean the police with the fuzzy handcuffs, or do you want to be lashed with the fuzzy handcuffs.
Aug 23, 2007 at 2:25 pm rating: 2
#66
Erin
Heathen and others of like mind:
Any time you communicate with your roommate about something sorta contentious like this, and where there’s clearly tension going on, in a NOTE, it’s automatically PA in my book.
Also, I do think if it’s true that Bonnie doesn’t have much stuff in the apartment that’s hers, that she should be able to put her placemats out. However, not these. Hideousness is in the eye of the beholder, and while the consensus reveals they are considered such by most, that’s not the reason for why they must go. In any shared housing situation “neutral” is the key, and these are not. Like neon beer signs, only a very small and specific set of people would like these mats. Bonnie should find mats she likes that are a little more neutral.
Aug 23, 2007 at 2:28 pm rating: 3
#67
ShagNBag
P/A is all about the moment when, probably in reaction to some mundane or trivial disagreement, you decide to pick up a pen and spend 10 or 20 minutes putting your frustration into prose instead of having a face to face conversation . We’re all fascinated by the thought process that goes into that moment.
Aug 23, 2007 at 2:40 pm rating: 2
#68
nate
Well? DID you have a good time with your family?
Aug 23, 2007 at 2:52 pm rating: 0
#69
grundrisse
Although the placemats are hideous, and it is tacky to leave them out in between meals, annie sounds like the p.a. one to me in this situation. Hiding the placemats in order to clean? Have you made it clear just how much you dislike the placemats? In a face-to-face conversation? Sure, the note is p.a. too, the p.s is classic. But I think hiding the ‘mats in a drawer instead of vocalizing one’s dislike is far more p.a. than leaving a timid, obfuscating note.
Aug 23, 2007 at 2:58 pm rating: 3
#70
Not telling
Umm… not that I love them but those are super kitsch. And super fun! I think both roomies are major bitches.
PS My boyfriend’s mom leaves out her placemats. But this gets better: they’re meshy/grids that crumbs and liquid go right through.
Aug 23, 2007 at 3:03 pm rating: 0
#71
Mierin
1. All placemats are hideous. I have never seen beautiful placemats. As placemats go, they’re halfway decent (is thinking of the flourescent pink, green and yellow vinyl ones present in my house as a child).
2. Maybe Bonnie’s dead grandma gave her those ugly things, so they’re all sentimental. Ever think of that?
3. It’s her house too. It’s really terrible when you feel like you don’t belong in her own house. You should be putting your roommates happiness ahead of your petty dislikes.
4. If you really hate them, maybe you can go shopping together for a bunch of new things that you can both compromise on and split the bill. That way you’ll both feel at home.
4. Annie, you’re a total style nazi, and you were a jerk to post this. Bonnie seems like a pretty cool chick, actually. Who cares if she likes ugly placemats? DEAL. I’m sure she hates your hideous curtains or something. I encourage Bonnie to hide things (ie BATH MAT) and replace them with more of her own stuff. Preferably in colours you hate.
Aug 23, 2007 at 3:09 pm rating: 8
#72
Nanna
Team Notes are PA. Also, I have placemats, and I see nothing wrong with leaving them out all the time, since my table is new and I want it protected but not covered. That said, my placemats are a plain black satin, not dancing chefs. Also, has no one noticed the food splatter on this placemat? Are they putting away dirty placemats? Ew. The fact is that these two girls really need to have a discussion about shared living space. Neutral is definitely the way to go.
Aug 23, 2007 at 3:11 pm rating: 0
#73
lauralaiwc
everyone is saying how vindictive it was for her to send pictures of the placemats in, but you know if she didn’t everyone would be saying “now, we need to see what those placemats look like in order to make a proper call on this thing.”
damned if she didnt, and screwed cause she did!
Aug 23, 2007 at 3:12 pm rating: 8
#74
Mrs. Bender
I am totally with you on that on laura! As for the P.S. I was thinking about this earlier, and if there were only a way to scan them in, they could start a spin off website called “passiveaggressivetexts.com” – Lord knows I have sent a few (okay, ALOT!) in my time!
Aug 23, 2007 at 3:26 pm rating: 1
#75
annie
Disclaimer: I’m not the Annie that posted that note.
Dear other Annie,
You’re kinda being uncool. Bonnie was just trying to be nice.
loveyoumeanitkisses!
-Team 3-headed chef
Aug 23, 2007 at 3:28 pm rating: 2
#76
Canuck
I agree with PatHMV. At least Bonnie tried to discuss the issue with Annie, whereas Annie just posted the note for all to see. That’s maturity, jeez. Who cares how ugly the mats are or whose are used in the bathroom-the issue is that if Annie doesn’t like something of Bonnie’s-she hides it, and Bonnie is bothered by this and she has every right to be. She pays half the bills, half the rent-she has as much right to put her stuff out as Annie. The note is not PA, its simply one roommate trying to communicate with the other. Annie comes off as a control/neat freak. How exactly is putting place mats away considered cleaning?
Aug 23, 2007 at 3:29 pm rating: 2
#77
pry
whoa, what is this strange world in which people use placemats?
Aug 23, 2007 at 3:32 pm rating: 0
#78
Black Bellamy
She writes a nice and polite note and ends it with a “hope you had a good time with your family” and you rush to the internets because omg you like that passiveaggresive site and this might qualify so screw Bonnie. Right?
Aug 23, 2007 at 3:40 pm rating: 7
#79
lauralaiwc
i think a good url for this site would be placetojumpthegunandjudgeall.com
no one knows the full story here. we can form opinions, of course, but we will never know both sides of the coin!
Aug 23, 2007 at 3:41 pm rating: 2
#80
Linda
It sounds like the passive-aggressive is the one putting the place mats in the bedroom…..
If the rest of the place has your stuff, she is entitled to use her placemats.
I’m sure if you told her you were only using the thin, old, dirty bathmat while the new one was in the wash, I’m sure she would understand.
It sounds like you should live alone.
Aug 23, 2007 at 4:02 pm rating: 1
#81
whatever
My girlfriend is in a similar situation, with a few exceptions. She cleans everything AND she has the placements she wants to leave out. Her roommate who doesn’t clean anything puts the placemats out of sight when she sees them… they aren’t anything like this placements though! They’re just regular, red fabric placemats. I’d say team placemats though, just because it’s frustrating when you have only a few decorations you like in a room full of your roommate’s and then the roommate hides yours…. cleaning has nothing to do with decorations in this argument.
