Acuminate

Shoe asked, What Do You Tip Your Hotel Maid? I replied to the his post with my answer. I have to admit I haven't tipped any of my hotel maids, a habit I will soon correct. I'm not going to post on how to tip for good service. There's plenty of guides online for that. Instead I'm going to suggest how to tip for bad service.

First, be sure to know when and when not to tip for bad service.

• Slow service - This is generally considered bad service. While this is true, it's not necessarily the fault of the wait staff. If the restaurant is busy, things tend to take longer than expected. If the waitress is attending to your every need, but delayed because of other tables, don't be stingy. I was going to tip poorly one night for slow service then the manager came around to all the tables and explained that there was a delay in the kitchen and apologized. This quickly changed my attitude towards the service and I decided to tip nicely.
• Rudeness - There's little room for ambiguity here. If the waiter really doesn't seem like she wants to serve you or chucks the plates to your table, service is bad. You could take into consideration her having a bad day, but it is her job to provide service in a friendly manner.
• M.I.A. - If your cup is always empty and it takes longer to get your reciept than it does to get your food, then the service is simply bad. I've had waitresses put the receipt on the table as soon as the food came out and was never seen again. At least I could get out quickly without having to wait even longer.
• Bad food - This is generally not the fault of the waiter. You shouldn't judge the waiter on the food, but how he handles your complaints about the food. If he graciously tries to fix the order, or has the manager do it, then he is still doing his job adequately. If the food is still bad, just don't eat there again.
• Chatty Kathy - This is one of the most annoying types of waitresses to have. Instead of serving you, she is busy chatting to her friends, co-workers, or other tables. You are left to sit and stare between her talking away and your empty glass. This is simply bad service. You could of course call her, but it shouldn't be neccessary in most cases. She should instead check on you regularly to see if you need anything, and of course, keep the glasses full.

Always tip based on the service of your waiter, not the food, conditions of the restaurant, or other employees. Many conditions can affect your experience at a restaurant, but if your waiter is attentive and friendly, tip well regardless of the food or atmosphere. Those types of complaints should be take up with the manager.

Most people would assume to either tip a small amount or to not tip at all. Unfortunately while this saves you money, it doesn't convey your message. No tip can often be misconstrued as complete ignorance.

• You forgot to tip - Some people are just absent minded and simply forget to tip. Even if it was an accident, I doubt the waiter will give you better service next time.
• You don't tip - Many people simply don't tip. They either consider it unnecessary because they paid for the food, or they are just generally crotchety. I worked with a guy that refused to tip. I explained to him that wait staff make below minimum wage, to which he said that's impossible because it would be illegal. All logic aside, he eventually started tipping whatever coins were left to round up to the nearest dollar. If I were a waiter I'd figure out how to always make a meal round to 1 cent above the dollar.
• You tipped with your credit card - Especially when you have to pay at the front, waiters can assume that if you didn't leave a tip that you left it on your credit card and continue as if everything was fine until they see the tips at the end of the day. When you have bad service, you generally want them to know right away. If it was good service, wait staff generally like getting cash tips better anyway since it's immediate instead of on payday and they can hide a little income at tax time.

Many people adjust their tip from 20% to say 5% for bad service. A smaller tip, like my co-worker would do with pocket change, could just be interpreted as being tipped by a bad tipper. The message you are trying to convey, "Hey buddy, where'd you learn to serve food, a high school cafeteria?", is not recognized with a paltry tip. On second thought, most first time waiters probably only have high school cafeteria experience.

To show distaste of the service, simply tip a penny. This could be confused with being a poor tipper, but it in fact sends a clear message that leaving a reduced tip or no tip does not.

• No, I did not forget to tip - Unlike not leaving a tip, this can't be confused as simple mindedness.
• Yes, I do tip - And I tip what I think your service is worth.
• Here's your tip - No delayed gratification for you today, your tip is here.
• Bad service is rated on a different scale than good service - When you get good service you tip well, compensating for the average and then some. But when you get bad service, the scale is weighted differently and the rate goes down a lot faster than a few percents.

If you feel like it, you can note why the service was bad on the back of the receipt which is sure to catch the eye of the cashier and the manager. I've done this when the service was particularly bad.

