Food For Thought

This was my gmail quote of the day, and it amused me. So now I am sharing:


"Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid."
~Hedy Lamarr~

The Tipping Point

Something that has become increasingly apparent in my life lately is how much the process of tipping people stresses me out. I don't object to it on moral grounds. I'm not cheap. I don't mind tipping someone when I know it's built into the equation, they've offered good service, yada yada yada.

So what stresses me out about it, you ask? Two things:

1. I resent it when it's not my choice. If I go to a hotel and choose to let the little guy in the lobby take my bags up to my room, of course I owe him a tip. But if I choose to take my bags up on my own (because honestly that's my preference....I don't enjoy a parade of hotel workers leading me to my room when I'm tired and jet lagged)....I don't want to get a disapproving look as if I've robbed you of your nightly wage. Same thing with Sonic. I'd be happy to go in and get my food, but that's not an option. So why am I expected to tip the guy or girl that brings it out? I don't tip the drive through person at McDonald's, you know. What's the difference?

2. I don't know how much to tip people! Some of us can't do math quickly in our heads.....so I panic and either drastically under tip or completely overtip (depending on my mood). Sure 10% is easy enough to process......but that's too little. Is 15% OK? Or is that considered cheapo now too? And as if doing this in dollars wasn't enough to discombobulate me, now I have to do it in multiple currencies while travelling for work! Do you have any idea what it does to my brain to try and convert currency in my head while also trying to figure out the correct amount to tip the taxi driver vs the dude that was standing there and loaded your bag in the trunk? (Please see #1 in regards to this dude. I don't mind loading it myself, you didn't give me a choice, so I am annoyed that I must pay you for a service I didn't ask you to perform. It's like going into an Arby's only to have someone meet you at the front door and insist on ordering for you and then expecting to be paid for offering you the convenience you didn't want in the first place)

My question is: anyone have any advice to help me overcome this challenge?

Do I Get A Reward For Two In One Day?

So I spent most of my free time today working on jewelry designs, and as has become my habit of late, I was listening to my iPod on "shuffle". This is always entertaining when it goes on for hours due to several reasons:

1. There are no songs on my iPod that I didn't put there myself, and yet I always wind up with multiple songs that leave me wondering "Who is THAT?" I blame iTunes and their free weekly downloads.

2. There are no songs on my iPod that I didn't put there myself, and yet I always wind up with multiple songs that I HATE, have no idea why they are on my computer, swear I'm going to remove them immediately and then promptly forget about until the next time I'm making jewelry.

3. Musical whiplash is a frequent happening as going from the Andrew Sisters to The Offspring to the score of Schindler's List is not unlikely.

4. I rediscover songs that I've forgotten that I love (I know, I know....can you really forget something if you love it? That's a post for another day when I'm feeling a bit deeper....)

What brings us together today, however, is my desire to share with you some songs that I think you should give a listen to-- at least once. I know I can't make you love them as much as I do....afterall, songs are like books: one person's revelation is another person's annoyance. But you should at least give them a try.

So without further ado, I present February's List Of Songs I Love

(wait, I lied-- I do have one more ado: I don't think these songs have anything terribly objectionable...but I make no promises. It's music, people, No Getting Offended!) :-)

1. Shadow Boxer (Fiona Apple)
*I know some of you are rolling your eyes right now....but the woman's got some great beats and even better lyrics. Yes, she is odd in concert, this is true. But still. "Once my lover, now my friend. What a cunning way to condescend." I love that line. I really, really do.

2. Airport Song (Guster)
*I've had an irrational love of this song for nearly 3 years now. So sinister and so dang catchy! "You'll Be Selling Books At The Airport"!

3. Bei Mir Bist Du Schön (The Andrews Sisters)
*I grew up in the 80s, so it doesn't quite make sense that these ladies take me back to my childhood, but they do. And I defy you to listen to this song and not be singing along by the second verse.

4. On Your Porch (The Format)
*I will never, ever get sick of listening to this song. I love it. A great song about family. "And if you fail, well then you fail...but not to us"

5. Arms of a Woman (Amos Lee)
*Another one that is impossible not to sing with feeling, despite the fact that I'm not personaly looking to be at ease in the arms of a woman.....

6. I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You (Colin Hay)
*Erin loves this song. I'm just copying her.

7. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye (David Gray)
*"You and I had to be the standing joke of the year"

8. Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics)
*Until this afternoon, I forgot how much this song entertains me

9. Ada Plays (Gabriel Yared- Cold Mountain Score)
*Just a gorgeous piece of music...makes me wish I'd never quit piano because I was "so busy" as a 3rd grader.

10. Hide and Seek (Imogen Heap)
*Weird in a totally wonderful way.

It Seemed Fitting

This quote from Helen Keller was used in the lesson this morning, and it was so fitting given the last post, I had to add it:

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature.... Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."

Helen Keller, The Open Door (1957)


I don't know if I agree or not, but I thought it was interesting.

The Intoxication of Security

I've been thinking a lot this week about the comfort zones we create for ourselves and the lengths we go to to preserve them. We can go days, weeks, or even years without even being aware of the corners we back ourselves into....and then all it takes is one tiny thing that sits just out of reach of that zone....one tiny thing that catches your eye for inexplicable reasons (or perfectly logical ones) and suddenly all you can see are the walls that you built ever so carefully because they are what is keeping you from reaching that one tiny thing.

A safe life may be long, but it is rather dull.