Good Morning Diners. Janie, coffee and a piece of coffee cake. Make that two of each.
Yesterday was an absolute whirlwind! Luckily, nothing worth really discussing happened, but it was one of those days where my alarm goes off to get up and the next thing I know, it's bedtime. My diner post was the only downtime I got.
NorthBritNot good news I'm afraid.
CNCharliecleaning out the spaces between the paving stones on the driveway. My wife got me a special tool for the task
York1We deliver your refrigerated foods and then cook them for you
Bear, I think you pretty well pegged my oldest daughter (actually, both of my daughters). She is especially good at interacting with retirement age folks. As that age group makes up a major percentage of the patrons at the restaurant she works at, she usually does well in terms of tips. As for tipping itself, I understand the concept that servers will take better care of you when tips are there to be earned, but to your point, her wage when people fail to tip is measely. As a patron of an establishment, I'm paying the employee's wages either way - directly via tip or indirectly via prices. Considering some of what a server gets judged on is out of their control (how fast the cooks prep the food, how good the cooks are, how quickly the bartender gets the drinks out, etc.), it is a bit of a sham overall.
A black refrigerator car? Never.
Mike
CNCharlie My current one is cleaning out the spaces between the paving stones on the driveway. My wife got me a special tool for the task so I can do it standing up. We estimate there are 5000 paving stones in the drive. Each one is about 4" square. They haven't built driveways with these bricks for years, looks great but labour intensive. Drive has been down for 35 years. I am about half done.
My current one is cleaning out the spaces between the paving stones on the driveway. My wife got me a special tool for the task so I can do it standing up. We estimate there are 5000 paving stones in the drive. Each one is about 4" square. They haven't built driveways with these bricks for years, looks great but labour intensive. Drive has been down for 35 years. I am about half done.
Why don't you use a pressure washer? Clean out the gaps and remove anything that's stuck to the surface. I'm always surprised how dirty the blocks get.
Last winter was unusually warm, so the deck was covered in more algae and mildew than normal. It's composite decking, and the pressure washer made easy work of cleaning that as well.
Hi Bear,
I'm curious to know if a server in New Zealand can make a decent living on hourly wages alone.
The system of tipping in North America is definitely flawed, but a good server can make a lot of money on tips, more than they might on an hourly wage alone. Our niece worked at a sports venue. She could make as much as $600 per night in tips. Granted, that is an exception.
Where the tipping system breaks down is that very few servers have any benefits other than those mandated by the government. I also suspect that there is a significant amount of sexism going on. Being a young, attractive female is definitely an advantage. There are also a number of patrons who don't tip or tip very poorly. I suspect those people would do well to not visit the restaurant again anytime soon.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Good morning, diners. I'll have bacon, eggs, and coffee please.
David, I'm sorry to read your news. I am hoping the treatments go well.
With all the hot humid weather, I'm spending as much time indoors as I do during the winter. The result is I'm making good progress on the layout. I'm still working on building a new cafe - storefront building. I'm learning some new ways to do the things I've pictured in my mind. Unfortunately, my skill level doesn't quite reach the level to match what I want.
I hope everyone has a great day. I know I'm old since time goes faster the older one gets. We're at the end of July and it seems to me we just started the month a few days ago.
REA EXPRESS REFRIGERATOR by rrradioman, on Flickr
York1 John
Good Morning,
On the subject of tipping, here it is certainly done even with a minimum wage of $15.30/hr. However in France I recall an automatic 12% was added to your restaurant bill for a gratuity, no option. It was noted on most menus.
Regarding my paving stone job, each stone has a slight drop at the edge which crates a shallow channel between the bricks about a half inch wide. Over time dirt has filled them so moss and weeds can grow there. The stones are set in sand and other contractors that have been to the house have said the original job was done very well as the driveway is still level after many years. I don't plan on doing any outdoor work today as we are expecting a humidex of 40C.
Off to do a grocery pickup. We still are ordering on line and given how busy the pickup spot is, so are a lot of others. It has now been 4 1/2 years since I was inside a grocery or any other store.
CN Charlie
Tipping? Bah!
I can go to a restaurant and eat a $50 meal or a $100 meal. Amount of effort from the server is the same. Why should the tip amount differ?
And then you have the tip jars at the donut shop, the pizza place, and other various take out establishments. I don't think so, Tim.
All tipping is just a way to pass on the cost of operating onto the unsuspecting customer, and/or to increase the profit.
Just like bag fees and seat assignment fees at the airline, and additional fees to have your bills mailed to you because they want you to do things "on-line".
Good soggy day from the West Coast. Two days of rain after six weeks without a drop feels good, back to Sun tomorrow.
David, sorry to hear you have another battle on the medical front, just know your friends here in the diner are wishing you all the best for the battle ahead.
I had a huge paving stone driveway at my old house and the pressure washer made short work of the foliage that grew in the cracks.
We are very generous tippers when we eat out, it is not something we think about.
We are getting smoke for the first time this fire season. It is coming up from the fires down South, we won't be whining about it though like those people on the East side of the continent were doing last year. Horrible fires down South. I don't think people in general have any idea how much real estate these fires can cover. They create their own weather as well. The Jasper fire at its peak was creating 15000 lightning strikes an hour. You just have to let them go at that point.
I have a three-unit lash-up of F-Units, I don't know why they stop being speed-matched after a while but they do. All three are Rapido units, go figure. I will take this rainy day to run some trains.
Wife and daughter are leaving tomorrow for Alberta for some dog shows. My perfect wife treats me like a kid by filling the fridge with all sorts of goodies. My son is coming for dinner on Thursday so I will make us a pile of ribs that the wife has put in the fridge.
