Congratulations, Jesse!

I've heard people argue that tips are the only way that we can motivate workers to give good service but I don't really believe it.

Yeah -- that might work if people (as a group, I mean) tipped more or less at the same rate, and had consistent ideas of what level of service should be rewarded. But when you've got idiots who get great service but brag about not tipping because they don't believe in it, and other people who tip big for lousy service because they want to impress a date or they have a policy of never tipping under 20, so you're supposed to magically surmise that 19% is meant as a slap in the face? It's too random to be either informative or motivating, except maybe in the way an abusive relationship is motivating.

Yay, Jesse!!!!

YAY finals being over!

Famous art mirror trick: [link]

Um. I don't get it. t /shamefaced

Also, if you look at the complaints on the site, most of the tips listed are under 10%, which is shitty by anyone's definition. (Assuming that the waitstaff posting are being honest about the quality of service they provided, natch.)

Some of them are one penny or one dollar tips though, which says "payment for rotten service" to me in a way that tipping 8% or forgetting entirely doesn't, even if the people reporting it think they're God's gifts to the food service industry.

I tend to tip around 20%+ most of the time, but that's because I tend to eat out at restaurants where I'm a regular and generally like the service. Basic competence gets 10% from me and courteous behavior adds 5% to that, with more if the staff are actually friendly rather than just cordial. I'm plenty forgiving of kitchen mistakes or overly busy waiters in a crowded restaurant, but bad attitudes get no slack from me whatsoever.

so anyone watching deal or no deal? It's all just averages and luck. And a VERY VERY slim chance that anyone will ever win the $1 mil.

My dad is *SO* embarrassing out, I shouldn't go out to a restaurant with him again without a "Yeah, I know." t-shirt. And the stepmonster is so...well, she's a climber, yeah? She likes to be really loud about the new management sucking...stuff like that.Like they are gonna come running over and say "Pardon us, Mrs. Onassis." We are lucky to have gotten out of DC alive. Did I mention my father hasn't really...adjusted to black folks? Groan.

the staff are actually friendly rather than just cordial.

But not too friendly. Ack. I hate when someone tries to act like my bestest friend.

I've decided I can get cash in AL, so I'm not going rushing out to hit the ATM.

Now if I just remember how to get to the airport from downtown. I never remember the details and that makes me nervous, but really, it shouldn't. Done it plenty. Just not in rush hour traffic. Ahrg.

Famous art mirror trick: [link]

Um. I don't get it.

it's not really a trick, so much, but the King and Queen of Spain are in the mirror, right where the painting's viewer would be standing. It's a weird narrative moment, especially as the entire painting is kind of about looking back...but not at you.