Aug 23, 2007 at 4:16 pm rating: 1
#82
Zora
how is putting placemats in a drawer passive aggressive? That’s where mine go – you know, in between meals. Who said anything about a bedroom?
In addition to the fact that she could have more easily said this all to Annie, Bonnie’s being PA by ascribing motive to her roommate’s actions. A simple “Please leave the placemats out, ” (with or without “because I like the house to look like a diner”) is better than “I know you don’t like them, but you’re being mean.”
Aug 23, 2007 at 4:29 pm rating: 1
#83
Joe
“A simple ‘Please leave the placemats out,’ (with or without “because I like the house to look like a dinerâ€) is better than ‘I know you don’t like them, but you’re being mean.’”
Gee, Zora, read into things much?
Aug 23, 2007 at 4:41 pm rating: 1
#84
lauralaiwc
placemats just go away when youre not eating them. especially ones with food on them. no one wants to look at that between meals.
lol, i guess annie cleans everything but these dastardly mats!
Aug 23, 2007 at 4:45 pm rating: 0
#85
lauralaiwc
placemats just go away when youre not eating. especially ones with food on them. no one wants to look at that between meals.
lol, i guess annie cleans everything but these dastardly mats!
Aug 23, 2007 at 4:45 pm rating: 0
#86
lauralaiwc
oops, sorry for the triple post. i added an extra pronoun…haha! maybe if someone DID eat the darn placemats this issue would just go away.
Aug 23, 2007 at 4:46 pm rating: 1
#87
Nona Fenders
They are not placemats in bad taste; they are frightening – possibly meant to for Bonnie to discourage herself (or Annie) from eating too much. Annie is undermining the aversion therapy! How PA is that?!?
Annie should leave a letter saying that she bought a new placemats to replace the ugly ones that won’t stay in the drawer and a new trash can to put Bonnie’s placemats in whenever she is ready.
Aug 23, 2007 at 4:51 pm rating: 0
#88
joobs
To those who think we all are reading too much into this note:
Have you checked out any of the other notes??? We go insane here reading too much into these notes. We can almost figure out everything about a person by the note they leave from what their romantic relationships are like to what undies they probably have on. (At least we think we can.) And we love, love, love doing it.
After today’s comments, I realize I have never thought so much about placemats in my entire life. I am totally rethinking every placemat and table linen I own now.
My mom used to make placemats out of calendar pictures and Contact paper, bless her heart.
Aug 23, 2007 at 4:55 pm rating: 3
#89
Andy
The note does have hallmarks of passive-aggressiveness: complimenting on your style taste, while saying her stuff is rammed in her room, the dig at your natty bathmat (and offer of her new one), and the “okey-dokey”.
However, to really judge the placemats, I’d have to see them in total context of the kitchen. Most things look horrible close up. That said, those mats aren’t the worst thing in the world, but not my cup of tea.
The putting the mats you hate away while cleaning is definitely p/a. Actually, a great solution is to “accidentally” leave them on the stove and melt them, then have to throw them away. Again, P/A, but effective.
Or, you can GFY and eat off the damn ugly mats. You say potato, I say fuck you.
Aug 23, 2007 at 4:57 pm rating: 0
#90
Ang
I’ve lived in a house where I wasn’t allowed to have my own things in the common areas, and let me tell you its not a very nice feeling.
While those place mats are defiantly UGLY, she DOES have a right to have them out.
And I do tend to agree, humiliating someone else to feel superior is pretty lame, and immature.
Aug 23, 2007 at 4:58 pm rating: 2
#91
TeeHee
Team Bonnie.
Let her have her placements out and a decent fucking bathmat. She pays rent too!
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:10 pm rating: 2
#92
Mrs. Bender
joobs, you are right, I was debating the same thing earlier today – why are we talking about placemats so damn much? answer, because that’s what’s in the note! it’s sad but unfortunately a way of life for us now…
oh, and btw, I think that annie is prolly wearing white bikini briefs (or possibly boys spiderman underoos) while bonnie definitely has on a leopard print thong that shows when she sits or bends over… anyone who likes placemats like that has to be a little bit of a risk taker!
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:14 pm rating: 1
#93
Rose
Sadly, I own a set of mugs with those same jovial dudes on them, bought for me by my mother.
I had roommate situation that got pretty vile, but never ever did she accuse my mugs of being ugly, nor did I accuse her bathmat of being slippery.
I’m on team placemats / grow up both of you.
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:23 pm rating: 3
#94
Dave9
The only way those placemats get “a day in the sun” is if a magnifying glass is also involved!
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:25 pm rating: 1
#95
Nanna
Mrs. Bender – According to everyone else here, Bonnie even liking placemats in the first place is not normal. I agree with the underwear selections of each girl. So what do my plain black satin placemats say?
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:26 pm rating: 0
#96
TeeHee
And if it’s wrong to love those placemats, I don’t want to be right. At least they aren’t PASTEL.
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:26 pm rating: 3
#97
Mrs. Bender
I’d have to say plain black satin underwear… and judging by your name “Nanna” I’m gonna say granny panties…
How’d I do??
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:29 pm rating: 1
#98
Mishee
Mishee thinks the placemats are punishment for crimes committed in past lives!
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:30 pm rating: 1
#99
Mrs. Bender
Nanna, in case you didn’t catch my joking tone, the granny panties thing was a joke! But not the plain black satin part! hee hee
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:31 pm rating: 1
#100
pry
my father-in-law gave us a cutting board very similar to this. perhaps a painting of a contemporary of these italian cooks. yikes. good thing i don’t cook.
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:32 pm rating: 0
#101
Nanna
Plain black satin is probably right. But grannies, nah. lol very sharp of you to suggest them!
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:35 pm rating: 1
#102
Ceryniti
Ick. I cook (and clean) and I hate those stereotypical Itailian chef things. They put them on everything, from placemats to oven mits.
Style above politeness, in this case.
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:40 pm rating: 1
#103
Mrs. Bender
@Nanna: I guess your panties match your placemats. Even better than the carpet matching the drapes! LOL!
