Tipping Rant

Okay, this is going to seem really mean but I have to get it out of my system. First, let me say, I appreciate all waitstaff. Part of the reason I go out to eat is because I want to be waited on, served and I don't want to have to do the dishes afterward, HOWEVER...let me say (in case you didn't know), tipping is a courtesy!
I don't know how waitstaff have come to think, just because you ARE a waiter or waitress, it means you get an automatic tip. Tip means, "to bestow a gratuity". A gratuity is "something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service". Ahhhh yes, see the word "voluntarily"? That tells me, I give it if and when I want to. I'm not trying to be mean...I'm really not. If I have waitstaff that's doing what they can for me, yet not bugging me to death, I will definitely make it worth your while, however...I am not trying to supplement your hourly wage. You KNEW the job only paid "change" when you accepted the position, so how very unwise of you to think or assume you would make enough in tips to make your car, rent or mortgage payment. If you do, praise God! If you don't, grin and bear it.
When I think of the worst waitstaff I've ever had, 2 stories come to mind.
Story #1 - At a Red Lobster with my hubby and our waitress was an African-American girl. Clearly, I was old enough to be this child's mother, yet I was greeted with, "What can I get for you sweetie?". Sweetie?!? I'm twice your age and you're calling me "sweetie"? Did I correct her? No. If I had it would have come out real wrong and frankly, I didn't want her doing ANYTHING to my food. Anyhoo...the girl takes our order, brings our food out and we don't see her again. Now you know it's bad when you have to hunt the waitress down to get the check. Thankfully we didn't need anything but we noticed she was treating another table the exact same way. This other table had an elderly, African-American couple seated. She literally ignored them too. Now, did this girl deserve a tip? No! Did we leave one? Yep. She got $3.00 on a $30 meal. She got EXACTLY 10%. When I relayed the story to my elderly Mother, she informed me it's rumored that elderly people don't tip well because of their fixed income, so they're subjected to less than satisfactory service at times. How absolutely unacceptable!
Story #2 - My husband and I went to another restaurant and after the meal, my husband signs the credit card slip. The waiter comes to retrieve it before we leave. As we were about to get up, the waiter comes back and says, "Was something wrong with your service?", my husband replied, "No.", the waiter says, "Did I do something wrong?", now more irritated, my husband says, "Nooo.", the waiter says, "Ok, I was just wondering if I had done something wrong." [smh] I was about to lose it! It took everything in me to not snatch the credit card receipt back and change the tip amount. I don't even know how much of a tip my husband left but apparently, it was a little too little for this particular waiter.
Me and my husband love the episode on "3rd Rock From The Sun" where "Dick" learns how to tip and we've been tempted to use his technique many, many, many times.

To all you waiters and waitresses out there, know this...people want to tip you, however, be worthy of it. Remember, it's a gratuity, not a right! If you have assumed your waitstaff gig is supposed to supplement your income consistently, you are sorely misled...and...you need to find another better paying job. 'Nuff said. Peace!

And so, it has begun...