One last tip. When I leave cash tips, I write "CASH" on the tip line of credit card receipts. Especially if the tip is only a penny. This makes sure that there is no confusion to if the tip is $0 or you left cash on the table. One time I wrote $0 for bad service, leaving nothing on the table. When I went to the cashier, she shockingly asked "zero dollars?", I answered "Yes, the waitress was terrible". In this particular instance the service was bad, and did not warrant a tip, but if you did leave a tip on the table writing in "CASH" could help you avoid an awkward conversation.

An alternative to tipping a penny when you are paying with a credit card is to simply write "NO TIP" in the tip line. This ensures the waiter gets the message and that he doesn't add a few 5's to your "$0".

As a software engineer, I spend a lot of time sitting at a desk, which of course will eventually make me a flabby pile of goo. I don't expect this to happen anytime soon though. Most would call me skinny, but they don't see under my shirt where I have lost my 6 pack abs years ago and my endurance had wavered. Although I'm healthy, I'm not exactly fit. Sitting for hours a day weakens your muscles which puts extra stress on your bones. Weak core muscles affect your posture and promote back pain. I've noticed an increase of back pain, exacerbated by the computer worker's typical hunching over the keyboard.

As almost all research shows, even moderate exercise can improve your health and even extend your life. I take the time every couple of hours to get up and walk around. Especially during those long conference calls where I can just put on a headset and head outside. People on the other end of the line usually ask if I have birds after hearing the wild ones chirping as I walk around outside. Most other times I'm generally active outside, moving about, building things, or taking walks. However the Summers here are unbearable. Hot, muggy days make stepping outside for a few moments dreadful. And then the barrage of mosquitos hit you, which just drives you right inside. This is of course only if it isn't raining all day.

The only bearable place during the Summer here is on or near the water. There are plenty of beaches, rivers, and creeks nearby. I've recently taken up kayaking, which as no surprise takes a lot of work. I have a Hobie Revolution which has foot pedals so you can propel with your feet or a paddle. This is a great workout for your legs and arms. Unfortunately I don't get to kayak very often. Which still leaves me in a largely un-fit state.

As soon as it cools a little I plan to take 2 or 3 day camping and kayaking float trip with my dad and son. The river system here has been renovated for kayaking. On long trails there are floating platforms in the middle for you to camp on and stay safe from alligators. A long trip like this sure will be a test of my stamina and strength. I also would like to backpack and kayak through some of the great parks this fall and next spring. To help me achieve these goals, I need to get in better shape.

I've been meaning to start doing CrossFit, introduced to me by Tynan. It's an intense, full-body exercise program. Because of it's intensity, I'm not really sure where to start. I'm not sure I could make it through half the challenges they post daily. Since I haven't officially exercised in a long time, I need a way to ramp up to that level.

After yet another post from Derek about pushing through with the 100 Push Up Challenge, I've decided to join in. According to one hundred pushups, pushups are great exercise. It's free, requires no equipment, and you can do them anywhere. Great news since I travel a lot. They also work a wide range of muscles including your arms, shoulders, abs and torso.

Today I will do the initial test and next Monday will be that start of the real work. Let's see if I can can improve upon Derek's spoty record with the challenge.

Last Sunday I was attending iPhoneDevCamp in San Francisco. There I got to meet and talk to some great guys including Merlin Mann of 43Folder and Mike Lee of Tapulous. I also worked with Tapulous for the hack-a-thon to create the server side database for their BarTrivia app.

I was unable to attend the last day because I had a flight at 12:30. Normally, I would have had plenty of time to make it to the airport via the BART transportation system. However, I had to get some pie. The last time we were in the area my wife found Pie Ranch in San Mateo. There she ate the best pie she has ever had, and she doesn't even like pie. At Pie Ranch they grow their own ingredients and make it fresh. My wife found out that they also have a store called Mission Pie in San Francisco at Mission and 25th street. Since I was taking a trip to San Francisco, she would have been disappointed if I didn't return with some pie.