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:44 pm rating: 0
#104
Jagwio
Huh. I like those placemats.
Anyway, I don’t get why the recipient is pissed about the note… seems nice enough to me. In fact, she seems like a bully badmouthing her roommate because she doesn’t like her placemats. Wow.
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:46 pm rating: 1
#105
lauralaiwc
we’re judging panties now by placemats? cool.
so, i dont have placemats. what does THAT mean
actually, i do, i just wanted the thought to be out there. mine are dark bamboo. and they are actually attractive. contrary to popular belief, they CAN be attractive.
oh, i have a friend that has paintings of these little chefs, bathing together, hanging up in her bathroom. i gotta say, its creepy, especially since they all have the chef hats on still.
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:48 pm rating: 3
#106
Nanna
Okay the chefs are creepy dry and fully clothed. naked and in a tub together? Scary! You almost made me spit out my tea, Mrs Bender.
Now dark bamboo says something about liking natural fabrics in dark colors, I would think!
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:54 pm rating: 1
#107
Mrs. Bender
whoa, the lives of these chefs is getting more interesting…! someone out there in cyberspace going to find the product line and supply us with a link so we can make fun of them more?
I wish I had bamboo panties to match your placemats, I have a pair of socks made with bamboo (adidas just totally rules!) and they are so comfy!
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:55 pm rating: 1
#108
lauralaiwc
lol!
fair enough assessment, as long as natural fibers have been processed and dont have weird texture.
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:56 pm rating: 1
#109
bibberly
Gee whiz, I hope that there is more to their rivalry than this and that there is some other pent-up anger. If this were the worst problem I had with ANY of my former roommates, I would be very happy.
As for the placemats, they look pretty similar to the ones on my table right now. I went out of town for a week, and my boyfriend’s mother visited and put these on our table. They were to replace the ones she had made herself, which we had stained. We don’t really care enough about the placemats to care about whether we like the design or not. We don’t usually even eat at the kitchen table. And yeah, we leave the placemats out all the time.
Team Annie Needs to Lighten Up and be happy if this is her only issue with her roommate (although I suspect it is not the whole story).
Aug 23, 2007 at 5:56 pm rating: 3
#110
lauralaiwc
bamboo fabric is just so expensive. but incredibly soft and oh so organic!
i bet this would make bonnie happy
just playing!!!
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:01 pm rating: 0
#111
lauralaiwc
http://www.kitchenfantasy.com/images/chefset.jpg
why that didnt show up, i dont know.
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:02 pm rating: 0
#112
Mrs. Bender
Tell me about expensive, adidas charged like $18 for 3 pairs of bootie socks! Good thing I have friends in high places at corporate so I got them 50% off…
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:02 pm rating: 0
#113
Mrs. Bender
laura, those chefs aren’t anywhere near as scary as the other ones!
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:03 pm rating: 1
#114
Mandy
I just threw up in my mouth a little.
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:06 pm rating: 0
#115
Natalie
I agree with joe up in comment #44. I moved into a house with people who had been living there for a while before I joined there household and the whole place was decorated to their tastes. Anything I wanted to put up was met with a chipper “We’ll see!”
It is very grating to live with someone who is theoretically a partner in your living space but who takes a “possession is 9/10″ view of the public spaces.
I think that if Annie doesn’t like the placemats (and I’m not saying I do) she should probably suggest a day when they can redocorate the public areas together so they are both happy and feel at home.
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:07 pm rating: 1
#116
More Mishee Than Thou
Did anyone notice the Franglais “Le Menu” board on that placemat?
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:10 pm rating: 2
#117
lauralaiwc
ok ok, but try this one:
OMG!!!!
http://www.lloydgallery.com/garant/22culinarythrone.jpg
this is what happens when they have too much of their own cooking!
*shudders*
WHO PUTS THAT IN THEIR BATHROOM???
heres more:
http://www.lloydgallery.com/garant/21tinybubbles.jpg
doesnt that just frighten you?
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:11 pm rating: 1
#118
lauralaiwc
notice how there are bubbles just in his butt area? hmm…
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:12 pm rating: 0
#119
joobs
Bamboo sock, Mrs. Bender? I’ve never heard of that! Can they do that with bamboo? What are they like? I need to shop more, I guess.
Bamboo undies. Just be careful walking past giant pandas.
Doesn’t anyone here besides me have placemats or towels you use everyday, and then really nice ones for company?
Bathmats that slide around are dangerous. I hate stepping out of the shower (and into my bamboo undies) and slipping around. Now, placemats are just annoying, but not inherently dangerous. Unless you are dancing on the table…
I like the idea of burning one with a magnifying glass.
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:13 pm rating: 0
#120
marla
Annie must really dislike her roommate if she chose to send this note in to PAN, rather than talk about it with the roommate or leave her a note. It might have been a minor issue before, but there’s no going back now. These two should not live together.
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:21 pm rating: 0
#121
Mrs. Bender
joobs, I don’t know about you, but I have to have non-skid backings on my placemats because I find myself dancing on the table quite often… hee hee. I have my nice paper towels for company – they have designs on them! The bamboo socks – they feel just like cotton, but they are supposed to give your feet more breathablity and keep them drier – adidas and their sports technology! What will they think of next? A smart shoe that senses your foot and the terrain that in turn will adjust to give you the best support possible? Already done and it comes with a CD-ROM!
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:23 pm rating: 1
#122
Nanna
OMG!
http://www.jmcutlery.com/chefkitchenceramics.htm
I LOVE the section that states: “These will be tomorrow’s treasures
as they become discontinued.
Exciting as bridal shower gifts, hostess gifts and especially birthday, housewarming or holiday gifts.
These ceramic items are so gorgeous that
you could order any piece blind-folded and
be totally thrilled when you get it!
We never exaggerate or mislead you at J. Mark.”
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:28 pm rating: 1
#123
joobs
Wow. What will they think of next. Shoes so technical one needs a CD-ROM to figure out how to wear them!
I’m kind of glad we changed the subject; I can’t believe there would be 121 comments about placemats.
PLACEMATSPLACEMATEPLACEMATS
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:30 pm rating: 0
#124
Nanna
My brother has shoes that he can sync with his Ipod to turn it into a pedometer.
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:33 pm rating: 1
#125
joobs
NO WAY! Are you making that up? Are you funnin’ me, now?