A new President, a new era, a new page in history. I decided to blog as I watched the swearing in. I wanted my on "play by play" of it all as it happened.
Right now, President-Elect is walking calmly but looking very sober as he is about to be introduced. My prayers are that the American people will give him a fighting chance. He's not a miracle worker, he's an answer to a younger generations prayers.
11:43am - President Elect Obama, the 5th youngest President is being introduced to the largest attended inauguration ever! Approximately 2 million people want to watch history first hand...and I don't blame them. Maybe because of technology, THIS time, the historical records won't be "exaggerated" or tampered with.
It's just amazing to see the National Mall erupting in a sea of red, white and blue flags. I can't recall, in my lifetime, American's so excited about something. No matter if you voted for Obama or not, now is the time to rally behind the leader in place, just as the armed forces would have to do. Discouraging or disparaging words are moot now. It doesn't matter what you like or dislike about Obama, if you can only support him in prayer then do that. It is what it is.
11:45am - What about Rick Warren praying? Who cares? His prayer was awesome and I was proud of him for incorporating humility, repentance and especially Jesus in it. 11:50am - Now I have to admit, "Re-Re" (Aretha Franklin) singing made me a little nervous. LOL I was just hoping she would remember all of the words and not lose her place. LOL She must have been singing with her own track because it was a little to jazzy for the armed forces orchestra. I must say it was an interesting rendition. The only person that could have topped that rendition was probably Patti LaBelle. Can you imagine Patti hittin' a high note and holding it for 16 bars? :::crackin' up laughin':::
11:56am - Joe Biden is being sworn in. Not too sure about him. He kind of came out of nowhere to me. The jury is still out on him.
12:00pm - "Aire" and "Simple Gifts" a very diverse quartet is playing with YoYo Ma and Itzak Pearlman included. YoYo Ma and Itzak are BEAST on those strings. I could listen to both all day. it's now passed noon and even though Obama hasn't been sworn in, he is NOW President of the United States.
12:05pm - President Obama is being sworn in by Justice John G. Roberts Jr....and...it...is...DONE! He fumbled a bit, probably nerves...after all, who could blame him. Unfortunately, the media is going to ride him about that fumble for his entire term.
President Barak Obama, the 44th President of the United States...may God bless him and keep him. May he maintain humility before God and man and be a man of integrity and civility.
As he speaks to the American people for the first time as President, I'm impressed with his realistic approach to the current and dismal state of our nation. I thank God for an individual that has stepped up to the plate in an attempt to lead a floundering nation.
God bless the President and God bless America.

New Year, New Blog Entry

Well, it's finally here...2009. I'm really glad because 2008 was "hellish". It was a true "trying of my faith". Who would have thought I'd be on medical leave for most of the year!?! I was bracing myself as 2009 rolled in because I just don't know what it will bring for me physically.
There are a few changes (not New Year's Resolutions) that I will be implementing in 2009. My diet will be more vegan. I'm already more vegetarian-ish than I've ever been in life, but I have to practice consuming complete proteins, so I won't become deficient and I'm changing chiropractors.
The chiropractor I currently go to, I've been a patient of for over 10 years. She helped me get back on my feet on more than one occasion. Recently (I guess the 2008 year), I began to realize just how expensive this chiropractor really was and something didn't sit quite right with me. I do a procedure called decompression therapy. My current chiro charges $250.00 per session...and it's NOT paid by my insurance. I had two spinal incidences this year. The first was a severe pinched nerve and I needed 10 of these $250.00 sessions. The second incident was a diagnosis of DDD (degenerative disk disease). Every disk in my cervical spine was bulging or herniated...and quite painful! That incident caused me to need 20 of those $250.00 sessions. Make a long story short, I had to take out a health loan to pay for the sessions. One day I decided to take a good long look at this decompression machine. I took a mental note of the company, model name, etc and looked it up on the internet. To my GREAT surprise (and disgust), this "miracle machine" cost (and I'm inflating the price slightly) $15,000.00!!!!!!! How can a machine that I only spend 15-20 minutes on at a time and cost $15,000.00, cost me $250.00 per session?!??! Doing the math, I realized I paid for 1/2 of the machine! And I'm 1 of probably 100 or so patients that utilize this type of decompression therapy. Now...to add insult to injury, I began to research other chiropractors specifically in my area because my current chiropractor is just WAY too far from my home. To my surprise, I not only find (what looks like) an awesome chiropractor that is 5 minutes from my home, he even offers the same decompression therapy...FOR $40.00 PER SESSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT...was the straw that broke this camels back. $40.00 per session??? I've been paying a 600% mark up???? Talk about being livid! That health loan of $7000.00 caused unnecessary financial strain on my husband and I and I'm SO angered by that. So...I'm going to my chiropractor Monday to tell them to stick it where the sun...just kidding. I'm not that vindictive. LOL I will definitely tell them about the price gauging that seems to be in place for therapies not covered by people's insurance. That is SO not cool! It's really quite sad because I liked the chiropractor, the staff and their care but I DO NOT and will not tolerate being taken advantage of. Hmpf! In the name of Jesus, this year has GOT to get better! LOL!