The night before I mapped out my whole trip taking the BART trains and walking. First I'd have to walk from my hotel to the Civic Center station, ride that the 24th St. station, step off and walk to Mission Pie. After getting some pie I'd then hop back on the train and cruise to the airport station. I left at 10, thinking it was plenty of time, but I was unfamiliar with the area. I made it to the first station okay, and bought my BART ticket. I had to wait about 15 minutes for the train. Since I was anticipating a tight schedule I called ahead to make sure the pie store was open and had some pies ready to go. The nice lady on the phone told me about the pies they had and set aside a delicious sounding nectarine pie and a mixed berry pie.

Finally the train arrived and I hopped on it for a ride to 24th St. Upon arrival I checked the time for the next train, 13 minutes, the schedule would be tight. I hurried up to the street level and began walking toward the completely wrong direction. I realized I started off on the wrong street. I pulled out my iPhone and google maps to get turned around. By the way, the google map on the iPhone is not that great at directing you on the street because it does not have a compass nor does it align itself with the direction you are facing. On the right street I heading in the wrong direction until I hit 23rd street. At this point I was considering bailing out of the mission, however, I persevered for my wife and her love of Mission Pie. I headed as quickly as I could in the right direction while pulling luggage behind me. Finally I arrived at Mission Pie.

I walked inside and notice two pie boxes marked with my name sitting on the counter. I told the attendant that I was there and that those are my pies. While waiting on him to confirm the order I noticed the obscure check or cash only sign. I haven't used a check in years and I generally only get cash when I have to have it and spend it till it's gone before using cards. I checked my pockets, a whole $12. I had no idea how much the pies cost until the attendant rang up $36. Damn, I had no time to run to the ATM. I settled for one small mixed berry pie for $7. I paid, left a tip for the attendants help, and headed back to the train station. I missed the train by 2 minutes and had to wait about 10 minutes for the next one. I put the pie box in my bag, hoping it would not liquify and leak all over the place. After an excruciating 10 minutes the train arrived.

The train ride should have been a quick jot to the airport, with a few stops along the way. However the train was held at the Milbrae station for a few minutes to let a train with connecting passengers arrive. Great for those passengers, bad for me. The train left, made another quick stop, and arrived at the airport. From there I had to board the AirTran. I checked the time, 11:57. I figured with 30 minutes left I couldn't make it through security and board the plane before it took off. So I called Delta's hotline to talk to a representative about holding the flight or rescheduling. Unfortunately the Delta phone service uses voice input and the audio announcements by the AirTran kept interfering with the phone.

After several mis-understood voice prompts between the AirTran audio and the phone service I got to wait on hold for a representative. I was still riding on the AirTran to the terminal when I got a live person on the phone, unfortunately it was off-shore support. I told her my situation and she said the only thing she could do was book another flight and no more were leaving the same day. Pressing my luck, I decided to see if I could still make it to the plane on time. The AirTran arrived at the terminal and I rushed to the ticket desk. Even though it was a Delta ticket the flight was operated by Northwest.

I politely got the attendants attention, greeted her, and told her my problem. She said that it was too late to check a bag and that I could try to make the flight or use the courtesy phone to book a flight that would first goto Minneapolis, then to Memphis, my original destination. The representative on the phone let me know that since the ticket was issued by Delta that I'd have to call them to book the ticket. I checked the time, 12:17, only 13 minutes till the plane left the gate. This is where many people screw up. They get angry and start blaming others for their problems which usually results in more problems. Instead of breaking down, I asked the Northwest attendant to go ahead and print me a ticket and I'd at least get security over with and figure out what to do. She had a little problem with printing the ticket and two other attendants, understanding the urgency, jumped in to help.

That's about when I heard my name over the intercom. The gate was ready to close. The attendant called the gate and told them where I was so they'd hold the plane. She then gave me my ticket and walked with me to rush me to the gate. She escorted me to the front of the security line and wished me luck. The Northwest ticketing team was very helpful in getting me as far as they could as fast as the could. I plan to send them a gift of appreciation, as long as airport security doesn't think Edible Arrangements deliveries are some kind of threat. I still had the hurdle of airport security scans in front of me though. I packed some of the hotel shampoo in my bag. It's organic and my wife loves it. I had planned on checking it but since the plane was already loaded and I was unclear if I could make it, I did not. I let the security know and removed them from my bag, but I had no "re-sealable clear storage bag" to put them in as they require. The agent didn't hassle me about it and my luggage went through without an issue. I gathered my things and rushed to the gate as I heard my name over the intercom again.