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:41 pm rating: 0
#126
Nanna
Made by Nike. Abolutely serious. They have a space in the sole for a sensor.
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:51 pm rating: 0
#127
Cyn
1. They pretty totally suck, and I mean that in a good way. :0)
2. Annie is a control freak bitch who can’t be bothered by other people and/or their needs/wants/desires, and needs to make enough money to live alone.
3. I dig kitch. This shit is not kitch. :0)
4. Annie, I want badly to get or give a note to send to P/A.. it’s likely not to happen, but I understand why you did this, you had to get in on the action.. ::cough::cough::COW:: I lived with my brother and his wife for a while, had to crowd all my shit in my room, just like poor Bonnie. I hated it, felt all the time like I was an unwanted (albeit rent/utility bill paying ) visitor. So,
Team – Bonnie
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:55 pm rating: 0
#128
Heely
I kind of like the placemats
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:55 pm rating: 1
#129
Mrs. Bender
http://www.shopadidas.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2650564&shopGroup=R&cp&keywords=1&searchId=18278643963&parentPage=search&colorId=
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:58 pm rating: 0
#130
lauralaiwc
ok since the links i posted DIDNT work…
is this not repulsive?
http://www.lloydgallery.com/garant/22culinarythrone.jpg
Aug 23, 2007 at 7:01 pm rating: 0
#131
lauralaiwc
joobs, LMAO about the panda bears! edible underpants take on a whole new meaning!
Aug 23, 2007 at 7:03 pm rating: 1
#132
joobs
EDIBLE UNDIES? Do they really make those?
tee hee, just kidding.
The chef on the toilet is disgusting. But I kind of like the checkered toilet paper. Very refreshing!
Aug 23, 2007 at 7:06 pm rating: 1
#133
Mrs. Bender
Lauralai OMG! Looks like he made some dinner with meat that had turned… but I love that he is on the throne but didn’t leave his wine behind! Disgusting!!
Aug 23, 2007 at 7:09 pm rating: 1
#134
joobs
At first I thought koalas ate bamboo, but then I remembered they prefer eucalyptus. Now those would be cool and refreshing–eucalyptus undies.
Aug 23, 2007 at 7:11 pm rating: 1
#135
joobs
Mrs. Bender! Don’t tell me you’ve never carried your wine glass into the loo before?!
Aug 23, 2007 at 7:12 pm rating: 0
#136
Mrs. Bender
I’m not saying I have or haven’t – I’ll never tell! I’ve carried a wine glass many places…
Cool and refreshing eucalyptus undies… I’m jealous! I would love to have a pair of those, but as long as they aren’t like super potent, that might sting on my sensitive parts!
Aug 23, 2007 at 7:19 pm rating: 1
#137
Nanna
Not to mention the aromatic qualities. Cool, refreshing and deodorizing!
Aug 23, 2007 at 7:28 pm rating: 1
#138
Foxtrot
Those placemats are hideous. Simply hideous. Bonnie should have her brain put in a drawer if she feels those are a nice touch. It might be harsh, but I lost eyesight for 10 minutes after witnessing that travesty
Aug 23, 2007 at 7:32 pm rating: 1
#139
lauralaiwc
eucalyptus panties? it would be alike a fart filter, they would actually smell decent.
hahaha.
heres another chef for everyone:]
http://www.lloydgallery.com/garant/21tinybubbles.jpg
i think hes trying to seduce us all.
Aug 23, 2007 at 7:41 pm rating: 1
#140
lauralaiwc
oh lord, there is SO much wrong with that picture.
1. the bubbles are by his butt and his butt only. i hope he is using eucalyptus bubble bath.
2. that poor ducky is staring STRAIGHT into the crotchal region.
3. the hat.
4. the little neckerchief or whatever that thing is
i think annie should be relieved that these arent the floor mats in the bathroom. kinda makes the placemats almost livable.
Aug 23, 2007 at 7:43 pm rating: 0
#141
Nanna
I agree. That duck is obviously either perverted or mesmerized and needs help.
Love the Eucalyptus bubble bath.
Aug 23, 2007 at 7:51 pm rating: 0
#142
robin
fugly!!! looks like it belongs on a wall of an old family italian resturant (sic)
Aug 23, 2007 at 7:56 pm rating: 1
#143
joobs
AAAAAAAAAAACK! I have to bleach my brain now! Oh, lauralaiwc, what did we ever do to deserve THAT?
Oh, wait, I guess I clicked on it. But really. A word of warning next time, please? I got all excited when you said he was trying to seduce us. Now I have to pour some more wine and try to forget. :O
Aug 23, 2007 at 8:01 pm rating: 0
#144
dfgdfg
awww this person sounds very nice..unless its all sarcasm.
Aug 23, 2007 at 8:07 pm rating: 0
#145
Fraulein N
Toilet Chef. That is fucking hideous. You just know he’s going to go finish making somebody’s dinner without washing his hands.
Toilet Chef, wine glasses go in the kitchen and/or dining room, in case you care not to know.
Aug 23, 2007 at 8:12 pm rating: 0
#146
Dave9
Now the eucalyptus panties, not being native to the ecosystem, would come in and take over from the native panties…
Aug 23, 2007 at 8:20 pm rating: 1
#147
Joe
Get over yourselves, people. There’s nothing wrong with the place mats. Just because something isn’t your taste doesn’t mean it’s hideous.
As for who needs a nap, sounds to me like some of you people do. The girl was nice about what she had to say — Maybe Annie should ask herself if she has been a little overbearing…..
Aug 23, 2007 at 9:31 pm rating: 3
#148
Nanna
Maybe there could be a line of “Thanks, Terry!” undergarments.
Aug 23, 2007 at 9:35 pm rating: 1
#149
Nanna
Or placemats.
Aug 23, 2007 at 9:38 pm rating: 1
#150
Marissa
Holy crap. She can hardly blame you for wanting to hide those.
Aug 23, 2007 at 9:55 pm rating: 1
#151
anonymous
I agree with Joe #44. I also moved into an apt. that had been occupied previously by my new roomate and she wouldn’t let me put ANYTHING around the apt. signifying I too was paying rent. She even removed a sticky-note reminder I had put on the fridge. Annie keeps it up and she’ll be looking for a new roomate soon. Her new roomate’s placemates may be worse.
