:lol

My mom went out to dinner last night with an older neighbor of hers who is really, really into going out to restaurants.

She's very hard to please and has strict criteria...when she orders iced tea, they have to telepathically know to bring her a bowl of lemon wedges on the side, otherwise it's a "bad waitress". :\ They can't play the background music at more than a whisper because then people couldn't hear her talk. :| And they need to be all right with her holding the table for up to 4 hours if that's how long she wants to sit there. :shocked She goes out to lunch 5 times a week and dinner almost as often, so I'm sure all the area restaurant people know her by now.

Anyway, last night she managed to set her menu on fire on the table candle, then loudly complained that the music (a live musician at a grand piano) was too loud and needed to be turned down. When informed that the live musician wasn't going to play more quietly so she could be heard, she got mad and insisted that they be moved into a private dining area away from the piano.

I'm pretty glad I missed that one.

edit: She has an outdated "tip card" to calculate tip, and she follows it to a penny, literally. I have seen her count out dimes, nickels and pennies to leave $1.32 or whatever.

One thing I hate about dining with people from overseas is that they insist on leaving a tip. We don't tip in this country - I already paid for the meal why am I paying more?! I have to leave it for the waiter/ress? Their boss pays them! They have a wage!

Why?! Americans, stop invading us with your McDonalds and your culture of tipping! The restaurants are catching on and now they are starting to expect it. This is against what this country stands for.

It's just what Americans are used to. When my family's in America, we tip. When we're in Europe (especially if it's a small inn or something where the proprietor is also the server, where it's insulting) we generally follow the local rules. But here, servers expect a tip and have for a long time. It's built into their wage structure...I believe some actually receive less than minimum wage, and depend on tips to make a livable income.

Normally, in the States, I leave a 20% tip if the person has done a fairly good job. I've had some abysmal service and left some small tips accordingly, but I don't do it often. $1.32 would just be insulting to a waiter, and then you risk something happening to your food next time.

For the record, I hate McDonald's and haven't been to one in about 15 years. And that time it wasn't my idea.

Are you saying that you have to tip at McDonalds?

waiters/waitresses are exempt from our minimum wage laws, most of them only get paid like $2/hour so the tips make up the majority of their salary. that's why we tip.

and i'm fairly certain that tips aren't allowed at fastfood chains.

I always tip the restroom attendant at McDonalds for providing me with a freshly warmed moist towel. Very refreshing.

This is insanity.

So if I go to the US to visit, which I will one day, will I be allowed to leave without tipping? How is it enforced? Now that I know that it is more of a communal wage rather than one based on a employee/employer structure, I would feel bad not leaving a huge tip anyway.

Anyone been to the type of restaurant that tells you to pay whatever you think the meal was worth? Apparantly they do very well from themselves because guilt is a strong emotion, and people love to feel good about themselves.

There is no enforcement. You dont HAVE to tip. You can get up and walk out with just paying your bill. As a tourist you probably wont have a problem with it. Regulars will get a nice side of spit with their next order though.

the entire system is crap, a single cute waitress can make more in one night than all of her coworkers combined. it'd be nice if restaurants just paid waiters a normal rate and didn't allow tipping.

True. They just need to do away with the gratuity system. If you are worried about quality of service hire some managers that actually pay attention to their wait staff.

And not a one worth reading. :(
Don't worry, Lass. I'll tip you. I'll tip you all night long. :(

When you get up to 11,000 posts, you might just get your editing privileges back.

Ha, do I also get a postcount reset? :(
Need more of this please. :)
I thought that thread was creepy before I posted in it. :(

In the US, they don't have a wage. The average is just over $3 an hour and all tips have to be reported and taxed. When I worked at a local restaurant, the person training me got a paycheck for negative 22 cents due to the taxes from her tips.

In other words, shut up

Yeah, we'll shut up about thinking waiters are hard working employees that deserve a salary that conforms to minimum wage.

he just didn't know how it works here, it'd be hard to understand if you only saw it from outside the US.

and while we're out changing the way the world works, let's all agree to kill the fags, stop being racist, and appreciate classical music

i don't log in to the internet to be reasonable.

The last McDonald's I went to was in Verona, Italy. It was completely unlike any McDonald's I knew. A server with white gloves tonged your salad into the styrofoam container and handed it to you. I've got a picture of it somewhere...when I find it I'll edit this and add it.

What do they call a quarter pounder in Italy?

Today I put on underwear that was 8 sizes too big for me, and it caught on my thighs.

Uh oh.

:oao

no idea, my dad always ordered us unpleasantly large amounts of Chicken mcnuggets :(

That isn't how THE WORLD works. Just your part of it.