So what is the topic for next month? I was going to suggest fire trains, however, there probably isn't enough material out there to keep us busy for a month. How about special service trains in general, that may cover a variety of subjects. I'll be here regardless of what the subject matter is.
Yesterday I dropped my wife off at the Emergency Vet Hospital and went to Costco for gas, usually the line is ten cars deep. Yesterday there was not a soul at any of the pumps. Then I went to get my blood panel done and the lab was empty, I was out of there in five minutes. I should have bought a lottery ticket.
Choo choo time.
All the best to all.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
We tend to return to restaurants we like frequently, we get to know the staff, they become friends and we tip well because we can. We usually leave good tips even on a first visit, but poor service still results in minimal tips. It's not cheap to live here, so we like to make life a bit easier for people. The idea of tipping for things that never got tips pre-Covid never caught on with us.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
hon30critterHi Bear, I'm curious to know if a server in New Zealand can make a decent living on hourly wages alone.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Good morning from the edge of the Salish Sea.
The minimum wage in B.C. is $17.40 an hour and the local Mcdonalds is paying $22.50. The cost of housing here is among the highest on the planet. This is what you get for 3 million dollars.
Exploitation of the working class really gets my back up. While these service workers don't have to worry about health care and can get an education for little or no money if they put the effort in. They are not even above the poverty level at $22.50 an hour.
Still, I have no idea why anyone would want to live in the greater Vancouver area for what it costs. If I was 18 again and just starting out, you wouldn't see me for dust. I would be up the coast where you can buy a really nice house for a reasonable amount.
Living out amongst the farms we have a lot of foreign farm workers around from Mexico and Guatemala, they get paid $17.40 an hour and their accommodation is included, they love it here. It is a long walk to the bus on their days off and I often will stop and take them into town if I see them walking along the road, they are wonderful people.
Wife, daughter and dogs have left for Calgary. IT'S WINE, WOMEN AND SONG FOR NINE DAYS!!!!!!!!! But first I need to get my 10km in.
These two could not get in the Toyota fast enough.
My wife and daughter took their Passports in case they have to divert through the U.S. due to fires.
Where to tomorrow?
We could broaden the definition of fire-fighting equipment a bit to allow any railroad scene with smoke in it. That should give us plenty of fuel for the month's pictures.
I did have a Lionel firefighting car when I was younger. It was one of those bumper cars that would reverse direction when it hit something. Very silly little thing. Why did I want that? Photos? Forget it. It was back when I used Kodak 126 film like everyone else, got a dozen shots to a roll and had to wait a week to have them developed and printed.
MisterBeasleyWe could broaden the definition of fire-fighting equipment a bit to allow any railroad scene with smoke in it. That should give us plenty of fuel for the month's pictures.
Good idea.
Wife and Daughter hit their first fire on the way to Calgary.
They will be going by a monster in a couple of hours.
Good afternoon, everyone. I'll have just coffee this afternoon.
It's been a busy day, but everything that needed to be done is done. Just in time -- big storms headed this way from the west. It's gotten pretty dark out the house's west windows.
In my little town, labor is so scarce that virtually no one is paid the minimum wage. To start at the restaurants, the pay here now is a minimum $15/hour to start and lots of benefits. McDonalds will give a $500 signing bonus, $15.50/hour, and a $5,000 college scholarship. They still cannot get enough workers.
I'll second (third) that August would be a good month for railroad scenes with smoke. Lots of steam locomotives and trains in forest fires.
In the 1990s, my wife, daughters, and I were headed to Dawson City, Yukon. We were just about the last ones allowed through on the highway because of the fires. It was a little nerve-wracking on the highway with fire on both sides of the road. For those of you who are adventurous, a trip to Dawson City is great.
For everyone including those with health issues, have a great Hump Day.
Union Pacific Fruit Express car:
First shot, last chance by Greg Brown, on Flickr
Good Afternoon,
Another hot day here, about 85F and hotter tomorrow.
Finally got the exhaust fan in the bathroom fixed. It vents directly above to the roof, so I think it is called an extractor fan. It is the original installed when the house was built in 1960. It was easy to remove, just 3 screws and a plug . Just needed lubrication on the fan bearing. They don't make them like that anymore.
Smoke sounds like a good theme for next month. I can recall the smell of coal smoke. Nothing like it pouring out of a loco stack.
Time to feed the Chickadees their meal worms. They will only eat them if they are live so I went to the pet store today for a supply.
Keep cool,
Hi Everyone,
Its about time to move the diner. We've discussed what, the smoke in railroading, but we haven't discussed who. If no one else wants to move the diner, I'll be happy to do it. But, it would be good if someone else gave it a shot. It's a growth opportunity. It's really kinda fun. And, if I can do it, that qualifies just about anyone.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Hi Jim,
I must apologize to everyone for being delinquent with regard to starting the discussion about moving the Diner. As some of you are aware, I have been a little preoccupied with other things recently. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! Don't say anything about the fact that I'm getting old and forgetful.
I support Jim's suggestion that someone new should move the Diner. It certainly isn't difficult. It will take longer to explain how to do it than the actual move.
I like the idea of using smoking locomotives as a theme. I have only ridden behind a steam locomotive on two occasions, but I won't forget the smell of the burning coal and hot oil.
Good evening dinners. I've been away from the forum all week as I am on a golf outing in Lake Placid. Just wanted to send my regards to David and hope all turns out well as he confronts his medical situatio. Attitude brings strength which brings success.
Regards, Chris