Go Team Placemat!
Aug 23, 2007 at 10:26 pm rating: 2
#152
GVI
i will so make a thanks terry t shirt, jus wait and see guys
Aug 23, 2007 at 10:33 pm rating: 1
#153
Alexis
Aw, Bonnie should be allowed to have her stuff out, too. Does Annie pay more? Why should she get to decide what is nice and what isn’t for the whole apartment?
Something does seem fishy. Annie says that she was just putting the matts away to clean up. So why is it necessary to complain about how ugly they are? She seems to have wanted to take them out of the common area.
Sending in this note seems like a mean reaction to a polite missive.
Aug 23, 2007 at 10:46 pm rating: 2
#154
p-dog
Team Undecided. First I’d have to see a picture of Annie’s slip-and-slide bathmat before I can decide who is the bigger asshat.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:01 pm rating: 0
#155
Rin
I agree with Joe. Making your roommate feel like she and her stuff aren’t welcome in the place? Not cool.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:11 pm rating: 1
#156
joobs
ewwwwwww…I hope the bath tub chef doesn’t have…
Rocket Pubes!!!!!!!!
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:17 pm rating: 1
#157
cre8tivewmn
The thing that strikes me about the whole situation is how the roomates’ communication is so bad. Each one has a point (ugly placemats, thin, slippery bathmat) but why can’t they TALK (face to face) about this. I don’t get the sense that they’ve tried that.
If they’re splitting the rent evenly, both roommates should be able to feel at home with some of their things. I think if Annie could be more flexible on this point the roommate probably wouldn’t feel the need to make such an issue about her (quite ugly) placemats.
If you want to have a home decorated completely the way you like it without compromise, plan to live alone!
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:18 pm rating: 1
#158
cre8tivewmn
Sorry! A question mark got lost in the editing of the above note. Here it is: ?
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:20 pm rating: 0
#159
Mrs. Bender
I’m wondering if our ranting and raving about this will prompt Annie to change her ways when it comes to being a roommate Style Nazi… not that I blame her – just curious…
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:24 pm rating: 0
#160
Annie
Here’s my reply:
Dear Bonnie, your tasteless crap is crammed in your bedroom because it is truly hideous and shouldn’t be inflicted on anyone. Being constantly surrounded by such a horrible assortment of kitsch trash has clearly driven you insane, hence the fact that you think that those so-called placemats belong on the table, or anywhere other than in the rubbish bin for that matter. PS – I trashed your new bathmat because it, too, is horrible. Text me if you want to talk, but don’t expect a reply.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:26 pm rating: 1
#161
Mrs. Bender
Wow Annie that was harsh! Wanna be my new best friend? LOL!
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:28 pm rating: 1
#162
Writer, Rejected
All right. I really didn’t want to get involved in this one, but I agree with p-dog. We pretty much need to see the damn bathmat before jumping to any conclusions.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:28 pm rating: 0
#163
joobs
cre8tivewmn, you bring up a valid point about the lack of communication. I was thinking about the line “text me at work if you want to talk.” Do you ever wonder if people are losing the skills it takes to have a good, meaningful conversation because of technology?
One of my students said at the bus stop where she waits each morning, there are about 12 kids and no one talks. They are all on their cells texting, or have their i-pods plugged into their ears. I think that’s sad.
How about “call me if you want to talk?” Or, “let’s get coffee or have dinner together?”
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:29 pm rating: 0
#164
joobs
Dear Annie,
Maybe you have poor taste when it comes to picking roommates. I feel sorry for your future husband. Hopefully, he’ll notice the nitpicking early, and leave to have a life that includes someone who can compromise. Living alone with all your pretty, pretty things may make you happy.
Aug 23, 2007 at 11:45 pm rating: 1
#165
BoggyWoggy
Truly being passive-aggressive: One good idea: She should put the placemats up for bid on ebay. I know there is some big woman living in the midwest who will say, “Oh, my! I just gotta have them dar placemats! I bet theys from Paris, France!”
Aug 24, 2007 at 1:11 am rating: 1
#166
Vikki
She had better leave those placemats out- otherwise a matching framed artowrk might appear above the table. “But it matches…”
Aug 24, 2007 at 6:54 am rating: 0
#167
SJ
Bonnie is ungrateful. Annie does laundry, is courteous enough to put out another bath mat while the ‘good’ one is in the wash…and Bonnie complains. Sheesh.
I don’t like place mats, but when I was living at home we never left them out. They were taken off the top of the fridge, used, wiped down with Windex and put back at the end of the meal. I don’t like to look at them, either. It’s cluttered.
Aug 24, 2007 at 7:07 am rating: 1
#168
Twofers
I really really really hate to say this, because those placemats will NEVER be allowed in my house, but, while I’m never on Team Write-A-Note-When-It-Would-Be-Quicker-To-Just-Talk-To-Them, I am on Team It’s-Her-House-Too-Ugly-Placemats-Regardless.
Aug 24, 2007 at 9:46 am rating: 0
#169
Jessica
This shit is EXACTLY why I stopped living with roommates.
If Bonnie feels like her “taste” is not at all represented in the house, then she has a legitimate gripe – no matter how ugly her crap is.
Annie, you need to find someone with taste like yours, or live alone. But I feel your pain – those are some fucking ugly placemats.
Aug 24, 2007 at 9:50 am rating: 0
#170
lauralaiwc
i hope if the bathmat gets displayed everyone gripes about bonnie not liking it or something, since we all gave annie such a hard time for showing the placemat pictures.
Aug 24, 2007 at 10:37 am rating: 0
#171
Ellen
It’s not passive aggressive to put placemats away when you’re cleaning. However, it IS passive aggressive to let your roommate know that bothers you in a note, instead of just saying “Hey, Annie, can we leave out the placemats when we’re not eating? I really like them.”
She cleans? She dose laundry? She recognizes passive aggressive notes for the juvenile bullshit they are? Team Annie for life.
Aug 24, 2007 at 11:18 am rating: 1
#172
PercyJ
I agree. TEAM ANNIE FOR LIFE!
And those placemats make me want to claw my eyes out.
Aug 24, 2007 at 11:23 am rating: 1
#173
More Mishee Than Thou
Mishee is a placemat designer extraodinaire.
