Thursday, September 18, 2008

Musings

The woman in line in front of me at the coffee shop rounded up her credit card bill while signing it. Am I really expected to tip my barista*? Are they like wait staff in that they only make $2.19/hr or what? Am I an a-hole for only occasionally tipping at the coffee shop? Am I in the minority with my bitterness at already paying so much for a cup of coffee and then being expected to choose to pay more? I resented that woman for causing me cognitive dissonance and shaming me into tipping for my latte.

Since declaring a house-warming party in a couple weeks, our house is getting really clean and organized. It's wonderful! We should have parties more often. I'm thinking of hiring some student for the 4-hour period to make sure the food keeps coming and the dishes get washed so I can actually have fun. I feel like a real grown-up!

The girls were singing along with the song about the days of the week from Here Come the 1,2,3s. The second verse is just "oh yes, yes practice trumpet every day...on Monday, practice trumpet every day..." and so on. Kate, at the top of her lungs, sang "Oh yes, yes I strumpet everyday!"

All the VA Druekes will be joining us for Thanksgiving this year. We are thrilled. Kate says Uncle Chris will be really happy to watch her fairy tales with her. She sure knows her Uncle Chris!

I frequently complain, when I see poll results, that no one as ME about that stuff. How do they know that only 2 in 5 Americans can name all the branches of their own government? I was not quizzed thusly. So, the other day when some opinion poll chick called while I was cooking dinner, I answered her weird, weird questions. My favorites were:

Do you think the food at Starbucks is healthier? (Me - Healthier than what? Her - It doesn't say)
Do you think The Media is strongly biased toward any of the candidates? (Me - define "media". Her - Just The Media)
Does anyone in your home have chronic urinary tract problems? (Me - so THAT'S what this is really about!)

*Blogger spellcheck thinks these people might actually be Batistas.

16 comments:

Uncle Steve said...

If Batista was making lattes at my coffee shop, I suppose I'd feel compelled to tip the guy.

Aunt So-So said...

Batista is dead! No tip for him! And don't tip the barista either (unless they bring you your coffee). They get paid just fine for what they do.

I think Chris is more likely to show Kate all the cool things his caluclators can do than watch anything she is interested in! Warn her of this so that she can run if he attempts this.

FlapScrap said...

Know what I do? I pay cash. They say, "Two-fifty-two!" and I say, "Here's a fiver!" and they say, "Here's your change!" and I say "OK, then!" That little tip line on a debit card slip is maddening, and putting a straight line or a zero there does make me feel like a cheap-o. And I hate that. So cash.

Keith said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Keith said...

I recently found out the local Quiznos owner pockets all the cash in the tip jar for himself. Even more recently, I mentioned it to a friend who works for the Departmento del Labor. Slightly even more recently, my friend (acquaintance, really. I wouldn't help her move or drive her to the airport. She works for the Department of Labor! Let her find her own damn way to IAD!)informed me that the owner of any establishment has every right to decide what happens to the money in tip jars, and that decision can be - and often is - screwing their employees and misleading their custmoers by giving themselves a little tip. I thanked her for shining a light on this, then I slid her an extra sawbuck for her trouble. She is always so friendly!

karen said...

Salvation is in the SBUX card. No pesky cash to worry about, never any change to feel bad about not putting in the jar, no receipt to sign. Just coffee (well, triple grande latte), lovely coffee. I'm not sure why Batista would get a tip if nobody else did. Does he make better lattes? There is a bit of an awe factor to a dead guy who can drive one of those industrial cappucino machines but it's still the same coffee anyone with that machine (and the proper Sbux brainwashing training could make.

karen said...

I shouldn't comment on blogs at 1am. I forget things like closing parentheses. Here's the one you need for my last response:

)

Stick it where you will.

karen said...

Placement suggestion:

...training) could...

I feel better. Bed. Me. Now.

Keith said...

Is it a set of parenthesis and a single parenth?

I too was up late.

LMP said...

Here in IT world, where parenthesis are KEY, we call one a "paren". I'm not sure if that's the prefered usage or it's just another case of people being too lazy to finish words. I went to bed at a decent hour, but am overworked. I could use a vaca.

LMP said...

Sorry - preferRed.

Keith said...

:-)


Wipe that smug paren off your face, you wiseheimer emoticon!

)-:

Unknown said...

THANK YOU for acknowledging things i often wonder! don't know whether to laugh or cry at the lack of thinking going on these days...

Unknown said...

as for Sbux...if they want a tip or more $ they can school themselves right to the point of where they can make more...when i worked at subway, we weren't allowed to accept tips back in the day....i wait hand and foot on people every night at work and can't accept tips, so why should i have to put a tip in the drive thru window for a cup of coffee? i don't get one if i give you a pain pill!

Anonymous said...

I tak th tps fer miself

Anonymous said...

empostur