Money aint a thang... but I don't have any

I live off of my parents. It's no secret. They pay for my tuition, my rent, my bills and my food. All of my basic needs are covered... but that's all folks!

See a lot of people think I can get their money whenever I want. A lot of people assume that my parents will pay for everything. For the most part, this is true.

BUT, it doesn't come easy. I can let you borrow my powerpoint presentations if you don't believe me.

Two months ago, I asked my parents if they would send me to Germany at the end of June. I had two very strong supporting arguments for why they should pay for me to go. 1. It's my birthday gift. 2. My cousin is doing research there and I'll have a free place to stay. My parents shot me down.

I was bummed, but another opportunity came up. One of my girl-friends is getting married, and a while ago the girlz talked about getting together for a bachelorette weekend on the west coast. The date was set and gears were grinding. I talked to my parents and used my devastation over Germany as the reason I must go to Portland.

First they wondered why the hell would *I*, the stiletto-clad, Burberry city-girl, ever want to go to Portland. I agreed I don't want to go to Portland, but I do want to see my girlz. I told them that my stay was covered. Coastal cottage, friend's place... all set. The flight would be the only cost.

My parents and sister sent along their mileage info for several airlines, and I went to work hoping I could save money. Unfortunately it wasn't possible, and I charged a whopping $415 for a round-trip flight. I know that amount is typical now-a-days, but it still feels like holy crap to me.

Anyways, the trip is this weekend and I can't wait to relax. Unfortunately now I'm on edge. Yesterday I get an email from one of my girl-friends who lives in downtown Portland, saying that she is looking for a hotel room for the girls flying in because she worries about our comfort in her apartment. No explanation other than "our" needs.

I'm trying not to be upset, but I'm wondering where this is coming from. I coulda sworn we asked if it was ok to stay... maybe I assumed. But you know what, I'm tired of thinking I'm at fault for everything. I have a tendency to keep my mouth shut because I hate drama, but I've already done it twice before regarding this trip. Once for the choice of weekend (neither my input nor Gorilla's was considered when the date was decided when we're the ones who have more time and expenses involved) and the other concerning a gift (for which I was told "getting together is enough"). These two things upset me, but I chose another route. I'll reschedule my weekend in the hamptons for another day and I'll pay for a gift myself, since I believe birthdays are always special days.

I immediately get on hotels.com and hotwire.com and start looking for hotels. Unfortunately I don't know Portland at all. Neither site lists proximity to public transportation. So now I start looking into public transportation. I start making educated guesses and stressing out. Sure I can get a place for $50 for one night, but I don't know where these places are.

I can't tell my parents, because they don't give a shit about drama and will start asking a billion questions and then yell at me for even going to a place like Portland in the first place.

Then Torch chimes in that she has hotel points, and I feel worse. Torch is paying for the cottage, giving Gorilla her mileage points... and now offering to pay for something else.

This is now ridiculous...