Aug 24, 2007 at 11:31 am rating: 1
#174
Patrick
I am just glad this is someone elses problem to deal with.
Good Luck Annie/Bonnie!
Aug 24, 2007 at 11:34 am rating: 1
#175
Sarah
I have seen those place mats in person, and let me tell you: that shit has GOT TO GO. Side note: the word “yours” does not have an apostrophe before the “s.” Bad grammar and bad taste? Bonnie should be grateful that Annie is there to decorate, clean, and compose appropriate sentences.
Aug 24, 2007 at 11:39 am rating: 1
#176
Jordan
It is always passive aggressive to leave a note, rather than talking it out, when you’re having a problem with a roommate.
But don’t blame Annie for submitting the note to this website…the whole point of this website is to submit passive aggressive notes, right? And if she hadn’t included the picture of the placemat, everyone would have asked what it looked like.
Aug 24, 2007 at 11:53 am rating: 1
#177
mikey mouse
Its called compromise. If both are sharing the rent, then giving in a little is not a ball breaker. If Annie feels its hideous, then don’t look. As for the bathmat, the test whether its to be replaced or not is if as Bonnie had claimed, it is slippery. There is un underlying safety issue that has to be addressed.
Aug 24, 2007 at 1:07 pm rating: 1
#178
Abs
Oof. A fat Beryl Cook chef clusterfuck.
Aug 24, 2007 at 1:25 pm rating: 0
#179
Chelle
With the placemats–I don’t know, we *always* put ours away. (They’re green. And fabric. And do not have chefs on them.)
But the bathmat–it’s not like Annie took Bonnie’s away; she put out an old one while the “better” one was *being washed*, so that they still had a bathmat. Why is Bonnie complaining about that?
Put me on team Annie.
Aug 24, 2007 at 1:36 pm rating: 1
#180
Tarn
I like her – she says ‘okey-dokey’
I don’t like the mats, but there’s been a lot of stuff I didn’t like in houses I’ve shared. I just ignored it. Shared living space requires tolerance.
I have a ‘style nazi’ friend who rents out a room. She often complains to me about the ‘style crimes’ of her lodgers (who generally don’t stay long – funny that…)
Crimes such as replacing her potted herbs in the wrong order after using them (‘can’t she see it’s a decor choice?!’), or leaving a bottle of shampoo on the bathtub (she hates to see ‘products’ in her bathroom).
She’s a good friend, but if lived with her, I’m pretty sure we’d soon be communicating using notes like this one!
Aug 24, 2007 at 1:41 pm rating: 2
#181
JJ
I like them.
Aug 24, 2007 at 2:21 pm rating: 0
#182
Cyn
ALL I want, all in the world, is to know what happened with Rene’, Terry and Anthony. That’s all. Nothing more… is that too much to ask? ARGH!
Aug 24, 2007 at 3:32 pm rating: 1
#183
Kai
Sorry- I thought the writing sounded familiar- and Mishee mentioned having a secret alter-ego.. I’m not a mean guy.
Though certainly passive-agressive.
Aug 24, 2007 at 3:33 pm rating: 0
#184
dan renzi
Nope. I agree with the note-writer. She undoubtedly doesn’t like some of the craptasticness that Annie has around the place, and I bet she leaves it alone. Putting ugly things away is a lot more passive-aggressive than any notewritingness.
Aug 24, 2007 at 4:47 pm rating: 1
#185
lauralaiwc
they ARE bad place mats, but with my roommate from hell experiences, id probably just shut it if someone cleaned up after my messes and such and put away placemats, no matter how much i liked them. its not like a painting on the wall that gets taken down. its PLACEMATS.
if they are sinking to this level of pettiness, i expect a very nice passive aggressive note of why they cant live with each other, much like the one i left for my roommate who literally had a litter box with 2 inches of cat crap out the top of it.
i type too much.
but im Team Just Deal With It. hah. i made a new team.
Aug 24, 2007 at 5:02 pm rating: 2
#186
Darcy
Jesus Christ, this site makes me so glad I live alone. I cannot imagine a more inane way to spend half an hour than to angst over placemats.
Aug 24, 2007 at 5:17 pm rating: 2
#187
tweedle
Oh, M*****, you aren’t fooling anyone, dear.
(PA)
Aug 24, 2007 at 5:19 pm rating: 0
#188
lauralaiwc
either way, im still entertained
and afraid to make typos on here. i dont want to be mauled alive.
Aug 24, 2007 at 5:27 pm rating: 1
#189
joobs
Can you imagine how long this thread would be if the note were actually about something seriously important and/or life threatening?!
I make typos, too. And I’m nervous because I’ve called out a couple of people. But, I only do it when they’ve been snotty in the first place, like that master’s degree in psychology person trying to do a drive-by Freud on Mishee, yet couldn’t spell “recommend.” I mean, if you’re going to talk the talk…
( and do pardon me if that was you.)
Aug 24, 2007 at 5:58 pm rating: 2
#190
justmindinmine
just wait….let the chef place mats go and then comes the large area rug with the guy playing saxophone
Aug 24, 2007 at 7:18 pm rating: 2
#191
aliastaken
Poor Bonnie. She didn’t find the right roommate. Those placemats might be ugly, but the least Annie could do is throw out her thin slippery bathmat out if if made her happy.
Aug 24, 2007 at 9:21 pm rating: 0
#192
Rain
wow. I didn’t know anybody actually BOUGHT those placemats.
double wow.
Aug 24, 2007 at 10:18 pm rating: 1
#193
BoggyWoggy
I like that Mrs. Bender and I are on the same note re: Mishee. I like numbering things, too.
You know, I’d use placemats like these WAY BEFORE I’d put out those red, vinyl, shiny ones my grandmother had at Christmas! Yeah, I’m dissing my grandmother.
Aug 24, 2007 at 10:57 pm rating: 1
#194
Jess
Ohhhhh! Thats what my mouth uttered when the picture popped up. Wow she really does have her own style. I’m glad I don’t have a roomate, I would only move in with someone that had a VERY similar style to mine and then we could trade off who can decorate what and when. I recently got an offer to move in with a male friend,but this makes me re-think it even more.
Aug 25, 2007 at 12:52 am rating: 1
#195
Potbelly
Sweet Lord that picture made me laugh till I cried. I’m just beyond delighted by this.
