Random thoughts that are pointless and too dumb to say anywhere else thread: 2015–2018 (plus one)

[pacopete4]

Depends on what the price increase was and if that employer actually took care of their employees and didnt pay them crap rates.

[FVBrewerFan]

Yes. Mainly because unreported income is a huge reason why the rest of us pay higher taxes. There is so much income from tips, people on 1099s, etc. that doesn't get taxed. If they just bumped up their wages 15-20% and be done with it, that would be great.

[Patrick425]

I hate tipping, but I think I'm a pretty decent tipper. I usually calculate 20%, then round up to the next whole dollar. I remember when 15% was considered the standard tip...not sure how or when it got to 18%-20%.

 

Dining tipping is easy, it's all the other "services".....hair cuts, luggage handling, room cleaning service at hotels, etc that I struggle with. The one that really gets me is trash collection. Usually right around Christmas time we get a little card put in our paper box wishing us happy holidays from Waste Management. I view that as a "Hey, how bout a tip?" suggestion. First of all, I don't know if I agree with tipping them. They drive up, the arms come out and grab the garbage container, empty into their truck and move to the next house....and I think they are decently paid for that. Secondly, even if I felt like tipping them, how would I do it. My wife and I are generally at work when they are collecting our garbage, and I'm not going to leave an envelope of money or gift card taped to our mail box (that I would have to label because otherwise they would not know what it was). I know not everyone tips their trash collector, but I also know some people do (and mail carriers - seriously?).

[adambr2]

Agreed with almost everything said. Yes if the tipping was eliminated, people who rely on it need to be compensated with a better wage. And I think that's much better than relying on the decency of people for it and also closing the door for that avenue of tax fraud like someone mentioned. Just pay them a decent wage and charge accordingly, simple. I don't even get why tipping is such a big thing here, in other countries it's almost unheard of. Here it's becoming incredibly widespread and convoluted.

 

It's especislly frustrating being from a small town when I go to places like the strip in Vegas and cannot walk from my hotel room to the street without encountering some situation where I am expected to tip.

 

These are the guidelines I usually follow but some of them I really don't even know if I am doing right or not:

 

Dining - 18% for average service, 20%+ for exceptional, 15% for mediocre. I'll go as low as 10% if it's really bad. I've never had enough of a reason to drop the tip entirely, but it would take a lot more than bad service -- like an extremely rude waiter.

 

Buffet - Usually 10-15%.

 

Takeout - This is where it gets tricky to me. I used to do around 15%, then people told me I was nuts. I don't tip for takeout much anymore, I guess I'll start again when it becomes customary to tip the cashier at McDonald's who basically does the same thing. Occasionally I'll give a buck or 2, or carside if they come out maybe 2 or 3.

 

Delivery - ?? I don't know. I usually give 15-20%.

 

Bar - Buck a drink.

 

Barber - $3.

 

Taxi/Uber - When Uber first started I was told not to tip them, but apparently that is now apparently a thing too. I guess I usually give 15-20%.

[nate82]

I can't get this song out of my head

 

[TexasCheesehead]

Would anyone want to join a slightly late fantasy baseball league? I failed to get on board with one this year and itching to have one.

[GAME05]

Debating buying a $700 kayak trailer with a $200 car hitch. I have two 17' kayaks but I'm a bit worried that there wouldn't be tons of places to go with kayaks that long. Plus it's just me, so I'd be limited to lakes. I always wonder about things to do, and I guess kayaking/camping on a lake would make for a nice weekend.

[Baldkin]

Debating buying a $700 kayak trailer with a $200 car hitch. I have two 17' kayaks but I'm a bit worried that there wouldn't be tons of places to go with kayaks that long. Plus it's just me, so I'd be limited to lakes. I always wonder about things to do, and I guess kayaking/camping on a lake would make for a nice weekend.

 

Backpacking! For $700 you can get one heck of a starter kit Leave the roads behind.

[AKCheesehead]

If (and hopefully when) Dylan File advances to AA Biloxi I think one of the MGM Park food vendors needs to sell Dylan File Gumbo.

[JimH5]

I dreamt that the Brewers signed David Wells out of retirement to pitch in relief, but he allowed 6 ER in 1 IP and I woke up before I learned if he had been released.

 

Maybe I should be concerned that David Wells occupies space in my subconscious.

[reillymcshane]

I dreamt that the Brewers signed David Wells out of retirement to pitch in relief, but he allowed 6 ER in 1 IP and I woke up before I learned if he had been released.

 

Maybe I should be concerned that David Wells occupies space in my subconscious.

That's a weird one. It's so bizarre the stuff that gets called up in our brains.

[Baldkin]

I've now sent a 5th e-mail to a very nice woman who keeps informing me that she's my mother and keeps sending me pictures of her grandkids (my second cousins, apparently)

 

She doesn't seem to understand that I am not her child and that she has the wrong e-mail address.

