Tipping

To get to my Saturday softball games in Central Park, I enter at 81st Street and walk due east, toward the Delacorte.  When you start on the footpath that leads to the Delacorte (and the softball fields beyond), there are a couple of ice cream novelty vendors.  They are not cheap--they sell Magnum Doble bars for $4, which is ridiculously high.  Hell, you can buy a BOX of them for $6!  But they're charging for the convenience and that's fine, I get that.

Whhat really irritated me was seeing something new--one of them has put up a clear plastic job with large black magic markered letters on it.  THANK YOU FOR TIPS.

If y'all are Mad Men fans, you may remember an episode last season, "The Suitcase," wherein Peggy complains to Don about how he never thanked her for her contribution to an award-winning campaign.  He barked "That's what the money is for!" (meaning her salary).  $4 for an ice cream treat and you're angling for a tip on top of that?  That's what the money is for!  You didn't make me anything.  You didn't bring it to my table.  You opened your cart and handed it to me.  Really, really tacky.

There are services for which we (in the States) have always tipped--table service, taxis, shoe shines and manicures, etc.  NYC has a strong tipping culture and I support that--but man, people get a little entitled here sometimes.  It gets annoying.  Another example is the Fine Fare grocery store near my apartment--it's always uncomfortable getting your groceries bagged there, because all the guys have tips jars and sometimes they'll even shake it.  No.  That is a service that is routinely provided everywhere else.  I am not going to slow myself down by digging into my change purse or trying to find a dollar bill.  You need to talk to your manager if you think you should be paid more, especially since that grocery store is not cheap.  So I just bring my own bags when I go there and bag my stuff myself.

Weekend Athletics

Had a great weekend, BTW.  Saturday morning I went over to Long Island City to play a pickup game.  Three 30-minute games in upper 70s heat--I was desperate for water and a couple of English guys helped me out.  Then I went back into Manhattan, back to Central Park to play softball.  One of my Dolphman/soccer team mates, an Australian guy named Sam, wanted to play as well so he joined us and did very well.  He and I worked some drills with my soccer ball after the softball game.  We left around 4:15 and as I walked back to the 81st St subway stop I passed through one of those bridge underpasses where a cello and a violin/viola were playing "Eine Kleine Nachtmuzik."  The violinist needed to tune up a bit!  That's the thing with that instrument, sometimes you have to tune up right in the middle of a performance.

I wanted to find a place to watch the Preakness so I went over to the bar/restaurant where Griffin works and got there juuuuust in time.  The race was AWESOME!  I'll Have Another was in 3rd or 4th place for most of the race and on the last leg just kept inching closer and closer.  I was literally jumping up and down, I was so excited!  So now I'm goin' to Belmont Stakes with Tim--pleeeeeeeeease let us have a Triple Crown winner this year!  It's been so long, over 30 years--please!

I had more softball yesterday, including a game with the Michigan Business School team, which I had to leave early so I could make it to my soccer game in time.  This is the team with the shortstop with whom I have a curious rapport.  He talks a LOT to me--which is generally to be expected (SSs and 2nd basemen are a team) but he is constantly offering feedback.  He is a terrific player for sure but sometimes I have to tell him "okay, I really don't need to hear how I shouldn't have made that play or what I did wrong kthxbye."  He is SUPER cute though, I'm sorry to say :/  Yesterday we were the first team in the outfield and I made a silly error--basically fumbled the throw to first.  I felt horrible but SS said no worries, just do better next time.  Well I DID--a couple of batters later, we had runners at 1st, 2nd & 3rd.  The ball was hit to the 3rd baseman who scopped it up and flipped it to me--I got the out and then noticed the 3rd base runner booking for home, so I whipped it home.  BAM!  Catcher grabs and gets the tag.  BAM!  A double play!  SS (and really, all the guys) were showering compliments.  I was just glad I'd redeemed myself!

A little while later, when we were up to bat, I asked SS for clarification on an earlier remark that he'd made that I couldn't quite remember.  He said "Are you asking me if you made a good play? [He was kidding, it was clear I was asking him something else.]  It was a great play, it was an awesome play."  So cute!

And in our last regular season Dolphman soccer game, we won, so we are definitely going to the playoffs!