[The Lone Ranger]

As the eldest of 6 kids, I pretty-much had to learn to cook when I was young. It's a useful skill, of course, and I'm glad I can do it. Since I live by myself, if I decide that I'd like to -- say -- bake a cake, then I then find myself with way more cake than I'll eat before it goes bad.

So, last year, I decided I wanted to try my hand at making a peanut butter cake with peanut butter frosting. Since I now had way more cake available than I could eat in a reasonable amount of time, I decided to bring it to lunch. As it turned out, the cake was a big hit with my colleagues. So, every once in awhile, I'd decide that I felt like baking a cake or making fudge, or some such thing -- and I'd bring it in to share with my colleagues.

Apparently, that sort of thing will get you a reputation. It wasn't long before students would randomly approach me and say, "I hear you're the guy who's a really good cook." Not such a bad reputation to have, I suppose.



So, on Monday, a bunch of us got together at lunch for the first time since the end of the previous semester. One of my colleagues declared: "I have decided that I want peanut butter cake with peanut butter frosting for my birthday. That's on Friday."

Okay.

One of my colleagues then jokingly said to me, "And don't you dare show up on Friday without that cake."

Now I'm a nice person. And I do enjoy doing nice things for people. But that struck me as ... presumptuous ... and frankly, more than a little annoying. I said something in response that -- for me -- was downright shocking in its bluntness. But everyone was laughing and talking, and I get the impression that either no one paid any attention, or that they thought I was somehow joking.


Somehow, the topic of Friday's lunch came up in conversation today. So I took the opportunity to flat-out state to one of my colleagues that though I enjoy doing nice things for people, I do not have any obligation to bring baked goods for people, much less to do custom orders. And what's more, I do not like being threatened, even in jest. And the next time someone does so will be the last time I'll be bringing any baked goods to lunch.

I've had far too much experience with how, if you do a nice thing, some people will then start thinking that you now have some sort of obligation to continue doing that thing -- and may even start demanding that you continue to do it.

So, let's hope that's been nipped in the bud.