I ran down the terminal and the gate attendant waved me in as if I was a race car heading to the pit. She quickly scanned my ticket and showed me towards the breezeway. I entered the plane, hoping no one knew that the plane was being held up because of me. Having a first class ticket helped since my seat was right at the door. I stowed my things and sat down to breathe. I checked the time, 12:26, 4 minutes left. Thanks to the ticketing agents I was able to get on my plane with time to spare.

The 3.5 hour flight to Memphis gave me time to write this post and be thankful that I wasn't still stuck at the airport. The pie survived the 10 total hours I had to travel to get back home. My wife ate it as soon as she had a chance and cherished every single bite. When I go to San Francisco again in a couple of months, I will be sure to allow more time and more cash for Mission Pie.

Even though it was a long, stressful day in a somewhat foreign place, everything turned out just right in the end. When things aren't going the way I expect I stay calm, review my options, and keep a positive attitude. Usually this works for me and everything turns out fine.

Technorati Tags: travel

It had been raining for weeks. This really put a delay on getting the office done. After putting in the power we were ready to install the roofing. I really wanted to get the sheetrock in so I could move in, but didn't want to risk a leak in the felt that was covering the roof. I considered several roofing materials including shingles, metal roofing, and Ondura. Ondura seemed like it would be good when I looked at it at Lowe's. Then I saw it installed on a neighbors roof and saw how hideous it was. I don't know if was the way they installed it or just the way it always looks but it really turned me off of it. Shingles would have done fine, but with a low 3/12 roof pitch I decided metal roofing would do best. Plus it looks good.

The roof itself is pretty plain. It is a large rectangle with one ridge, but one side of it is only 7 inches long. The metal roofing supplier couldn't cut the roof shorter than a couple feet so this meant I had to get 16 foot sheets and cut the rest off. I ordered the roofing from a local supplier and it showed up a few days later. It sat on my porch for a couple of weeks because of the rain. By the time we were able to get to installing it the felt on the roof had dried out. A friend helped my dad and I clear the old felt, removing each and every nail and putting it in a nail jar. We then put down 1x4 horizontal furring strips every 2 feet. Having 1 guy on the ground and two on the roof made this process go faster. The two on the roof measure, align, and nail the strips. The guy on the ground can cut the pieces to length and toss them up when ready.

My dad cut 3 sheets of the roofing at a time for the 7 inch pieces with a metal cutting blade. He then used a file to remove barbs. We then carried each 15 or so foot sheet to the roof. We wore gloves because the edges were quite sharp. After the metal sheet was aligned all we had to do was screw it in. The manufacturer gave us screws with paint that matched the roof. The screws have rubber gaskets to seal the hole. The instructions say that you can push the screws in without pre-drilling but we thought that it dented the roof too much to do so. We pre-drilled each hole and found that going quickly from hole to hole heated up the bit and it would break easily. We went through a dozen good drill bits by the time we were done with the roof. At first we only put a screw every other furring strip and only on the ends, without putting one where the overlapping edge had to go. After all the panels were on we ran a string from each end of the roof and used it as a guide for the rest of the screws. We put one screw at the intersection of each rib and each furring strip, except on the edges where we put a screw on both sides of the rib.

We got all the panels up in a weekend. The ridge cap was just set on top and temporarily clamped down. The next weekend we put in the drip edges but it was several weekends later before the roof was finished. One end of the long panels had to be cut. After being loosely secured to the roof and surviving several bad storms we had to take the panel down to do the operation. By this time, Summer was in full effect and it was hot and muggy and it rained every afternoon. The thought of climbing on a hot roof in the Summer sun delayed us from doing it even more. We couldn't find a place to rent a powered cutter and cutting the 15 foot length wasn't feasible with a circular saw. We dreaded the thought of having to cut it with tin snips, but did so anyway. The cut was as good as could be expected with that length and primitive tools, however no one will see the edge since it is on the far side of the building. We put the panel back in place and screwed down the ridge cap.