It is a pretty good part overall, though. :(

Yes it is. America is part of the world. Ants being hill enthusiasts is also part of how the world works, you fgt.

The first thing they teach you in AA is to accept the things you cannot change. Then they teach you how to smoke to cope with your other addictions.

oh, fuck it, I'll just stick it here.

:pagebrak

This picture needs more Willie wearing sunglasses.

I am not sure if he should have his arms folded and a grim look on his face, or a grin and some cheerful little thumbs hitting the air.

He looks like the guy from Creed. When anyone mentioned the resemblance he would be irked. Not a lot of back-story really.

I knew Chojin changed the video, but I wanted to help get him stirred up. I'm glad I don't look like Creed guy.

actually the story was that being accused of loving creed threw him into fits of rage

Actually I was talking about why I should have to leave a tip for wait people in my country, where they receive a wage.

The minimum wage in Australia is $AU14.30, which would equal about 8.10 pounds and $US13.23.

Damn. I think minimum wage here is like $7.25US.

min wage in canada is like CDN$8.50 I think?

When I waited on tables, I made U.S. Minimum plus tips. I love California.

They make minimum wage here in Oklahoma.

I had a shitty afternoon. Among other things, a cranky elderly neighborhood lady was complaining about the fact that kids trick or treat. She didn't want to deal with it and besides, she wanted to keep the candy for herself. She was counting how many kids on the street might annoy her on Halloween, and she pointed at my stomach and said, "And that'll be another one."

If I were less strictly schooled in manners, I might have said something nasty.

like "Don't worry, I'll teach mine to stay away from creepy old witches house."?

Strike one was when she told me that I shouldn't have wasted money burying my infant twins when they died last year, that I should have just had the hospital throw them away.

Strike two was when she saw my mom walking my dog and went over to ask if my mom knew how easy it was to kill a dog.

This was strike three, and even though I managed to hold my tongue because of the company I was in, I still have all these black bats of rage flapping before my eyes, you know?

She certainly does not have to worry about my bringing a kid to her house to trick or treat. She's the kind of person who would give out poisoned candy, if there is such a type.

That neighborhood is gonna turn you into a killer.

It just might.

The thought that there are more people like that in the world angers and frightens me.

bitch needs to get egged

with grenades

in the mouth

I forgot to tell you about when she was delighted to find a nest of bunnies in her yard. She poisoned all of them.

She also regularly calls Animal Control if she hears anyone's dog barking.

She needs a horseradish enema.

It's almost like those old bats in the movies, you know, like the one in the Wizard of Oz who takes Toto or the old bitch in Gremlins who wants to kill the dog. Before I moved to this neighborhood I had a hard time believing that that sort of person actually existed, but they do. There are a lot of mean, selfish people out there who get joy out of making others miserable.

i thought this was a hotwheel with a little lego man in it :(

What an old whorish bitch.

Is this old hag a remarkable old creature that can sit on the end of a broom stick and take off? Can she actually achieve flight?

You're right. It was that long complicated story, not my long complicated story at all.

In here too. :(

:pagebrak

it does kind of look that way i guess :( i wish it'd been a more subtle color but what the hey it was a good deal!

I know none of you read Art Shit, so prz to be reading this thread and leaving comments:

http://i-mockery.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69703318

So boring today. My saturday mornings consist of me being really busy at work. Saturday afternoons are really slow at work. Saturday nights are really busy at the bar, except by now I'm the customer.

I put a wig on my mom's cat once and she got really pissed :(

I thought I was being considerate, making sure it had ear-holes and all.

Is it bad when your doctor tells you to come hear your blood results in person? :<

nah babysappyton, they do that always, to everyone

Why give results over the phone? That could potentially be unsafe.

I'm just real nervous; I already got a letter yesterday saying they want me to come in for more blood-work, and now I get another one saying they want to talk to me about the LAST results....
I hate doctor stuff. :(

if it were something serious they would have warned you about it on the phone, don't worry

I'm seriously thinking about taking all my vast savings of money and opening a book shop.

As a hobby or legitimately?

Legit. A small shop with used and specialist books and literature. Probably art, games and collectables as a side. It's a dream so far, I haven't seriously looked into what it's going to cost, although I have got a bit of money.

The area that I have been thinking of has one chain bookshop and that's about it.

That would've been my first bit of advice. While I'm not a smart person by any means, I would assume that the most opportune place would be somewhere without many of them. Sounds cool, then.

Well, you do have to be careful. Sometimes a town doesn't have a particular shop because there's no demand for it.

There's only one video game store here, and it's dead all the time (except when they host D&D sessions).

But then again, no matter how stupid the general population of a town is, there's always a market for books.

