Random Ramblings

I haven’t been writing much, it’s been a busy-ish week, and focusing on one topic is tough sometimes. Let’s see where some random thoughts take us.

Work has been pretty good as of late. It’s the holiday season, so people are getting very generous. I am in a group on the Facebook of service industry people. Mostly it is a bunch of people from the Denver area, a friend of mine that lives out there added me in. What I gather is that most of these people are a bit younger than me, like mid 20s probably, and they are crabby! A lot of complaining about tips and their management. We all complain about tips, it is in every employee manual that restaurants have. (winks) But I read all of their stuff, and sometime comment. I relayed a story from yesterday, of a table of four I had and have served before. They are pleasant enough, polite, not overly needy, but they are cheap. Usually a 5% tip would be a lot. Yesterday in a fit of holiday benevolence I turned the charm up an extra notch. At the end, their bill was just under $70, and they left me $7, a 10% tip. That would normally tick me off, but knowing what it usually is, I was very pleased. Sometimes it isn’t the actual money, but the spirit of the experience.

Speaking of holidays, they sure are getting close. I am starting to sense the panic in some of the people. I am a last minute person as I have mentioned before. So I am doing ok yet, but there is a small hum, a buzz, I am getting from some of the population about their shopping. I say this: Relax. It will all get done, it always does. You can feel the panic inside, but don’t let anyone know it is there. That is how they get you, and next thing you know you will be buying a fragrance set in the checkout line at TJ Maxx. Believe me, nobody wants that. Put it down. Take a deep breath, not of the fragrance set, and get centered. If that doesn’t work, I am nearby with a nice cold adult beverage for you. I will talk you off the ledge.

Only because everyone seems to be ticked off about it will I mention this one. The Time Person of the Year thing. How big of a deal is this, really? Every year they name someone. There isn’t much that goes with it, a write up in a magazine that you don’t look at any other week of the year. Sure it is an honor to be recognized, it puts your name out there in the spotlight for a few days. They are looking to sell advertising, and they want to stay relevant in a digital age where people do not buy magazines off the newsstand anymore. They need to start a conversation. They have done that. The Twitter king got riled up, but he always does, and said something that sounded like he is picking on a 16 year old girl. That is how I interpreted it, but I am not going to overly engage people on it, because why? He will have a whole slew of Twitter tantrums and I will shake my head at them as well, and move on. In 2 weeks nobody will be talking about the Time POTY until they name the next one next year. Relax. And keep this in mind while we are at it: Yes, Gary Sinise does wonderful things, but he doesn’t do them to be the POTY, he does them because he is good man. We don’t get to vote on Time’s choice, if we did he would win every year.

And for one last thing, on the morning of the Packers vs Bears 200th meeting, I give you this. GO PACK GO!! And this: The Bears Still Suck. That is all, carry on with your day, your holiday prep, and do your best to be a good person, every day. Everything else will fall into place.