199-Oh snap my grandma works the placemats too (currently an oversized fruit pattern) what is that about? Like there aren’t enough things to wash after dinner.
Aug 25, 2007 at 2:44 am rating: 2
#196
jane doe
Makes me ever so grateful I live alone. I hate the very concept of placemats. Just one more thing to wash. Give me a glass table with a bottle of windex and a wad of paper towels nearby and I’m good to go.
Aug 25, 2007 at 5:02 am rating: 1
#197
aliastaken
For the record, I use placemats on my tile-top kitchen table. They are cloth and keep my dishes from chipping and scratching the table.
Aug 25, 2007 at 9:26 am rating: 1
#198
S.S.
If you choose to live with someone you have to compromise, there’s no way around that. When each roommate pays 1/2 the rent, each of them have the right to have 1/2 the apartment decorated with their crap, regardless of how ugly it might be.
If you don’t like it, either choose roommates more carefully, or go live by yourself.
I used to live with this girl in college who had a taste for decoration that was very different than mine. She bought plastic placemats with SUNFLOWERS AND COWS on them…not to mention very ugly towels in the bathroom. But hey, I go to hang art decor the way I wanted and to make the kitchen pretty to my taste.
Compromising is part of having roommates…I hate the fact that she posted the pic of the placemats for everyone to mock them (although I find them ugly, so what? Obviously Bonnie doesn’t.) That’s way more PA than the note.
Aug 25, 2007 at 11:20 am rating: 1
#199
tweedle
That Bonnie likes the place mats, and that Annie visits Passive Aggressive Notes dot com, shows they both — down deep perhaps– have got a sense of humor. Whew.
Aug 25, 2007 at 1:27 pm rating: 2
#200
ginger
place mats don’t live on the table. they put out when setting the table to eat & then put away after the meal. i don’t know any adults who require place mats. those points aside the are vile.
Aug 25, 2007 at 2:29 pm rating: 1
#201
dirty old lady
Personally, I hope that Bonnie bought those placemats for no other reason than to horrify her prissy roommate. I think her next step should be to FRAME them and hang them up like artwork, and get more fat-chef accessories like this stunning wall clock and cookie jar.
Aug 25, 2007 at 5:44 pm rating: 0
#202
Chattanoogan
So the placemats are hideous, but if it’s her one bit of decoration in public, just suck it up and roll with it, okey dokey? Then maybe she won’t mind that the rest of the (what I assume are tasteful) decorations are yours.
Aug 25, 2007 at 6:31 pm rating: 0
#203
chris
Well….I must have crappy taste but I LIKE the placemats. It’s an Italian thing I guess.
Aug 25, 2007 at 7:36 pm rating: 1
#204
John
I like the placemats too, but that is beside the point. It seems like the roommate that left the note was being very nice and maybe some understanding on your part would be in order. There has to be give and take in any relationship. We all have different ideas of what is tasteful and what is not and you both need to learn how to work together to have a more cohesive adult relationship. Good luck…
Aug 26, 2007 at 10:46 am rating: 3
#205
Sam Livingston
Actually, I think you posting her note on here is passive aggressive. Her note was pretty clear and thoughtful. Sure her place mats ain’t great, but till you can afford to own your own house and no longer need to have roommates, that’s the stuff you have to deal with. If you split expenses with this chick, then you split the house decor. If you don’t like it, get another roommate or learn to compromise.
Aug 26, 2007 at 12:17 pm rating: 1
#206
Tyche
Ugh, those placemats are awful! And I thought my mother’s were fugly. O_o
Aug 27, 2007 at 2:10 pm rating: 1
#207
Nerdyradiogirl
What’s truly sad about those mats? An actual artist painted that picture, and it is just ONE in a series. I worked at a department store where we sold not just the mats, but the co-ordinating napkins. If you felt like going all out-you could also purchase the 40×60 cast of the original oil painting for your apartments walls! Just think, you could enjoy that lovely art in EVERY room of your home.
Aug 27, 2007 at 8:02 pm rating: 1
#208
Cman
I think her note is nice. It’s her apartment too bitch. Yeah the place mats are ugly…but throw the girl a fucking bone
Aug 27, 2007 at 9:01 pm rating: 1
#209
Lovecarrots
Ah there’s too much history we don’t know… like did they go 50:50 on the apartment? If so, Bonnie has every right to get crabby about her place mats, if she’s renting a room in someone else’s apartment, then no, she’s no right to get crabby.
I think the bath mat swap is a great idea… the place mats are a trifle naff, after all, even if you do like the Muppets… then again, that looks like a vintage/antique table with 1960s bent plywood chairs… if that’s so they both deserve imprisonment for taste crimes.
Cheers
Aug 28, 2007 at 7:55 am rating: 0
#210
claw71
I think the issue isn’t about the percentage stake in the apartment at all. It comes down to ownership of the table. My table, my placemats.
Bonnie is clearly concerned that Annie’s stuff seems to dominate the apartment but is that because Annie has invested more in furnishings? If so, Bonnie needs to take her placmats and stash them in her closet with the rest of her thrift store junk.
Aug 28, 2007 at 10:37 am rating: 2
#211
rose
Sorry? Annie has the issue here. She is PA and
a bully. Why does she need us to say she’s right? Because she knows that what she is doing by putting the note and picture up is wrong. It is spiteful and she wants everyone to tell her Bonnie is the “bad” roommate. Sorry girlie – YOU are the bad roommate. I also noticed you didn’t post anything illustrating your discerning eye and good taste for us to oggle either.
Aug 28, 2007 at 2:14 pm rating: 2
#212
Fud
I really like the placemats !
I’m sure it gives the kitchen a little Italian feel.
And mine live on the table all the time.
Aug 28, 2007 at 2:52 pm rating: 2
#213
Psyche
Matching plates, silverware, napkins & glasses….
barf bag please….
oh… btw IMHO, there’s more to life than squabling over placemats & bathroom rugs….
Aug 29, 2007 at 1:10 am rating: 1
#214
Sio
I actually agree with #8. The note is pretty clear, and I do not think it is very aggressive. I am sure there is more to your relationship problems than some home decor issues. Perhaps you two need to communicate more effectively. If you don’t it is easy to get your toes stepped on (eg getting your feelings hurt by comments like “ready to trash it”)
God, having room mates is hard. Its like dating someone you don’t love. And no sex, either!