[Thurston Fluff]

I dreamt that the Brewers signed David Wells out of retirement to pitch in relief, but he allowed 6 ER in 1 IP and I woke up before I learned if he had been released.

 

Maybe I should be concerned that David Wells occupies space in my subconscious.

 

Your subconscious must be huge to fit him in there.

[LouisEly]

I need to refinish my patio. Is it as simple as sanding it down and then applying the stain/sealant, or is there something else I need to do to remove the old paint/sealant?

[FVBrewerFan]

I would sand it down thoroughly, then just stain and seal, as you said. Then seal every year or two, so you don't have to go through the process again in a few years. ; )

[nodakfan17]

Did anyone else have a hard time tracking down the giveaway sweatshirts yesterday? My group tried entering the ballpark around Noon using the entrance near Friday’s and were informed that they were out. We worked our way from LF to RF and finally found an entrance that still had them on our 4th try. Sort of felt like Arnold in Jingle All The Way.

[bensheeps]

We had the same experience yesterday. Not a great way to start the day; but fitting foreshadowing of what was to come with the game.

[reillymcshane]

I would sand it down thoroughly, then just stain and seal, as you said. Then seal every year or two, so you don't have to go through the process again in a few years. ; )

I will second the advice on the deck. Sand down and stain and seal. I've done a couple of decks like this. I use a simple electric hand sander to strip the paint and stuff off the wood. Works great. This comes from a person who is not particularly 'handy' with projects like this.

[FVBrewerFan]

I would sand it down thoroughly, then just stain and seal, as you said. Then seal every year or two, so you don't have to go through the process again in a few years. ; )

I will second the advice on the deck. Sand down and stain and seal. I've done a couple of decks like this. I use a simple electric hand sander to strip the paint and stuff off the wood. Works great. This comes from a person who is not particularly 'handy' with projects like this.

 

 

Not a real handy guy either, but I am cheap. So I have learned how to be handy enough not to have to pay for someone to do these types of things ; ) (I can't tell you how much YouTube has saved me over the years by showing how to do various DIY projects.)

[hawing]

Did anyone else have a hard time tracking down the giveaway sweatshirts yesterday? My group tried entering the ballpark around Noon using the entrance near Friday’s and were informed that they were out. We worked our way from LF to RF and finally found an entrance that still had them on our 4th try. Sort of felt like Arnold in Jingle All The Way.

We approached the home field gates at about 11:50 and the lines there were not only super long but did not seem to be moving at all. (This was 10-15 minutes after the gates were to open.) So we walked over to right field, where the lines were less crazy and also appeared to have movement. Even then, it took a while to get in and especially through the bottleneck that formed immediately after the ticket scanners.

 

Sunday giveaways do tend to bring out the once-in-a-while visiting fans, who aren't familiar with the metal detector/bag search gauntlet but DANG THEY WANT THAT LIGHTWEIGHT HOODIE or whatever. The bits of conversation I heard from the older fans ahead of us suggested to me that the Boston Store sponsorship might have held extra appeal with some. This despite the fact that (for once) there was no mention of the sponsor name on the shirts, and the coupon attached to each one will not be honored because of Boston Store's liquidation. That was kind of a metaphor for the whole day, wasn't it?

[hawing]

Totally separate random thought that warrants its own post:

 

My STL fan student employee yesterday wore his Stan Musial replica jersey to work and told me it was his lucky shirt because the Cardinals had two walkoff wins over the Cubs this weekend. (I thought about asking why he was wearing it after the luck, but thought better of that.)

 

Anyway, he said that the best part of the weekend series was that the devil magic appears to be back. Then he asked me if I'd ever heard of Cardinals Devil Magic. I answered with the coolest yes you have ever heard from anyone.

 

So who coined that phrase? He didn't learn it from me, because I don't talk about it on the job.

[nodakfan17]

On the Free Sweatshirts:

 

Indeed. In fact, I joked with my friends that had we not scored the free sweatshirts (on the fourth try), the whole day would have been a bust.

 

Was the coupon really that big of a draw? I wasn’t even aware of it until it was mentioned on the scoreboard. My wife and I usually ignore the coupons we receive from Younker’s due to the high number of exclusions. The sweatshirts were neat though. Kudos to the Brewers for a nice giveaway.

[wallus]

Hyphenated last names are stupid.

[nodakfan17]

Hyphenated last names are stupid.

What happens when a child with a hyphenated last name grows up and marries another child with a hyphenated last name? Would their offspring have four last names?

[wallus]

Hyphenated last names are stupid.

What happens when a child with a hyphenated last name grows up and marries another child with a hyphenated last name? Would their offspring have four last names?

 

Just one of the many reasons why it is dumb.