The Old Folks Home

[drumstick diva]

Peeps, there is no doubt YOU are smiling. Nice to see you.

 

[perchie.girl]

Thanks, everybody!

We just came back from a Valentine's Day function at the ABQ Aquarium -- "A-Moray" -- which was a private after-hours adults-only tour/lecture on the mating habits of the denizens of the deep (frisky fishes!) with drinks, appetizers and dinner provided. (And, yes, there was a sushi appetizer but I think all occupants were accounted for.) It was great fun and nice to occupy the facility without a zillion little kids underfoot.

The aquarium also hosts slumber parties: "Sleeping with the fishes"


I chided DH that he's not smiling in this photo, but he says he is.

He also insists this fish is smiling....

love love love the whole idea.... you two are a fantastic couple.... I suspect you are the out going one.... and hes a thinker. My dad rarely smiled big but he was great at teasing and giving a big belly laugh.

deb

 

[Beer can]

Better...?

Picture on a phone, 5/16"x5/16" pic...it looked like the horse was..well
...never mind.
Clicked on pic an made it a little bigger, SO COOL deb!!

 

[Beer can]

@Peep_Show that sounds super cool!!
A 'adult' dinner! Someday....

A couple yrs ago we had dinner with Shamu at Sea World Orlando. Good food, awesome dinner, all sorts of crazy good sea food and other yummies, great steak, buffet style, awesome show, kids loved it.
Beer and wine included. We're not big tippers, five kids and not 'rich'. Saw the disappointment in the waiters eyes, two tables of obviously well off families left before us. One no tip, other $3..
I threw a $20 down and we left.
Wife wasn't happy, doesn't think buffet style dinners deserve tips I guess. Dude came to our table a dozen times, helped clean up a mess the kids made. Reviews said don't expect a second beverage,the guy refilled my huge beer glass with Sam Adams four times and would've more!

 

[sourland]

'Adult dinner' - well done, B c.

About that tip. Once upon a time, I was a regular at several local bars - the bar tenders all knew me. One night the Princess and I went to a new bar/restaurant. Bar tender was also our waiter. I over tipped, and as I handed the money to him, he looked me up and down and said, "Thanks, I'll remember you." Princess asked, "What does that mean." I replied, "Next time I am in here, I'll only be charged for every other drink."

They say 'Tip according to service'. That's how I do it. At one point in our poverty stricken beginning, the Princess worked as a waitress. It can be a tough, demeaning, back breaking job. I respect pleasant, hard working waiters. Princess always said she could always count on a fair tip from a couple of old ladies, but forget about the lawyers from the courthouse across the street.

She actually got fired by the owner's wife for being sarcastic with one of the lawyers (not about the tip). The owner rehired her before she got out the door and told the lawyer to find someplace else to eat.

 

[vehve]

Tipping is weird, I tend to do it in restaurants, but to have an entire profession built on people giving money voluntarily is strange to me. Then again, you can influence the amount of tips you receive directly with your behavior. Another thing I find strange is not having taxes written into the price on a menu, or price list. Super weird for the customer, especially tourists.

 

[Peep_Show]

My sister waitressed through college; now she's a big tipper. I tried waitressing and found it a thankless job that wasn't quite my cup of tea (and so how did I end up in a career where I was treated like bad rental furniture? Oh. Yeah. I worked for lawyers). I also spent a couple of months in restaurant management...the big picture is, well, complicated as it's like overseaing a functioning machine with assorted random and wildcard parts. Anyway, my pet peeve with waitfolk is when they don't give their names as I like to as a diner address them and thank them by name along with tip. When you've worked in the trenches, you realize they ARE people, not just servers and should be afforded respect as such.

 

[WVduckchick]

The tip thing I hate is at a place we go fairly often.... Its a buffet, you pay on the way in. They ask if you want to leave a tip when you pay. UM, NO!... My tip goes along with service for me. If their service is poor, then my tip is poor. If they give good service, I tip well in return.

I do understand when things are really busy, and some of the wait-staff is overloaded. I try to factor in possibilities for good/bad service, and adjust my tips accordingly. But rude service is unforgivable, no matter what the reason. Those waiters get a quarter, so they know I didn't just "forget" to leave a tip.

 

[sourland]

I do understand when things are really busy, and some of the wait-staff is overloaded. I try to factor in possibilities for good/bad service, and adjust my tips accordingly. But rude service is unforgivable, no matter what the reason. Those waiters get a quarter, so they know I didn't just "forget" to leave a tip.

I was at the Red Dog Saloon in Meriden, Conn. Bartender gave 'last call', and by the time she got to me she said, "Too late." I picked up my money leaving about 17 cents on the bar - "There's your tip. Not because you deserve it, but hopefully you will learn to bartend." She screamed, "I want HIM out of here." From the corner came a bearded monster, and I said - "Sir, we have no problem.'

A group of acquaintances from Mass. attending the same field trial that I was witnessed the scene. Next day they said, "We didn't think you had that in you." My reply, "There are two sides to each coin."

 

[Wisher1000]

I was once an afternoon bartender/waitress for a few months (between jobs) at a quaint little restaurant outside of town. Most of my customers were regulars (middle aged, executive men) who stopped for a drink on their way home from work. When I saw their cars pull up, I fixed that man's drink and sat it on a napkin at his favorite seat at the bar so it was there when he sat down. I made $10 plus tips, for working three hours each day. My regulars tipped well and I usually took home $30 to $50 a day.

One day, four (late-twenties?) men came in that I didn't know. They sat at the farthest table from the bar, and ordered beers. I brought their first round and chatted a bit and went back to my regulars. When one man finished his been in one long gulp, I went back to ask if he wanted another. He did, and I asked the others if I could get them one as well. The others said they were good and I went to fetch the second beer. When I returned, one more man wanted a second. When I returned the third man wanted a beer. They made a game of keeping me running back and forth across the empty restaurant for beers for an hour and a half. They were all very amused, my regulars were not. I remained cordial and smiling, laughing with them at my expense. One asked for my phone number and I politely declined. When they left, they left two quarters. Really?

I got the last laugh, though. My regulars made up the difference, tipping $20 each, even the one that the other regulars often teased for only leaving $2 most days. I made more that day than any other I ever worked there. The four gentlemen never came back, that I know of, and that is probably for the best.