Aug 29, 2007 at 12:13 pm rating: 2
#215
Kim
This all depends on who was in the place first. If it was originally Annie’s place, predecorated, then Bonnie needs to just leave it be….after all in that case, Annie would be the more stable and probably more responsible for the shared dwelling.
Aug 29, 2007 at 6:07 pm rating: 1
#216
eleenia
OK so the placemats are hideous, but Team Bonnie all the way. She just wants to put her (admittedly grotesque) stamp on the place. Annie needs to deal.
I wonder if Annie isn’t a little bossy/scary, which is why Bonnie left her such a timid (and not particularly p-a) note. Nope, my simpathies are with Bonnie, placemats n’all.
Aug 30, 2007 at 8:03 am rating: 3
#217
Sazbot
I live with the owner of my flat and I hate most of her tacky pictures and ornaments. I hate that I can’t leave a newspaper or TV Guide on the coffee table (it’s swiftly put in the drawer when I am out). I hate that there’s nothing of me in my home. I pay enough rent for that! I’m with Bonnie, love, you may be mental and have terrible taste, but I know how you feel.
Aug 30, 2007 at 8:32 am rating: 2
#218
Lindsay
OMG i totally sympathize with bonnie. even though we split 50/50 on everything (even cable tv that i never watched) my roommate last year at school would either ask me to put stuff away or do it for me when i wasn’t there, even if it was just something small like mail or something. BUT she’d leave ALL of her shit laying around. so basically the only space in the apartment that was truly mine was my bedroom. everything else was basically my roommate’s just because of how controlling she was over it. things did not go well that year….
Aug 30, 2007 at 12:08 pm rating: 0
#219
Serpentina Solis
I think I saw those place mats at Wal-Mart once. *shudders*
Just leave them out. I have to deal with my roommate’s violently green colored easter bunny bank as a “kitchen guardian”. >
Sep 5, 2007 at 4:33 am rating: 0
#220
Candice
OMG! My roommate has a towel with the exact same design! LOL
Sep 5, 2007 at 4:12 pm rating: 1
#221
tealv8
if you dont want the placemats, ill take them. i have the matching kitchen rug, cutting board & potholders. i think they are cute.
Sep 10, 2007 at 10:43 am rating: 2
#222
Toni
I don’t think the note was passive aggressive. I think Annie is the passive aggressive one. She cleans and puts the placemats away despite her roommate asking her not to put them away (you can clean the table and put them back). The note, to me, was articulate and well thought out. I’d rather have her for a room mate than Annie.
Sep 10, 2007 at 4:34 pm rating: 4
#223
Shane
Annie and Bonnie. Sounds like a match made in roommate heaven.
Sep 14, 2007 at 5:07 pm rating: 0
#224
philsilvers
after reading annie’s comment above & bonnie’s letter i have come to the conclusion annie is a back-stabbing bitch & bonnie is a wimp…..they both need to find more suitable housemates…..
Sep 20, 2007 at 6:57 am rating: 1
#225
jeremy
Oh let the poor woman have her placemats, what’s the big f’ing deal? Girls are way too uptight about this sort of thing.
Oct 9, 2007 at 8:50 am rating: 1
#226
Anise
those placemats truly are appalling…. I think you should boil wash them
Jan 28, 2008 at 3:49 pm rating: 1
#227
aenon
mats for sale at upyoursalley along with dozens of other fugly stuff. bad taste is killing the fat chefs of europe. look out or that motif will spread all over.not that ugly really . if she can’t wait while you clean to see her stuff show her where the washer/dryer are.
Apr 20, 2008 at 5:54 pm rating: 1
#228
Cricket
straight up, if Annie is not allowing someone who pays HALF the rent add their own decorative touches, then Annie is a SELFISH BITCH. I’ve lived with people like her and I fucking HATE people who think their personal style is better.
and those placemats weren’t THAT bad, Annie. If you’re gonna actually DICTATE what can be in the house then you should get your OWN goddamn place, bitch.
May 9, 2008 at 3:35 pm rating: 1
#229
voltaire
so im a guy and have bad taste but those placemats werent that bad.
point is annie is probably the fat one whos unhappy with her life and takes it out on her cute roommate who is trying to be nice but stand up for herself against her overbearing, bitch ogre of a roommate.
this girl is actually trying to approach the situation instead of posting it online behind her roommates back like annie.
annie–take your anger out on a tub of ice cream instead.
May 14, 2008 at 1:20 am rating: 3
#230
John
hehe…I know Bonnie. I remember her telling me this story.
May 20, 2008 at 11:13 am rating: 0
#231
no one
Who cares about what the place mats look like, you people are missing the point. Bonnie has a valid request. Annie is being mean for making fun of her request. It is quite obvious that there is an underlying issue of Annie being a control freak in the apartment.
Jul 22, 2008 at 4:26 pm rating: 4
#232
Ally
OMG this is the WALL PAPER in my rental kitchen!!!!!! I’m serious, I’ll take a picture and everything!!
LMAO
Sep 9, 2008 at 4:35 am rating: 1
#233
Danbala
The only correct and proper thing to do here, etiquette-wise, is to immediately arrange for the assassination of the designer of those place-mats, I think.
Mar 5, 2009 at 10:01 pm rating: 1
#234
oh please
“Okey-dokey”…is so irritating and practically the definition of passive-aggressiveness.
Feb 13, 2010 at 11:54 am rating: 1
#235
Kristina Everingham
Count me as one more Bonnie supporter.
Mar 4, 2010 at 4:46 pm rating: 0
#236
wanderyonder
I am painfully familiar with this design. This was the wallpaper border at my last job. It could be much worse – in the bathroom, we had a wall hanging of one of those creepy chefs sitting on the toilet. Yikes.
Apr 28, 2010 at 10:49 pm rating: 1
#237
SarahG
Just another person here with an in-law that has that same design mat… but she would never have the chef sitting on the toilet!
Jun 18, 2010 at 7:22 pm rating: 0
#238 Recipe for roommate discord | PassiveAggressiveNotes.com
[...] related: Text me at work if you want to talk! [...]
Jan 7, 2012 at 6:54 pm rating: 0
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