DBLPST:
reaping the benefits of working in a grocery store
- the abundance of large bags of dog food being busted in transport prevents one from having to purchase dog food
- the cheap plastic on the eight-packs of gatorade cause the rings to break frequently resulting in 8 bottles of gatorade in the milk cooler, free to employees in the know
- finding a box of frozen food in the back of the freezer that was discontinued months ago--the food still in date--will provide many nights of TGIF chicken quesadillas (not the healthiest but the price is right)

Good luck, Zhukov.

So what's what, Sapster? Is it serious or is elx right and you're worrying about nothing?

Inquiring minds want to know, dammit. >:

He has the anemia and will need a marrow transplant. :tear

Just so long as it's not the dieabeetus. :tear :Ranny

:rolleyes

question - if i delete people from my friends list on facebook, does it tell them?

when i started, facebook went on a rampage adding everyone from my high school and i don't even know most of these fgts

Man.

Toys is a good movie.

chojin- I think you just don't show up on their friends list anymore. At least, that's what I hope, because I'm contemplating a massive facebook purge myself.

They don't get an indicator, if that's what you're wondering. Same goes for Myspace.

I'm getting my brain looked at and stuff; I've been having massive memory loss lately, my eyes won't focus for hours at a time, disorientation, muscle spasms in my right arm, and other strange things. :(
Uhm, did 'memory loss' show up as an ad link for anyone else? :?

nope, I keep getting Bowling for Soup.

SIX FLAGS. MORE FLAGS, MORE FUCKING FUN.

FUCKING HELL

welcome back samantha

Nope. G2G dating. (big surprise) :rolleyes

Do you guys know any good remedies for restoring sleep schedules

My flow's been completely fucked for about a year, and since I started college I usually get to bed around 4 AM if I sleep at all.

This would be fine if sleep deprivation didn't fuck you up; my head feels empty most of the time and I have ridiculous luggage building up underneath my eyes

Don't go to sleep, stay up until it's an appropriate time to go to bed (between 7-12). If that doesn't sound appealing then take a power nap.

When I have to get up early but stayed up too late I set my alarm clock a few hours before I want to get up. When it goes off I get up, set the alarm a half hour ahead and go back to bed. By the time I have to get up I'm wide awake.

Don't go to bed until the next night. I have to do this every so often, but it still depends on how stubborn your clock is.

Yeah, if you find yourself going to bed at 4am, just don't go to bed. You'll be sufficiently tired by the time 11:30pm comes around. And for god sake don't take pills, they'll just fuck you up more.

You guys think I haven't tried that shit :<

I do that at least once a week and tell myself, "Ok, this time I'm really gonna get back on track"

Then I wake up at 8, go to sleep at 10, and fuck up my schedule again the next day

How about doing your school things during the day. If you don't finish, fuck it.
Then going to bed.

i have the same problem, gw ;<

since i've been tracking my diet like a hawk, i noticed on my chart that i lose a full day every 2 weeks or so

If passing my courses still didn't matter I'd have this attitude but we can't all be high school students forever

Sleeping habits, you got to be consistent. Go to bed at the right time, wake up at the right time. What's the use in getting your hours straight one day only to fuck them up the next. You have to be like the samurai, always aware of his own death (bedtime).

When I was a kid, my mom used to "clean up" my room by throwing anything that was out into a rubbermaid tub and putting the rubbermaid tub somewhere I couldn't get to it. It was a fast way to clean a room, yeah, but then I was wondering where the hell my clothes and homework and crayons and all that were. So years later (sometimes 20 years later) I'd find these bins and bam, it's like a fucking time capsule. That's why I have all my school papers and toys from when I was a kid.

Found another "time capsule" today, from when my parents moved states and threw all my stuff into boxes. It's been in sealed storage for 7 years. I went through it today...all the paperwork that went missing from college and work (so that's where my dental insurance card went), ancient toiletries, even a bagful of candy from my desk at work. It's a weird phenomenon around here but kind of fun.

Perhaps not coincidentally, I grew up feeling panicked that I couldn't stand guard over my stuff all the time.

That sucks man, but 'passing' has never been a problem for me. Now, if I were aiming for high 80s then I'd probably be in your shoes. What are you taking anyway / what year of your program?

If you do some kind of intense exercise during the day, you should be sufficiently tired by the time night rolls around.

It's Guitar Woman. :lol

Then he should preen like a girl for 30 minutes a day instead of 15.

sleep patterns can be pretty ephemeral. It could be that this is just a phase that will transition into something else later.

Dude, meth is the answer you are looking for.

Yes, I agree methane right from the asshole of a young cafe.