After the bulk of the roof was in place, but before the ridge cap was screwed down, we were able to begin the interior work. I had the distasteful job of putting in the insulation. Although my dad helped on every other aspect of construction, he refused to deal with insulation. With everything else he'd make a daily, no hourly, habit of sweeping up the floors. With the insulation he had me do it, but would re-do it anyway saying that I didn't do it well enough. I'm no fan of insulation either. I wore a full body suit, a mask, goggles, and gloves. I preferred to use a more eco-friendly, less itchy alternative, but it was just too expensive compared to the standard pink stuff. Since I waited till Summer to get to it, the heat was killer in that get up. I didn't progress very far till I decided it was time to install the air-conditioner. Since I already had some insulation in, my dad complained about having to work on the A/C with open insulation around. I had a small window unit that I bought when our A/C died last Summer and it was too hot to sleep until we could get it fixed. We thought that it would do for the small room.

We cut a hole in the back of the office for the window unit. We precisely cut a hole, framed it out like a window rough opening, ran a power outlet, and installed the unit. We were not absolutely sure if the unit would be able to handle the size of the room so we made the rough opening much bigger and blocked it in to the size of the A/C. This would make it easier to install a larger unit if needed. I continued to work on the insulation, but it was still very hot. The unit was rated enough for the size of the room, however it just didn't seem to have enough power. I bought another unit rated for a much larger room, which was fairly easy to install since we made the rough opening bigger than originally needed.

After all the insulation was in place and the itchy nightmare was over, we were able to install sheetrock. We wanted to use 12 foot sheets to minimize the amount of seams to seal. To get the sheets home we had to put 12 foot long 2x6's in the bed of the truck. The Lowe's worker that helped us load the truck was surprised to see the boards in the bed. He was used to people putting 12 foot sheets in a standard 8 foot bed with 4 feet hanging off. I wonder how many of these delivery attempts made it home with all sheets in-tack. Based on our current rate of work, the weight of the sheets, and dodging rain clouds, we only got 4 sheets at a time to work with. This equated to 3 weekends worth of work to get the sheetrock in. It was quite a task for two people to maneuver and hold the 12 foot sheets. It was extremely difficult to do the ceilings. We had to screw 2x4's into the side walls to help hold up the sides of the sheetrock while someone in the middle held it to the ceiling. Then someone else put in enough screws to give the other guy's arms a break from the lack of blood-flow. We used screw gun bits that stop the screw at just the right depth in the sheetrock. This helped a whole lot for holding the sheetrock with one hand while putting in screws with the other.

Once the sheetrock was in all that remained was a light fixture, switch and outlet panels, and a fan that I had left over from some other project. One thing that I vowed to never do again on a home project is sheetrock mudding. It is a tiresome job that needs constant rework for a novice to do well. One day a friend of mine will take on the job in exchange for some web development. In the mean time, I moved in. The room was finished enough to work comfortably from.

Not a whole lot has progressed since this state of the office. Fortunately I've been able to use the office to get my real work done in peace and quiet. The next update will be short, after that I can proceed with what's next on the project instead of what's been done.

Technorati Tags: home office

This is just a quick and simple tip, from my dad, to me, to you. Whenever you remove old nails, or bang up new ones, you shouldn't just throw them on the ground or you'll end up finding them in your foot later. If you just throw them in the trash they'll end up spilling onto your driveway when the garbage men dump your trash, which will end up in your tires. Instead, any time you are working with screws, nails, razor blades, or any other small sharp objects, use a nail jar. It can be any kind of sealable container like an old soda or gatorade bottle. Drop your used shards into the jar. When it gets full, seal it up and throw it in the trash. This will keep sharp objects clear of the jobsite and your driveway.

An alternative to the nail jar is to recycle nails. The last time my dad re-did his roof, he removed every single nail from the old roof and used them on the new roof. Roofing nails don't usually bend so the work was not tough, however longer nails may need to be hammered back into shape. Unless you really need to save money, this usually takes more time than it is worth. It sure would be nice for the environment though.