My Hill

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Nice.

Preparing to head off to my interview at Starbucks next to my Hill.

[Sibling Chatty]

Crossing all fingers, toes and dog paws for Grey's interview to go well, and for a good schedule at Starbucks, with lots of good tippers!!

My Hill recognizes the need for good tippers in the service industry, because even though Starbucks pay fairly well (very well for a service industry job), the tip money is always a tangible reward for a job WELL done.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Are tips still taxed? I still don't understand how something like that passed and who was the  that proposed it.

I don't like taxes on tips on my hill.

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Thanks for the hopes, Chatty! I have another one tomorrow at the one I'd prefeer to work at as well.

I dunno if they're still taxed.

He kept me waiting for about 20 minutes, the jerk. This is, of course, after standing me up because he misjudged when he would get back, and after not calling me after he missed the interview.

Spent the evening being a smart-ass at my religious education classes. Decided a good pro-life protest would feature pregnant women yelling, "You'll never de-fetus!"

[Sibling Chatty]

Yes, tips are taxed.

In a bout of insanity, the gub'mint decided it can estimate how much your tips should be--based on the restaurant or bar's total sales and the number of servers working, and they count that with the 'minimum wage' of the $2.13 an hour that the employer MUST pay, so that you at least make minimum wage.

So, there's all this idiotic bookeeping and you're supposed to report all tips, and  if they're on a credit card, they're counted automatically...

Wanna make a waitperson really happy? Put 10% on the card, and the rest of the tip in cash. They have PROOF that the tip was 10% and the cash doesn't have to be reported or taxed. That way, the government is covered, and the waitstaffer is actually rewarded for a job well done. (I just studied with my niece for her TABC bartender and servers certification, and there were hints and tips for maximizing tips written in the booklet in pencil.)

Oh, better go for the job with the person with some sense of time. Bosses with a bad sense of time don't relaize how much time you actually spend accomplishing all the 'sidework' that any server (even a barista) has. Tables don't wipe themselves, napkin holders don't fill themselves, and all too often people end up doing all that off the clock if the boss staffs badly. (Good bosses help out. Bad bosses wonder why you're having to do stuff after your shift, even if they short-staffed the entire shift.)

Can ya guess what I did for a living in college?? (And can I get you some more coffee?) On the bright side, when I actually had to run a restaurant later on, I knew what NOT to do.

All concentration of good wishes on job #2, without bad boss. On my hill...

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

Being very tired on my hill...

Haven't slept all night, and it doesn't seem to change very soon...

[rumblemonk]

today on My Hill, i caught one of the dastardly monkey/cobbler gnomes and it turns out that it was only Shelia from accounting playing a practical joke. which doesn't seem very practical to me.

[Sibling Chatty]

But are the shoes in better shape??

That's good.

[Sibling Chatty]

Today is a sad day on My Hill.

Being thankful for a quiet spot in the trees.

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

Thinking about what alcohol I will buy on my hill for this evening's Chuck Norris Film Evening that will happen on a friend's hill...

(for the record - you watch a Chuck Norris movie, and everytime he does a roundhouse kick you drink, which is basicallt the only way you can survive a CN movie...)

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Cooking dinner on My Hill.

It's a "cheat" that I boosted.

generic hamburger helper (stroganoff).  Brown 1/2 as much meat, but add large onion to browning meat.

Substitute powdered milk & coffee-creamer (non-dairy).  Otherwise, pretty much as package.

At end, dollop cottage cheese on top, let sit till this melts (substitute for sour cream)

Pretty good, considering!

(too embarrassed to post over on the recipe thread - 'waaaay too mundane as compared to the complex (but delicious-sounding) fare over there)

[Aggie]

Likewise rounding up some dinner on My Hill....  rice and whatever can be scuttled together with limited veg and some tofu (probably hotpot...).

Then going to get pirate regalia for Halloween!

[Sibling Chatty]

Same here...rice and whatever, with lots of garlic and onions.

(Universal recipe, meat plus heat equals food, add garlic and onions and it's GOOD food. With the protien requirements of our little gloup, we MUST have the meat, preferably local, un-hormoned, not feedlotted. Yeah, we can get that.)

Probably gonna bone out a pork roast to go with it.

[Aggie]

Same here...rice and whatever, with lots of garlic and onions.

Heh, that's our staple food (plus some hot peppers).  If the cupboards are really bare, (fried) rice with lots of garlic and onions ain't too bad by itself. 

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Gonna make a simple tuna dish, tonight on my hill.

Have a taste for tuna fish, for some reason.

The cats will be curling around my ankles *mow* *mow* *mow* *mow* until I set the bowl of the tuna-drainings down.  Then, it's *slurp* *slurp* *slurp* until the bowl is bone dry.

Funny thing: I tried two separate bowls, but found they did NOT get along. BUT, if I put into ONE bowl, they both get what they want of it.  Go figure!  Separate bowls: can't get along.  Sharing bowl, peace!

There's GOTTA be a lesson in there somewhere or other