I tip: servers, bartenders, taxi drivers, people who do my nails, food delivery folks, hair stylist, hotel housekeeping, and masseuse.

I always read that for service employees who aren't the owner, a tip is customary (like hairstylists, massage therapists, etc.), because what the cut costs isn't what the stylist actually earns.

But that could be a scam perpetrated by the hairstylists of the world.

I tip my hairstylist huge because my cut is $17.99 but I feel like a million bucks when she's done.

I got a hug from Nichelle Nichols last night. You may all now be jealous.

I am astounded and frightened by P-C's uncle. I hope he has never gone to a prostitute, and I hope if he did, she kicked him out. Because DAMN.

That said, car-buying is one of the more fucked up experiences in american culture, I think.

What's a good corset buying site(s)? I can't remember recommendations.

If you do ebay, Meschantes used to often have "sales" there where you could buy a particular style, but still have it custom made, a little cheaper than just plain off their website. That said, if you want an UNDERBUST, you may not need custom, and I *hugely* recommend Timeless Trends, which is HELLA CHEAP for an underbust corset, and really decently made (I have two). For underbust, the "custom" is not so necessary, often, since you're not fitting the boobies, which are the big difference, on many women.

I have only had a cleaner once, and it was a friend of mine, who did it on the side. I figured she was charging what she wanted, but I also was a little paranoid I should tip her. It seemed weird. I would definitely tip a service, though--but probably in cash, figuring if I added it to the bill, they might not see it.

I always tip hairstylists/massage people/etc, though if they're the owner (I've been a few times when it's someone running their own business) I feel a little more weird about it. If it's someone working out of a salon/group thing, I figure they probably aren't as much setting their own rates, and the tip is more of what they're getting, if that makes sense.

I found out yesterday I'm getting a little bonus (though sadly, not a raise, but I knew that--it's company wide). So I got a massage. Question--how much feedback is appropriate to give the massage-person (masseuse? masseur? what's the word?). I don't want to be "that girl who was all weird and moany" or "that girl who was all "NO, TOUCH ME THERE"", and frankly, I prefer to kinda zone out and not HAVE to talk, but I also don't want to be "zombie girl who gave no feedback at all" (and that doesn't really lead to a great massage, either". Sigh--where is the massager who can selectively read my mind? THAT would be helpful...

I'm having a few people over to watch Dollhouse tonight, and I am so disorganized and mad at myself. I've really done very well being organized and calm-ish for our last couple get togethers.

and frankly, I prefer to kinda zone out and not HAVE to talk, but I also don't want to be "zombie girl who gave no feedback at all"

I think that's totally cool! I love my massuese because, although she is super chatty in general, when she's giving a massage it's all golden silence. I only talk if the pressure is too much (I'm a sensitive flower sometimes). and then afterwards I tell her how awesome it was!

And hell yeah I tip her!!! So worth it.

I got a hug from Nichelle Nichols last night. You may all now be jealous.

is jealous

Mind you, she's probably telling all her friends: "Hey, I got a hug from Sean last night!" And they're all: "Aw, man! You lucky baggage!"

How you doing, Mr Sean?

...so, on an entirely different note - who's got much experience of going to Cons? Do we think it would be cool or ghastly, going to the All Hell Breaks Loose convention in Australia? I'd just get a day pass, if I went - but, really, I don't know what they can be doing for 2 days, other than having a big Beatlemania-style squeefest at the Js and at Misha Collins. And I don't know whether that might make me want to stick my head in a gas oven. Still - SPN convention in my hemisphere, with the guys who play the Winchesters and their Angel. Gotta cross a girl's mind.

I got a hug from Nichelle Nichols last night. You may all now be jealous.

I shall lick you. Nichelle Nichols is seriously foamy, and seems to get foamier as time goes on.

How you doing, Mr Sean?

Meh. Busy as hell with work right now. Have been since the start of the year. I'm currently working on a show called Stormy Weather, which is about the life of Lena Horne. It stars Leslie Uggams as Lena, and that's how I got to meet Uhura last night -- she and Dionne Warwick had stopped by after the show to see Leslie. So yeah, I got to meet Dionne Warwick briefly as well last night, but I was way more impressed by meeting (and getting a hug from) Nichelle.

Work was really busy through January, as it was the Tech From Hell, but now that we're open, it's a little better. We still do EIGHT shows a week, and my only real day off is Monday.

At home, well.... Things have been rocky. Have been for a very long time now, but it's been really bad of late. S and I are continuing this process of breaking up that's been going on since last August (and got interrupted by the Extended Hospital Stay From Hell). We're packing up most of her stuff to put into storage (the storage pod arrives this Monday), and trying to get ready to ship her off to Texas.

This has made our already stressful relationship even more stressful, and has produced screaming fights almost daily. The fights aren't always counter productive, because they usually end with us actually communicating and trying to figure out what went so horribly wrong (both in the fight, and in the relationship in general), but it's adding more stress to a situation that passed Unbearably Stressful a long time ago.

Basically, we're trying to go through this breakup process in my almost nonexistent spare time.

There's been good stuff recently -- I've been making a bunch of new friends on the show, and I've been going out occasionally (something that's been a rare occurrence over the last four years).

There's been other good stuff, too, but I'ma have to remain a little more cryptic about that for now.