Dear Prudence,
This is a pretty low-stakes question about an annoying co-worker. I have a co-worker who’s constantly asking me to go out and drink with him after work—like every day. He’s in his late 40s, recently split up with his wife, and is new to our city—so it feels it’s like a mid-life crisis type of thing for him. I’m down for a night out on the town once every couple of weeks, but most nights, I just want to go home and watch TV with my boyfriend and my dog. I’m kind of extroverted-introvert, in that I’ll close down the bar when I go out, but most days I’d rather fall asleep watching Bake Off on the couch in my apartment. Since I’m a bit younger (early 30s), I think he’s decided to cast me as his party wing-woman, and while I can happily play that role once in a while, I’m running out of excuses as to why I can’t go out every time.
It’s gotten to the point where I try to avoid him in the office and there’s only so many times I can claim to have a nail/hair appointment after work. My excuse rolodex has runneth dry. Is there a nice way to say to someone: “I like hanging out with you, but most of the time, I’d rather just be at home” without hurting their feelings? I work pretty closely with this guy, so I don’t want to make this a big deal.
—Party Pooper