Tag Archives: Travel

Money For Nothing – Part 2

Oh Goody Another Tip Jar

Tip Jar

What the hell’s with the tip jars, those ever present containers that are constantly soliciting for funds on counter tops from coast to coast. In the last few years these little beggars have sprung up everywhere. I blame coffee vendors. They clearly need to pay their employees more money and stop asking us to subsidize their wages.

The price of a cup of coffee has risen faster then a helium balloon. We obviously like and want our designer coffee, and are willing to pay for it. That’s fine, but tips are not gratuities for simply doing your job. They are extra remuneration to show appreciation for providing exemplary service. In a coffee shop I have to wait in line, decide and order with no guidance or suggestions from the staff. I have to pay and tip when I order, before I even know if the product is any good or my order is correct or how long I will have to wait to get it. Then I generally have to stand around until it’s done, get my own lid, straw, napkin, sugar and cheap wooden stirrer, bring it all to the table myself and bus the table when I’m finished. Damn, I almost feel like I should come back after hours to empty the trash and mop the floor. What’s the tip for? Smiling at me. Making the coffee. I know what you’re thinking, What’s with the bitch? Just don’t tip. I’m sure your right, but there is clearly pressure to tip. The placement of the evil little tip jar. The cute little “My College Loan Thanks You” sign with the little stars and smily faces. The slightly pleading look in the cashier’s eyes. The blank tip line on the credit card slip. The cashier’s awareness of who tips and who doesn’t. Why not just put a forlorn looking panhandler next to the cash register. “Thanks A Latte”.

What really set me off was when I saw a tip jar in the dry cleaners the other day. The dry cleaners! Really?? I even saw one at a flea market yesterday. What’s next, Home Depot? The DMV?

No Tipping Please

Money For Nothing

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Panhandling…Begging or Working?

I pulled into La Jolla Village yesterday. For those of you who have not been here, La Jolla is one of the wealthiest communities in America. A place where the recession/ depression seems to be more a rumor or slight inconvenience then an every day reality.

At the 5 way intersection by the entrance to the Mall were 6 panhandlers. The closest to me was a twenty something with a sign proclaiming that he was a “down on his luck” Vietnam Veteran in desperate need of money. Given his age, this was clearly untrue. I made the comment to my friend that someone that young could find some job that pays as much as standing on a corner. Is there no shame? My friend told me not to be so quick to judge and explained why I was wrong. “The young man in question does have a job. He makes his own hours and pays no taxes. Begging is it”.

In the new America begging represents the height of entrepreneurial spirit. The act of making something from nothing with minimal resources. Standing on the corner with nothing more then a sad look and a piece of cardboard is boring and tedious work. But, given the right person with the right facial expression, the right amount of dirt and the right sign, on the right corner, someone can make as much as $50 or $60 an hour during peak traffic times.

The truthfulness of the sign is irrelevant. It is advertising, plain and simple. It is designed to illicit sympathy and spur the “customer” into giving. My friend also pointed out that it really isn’t “Money For Nothing”. The panhandler is providing a service. Everyone that hands over a dollar feels better and is saying to themselves, “There, but for the grace of God, am I”.

Still, if all of this is true and begging is just a new type of business, we quickly noticed that the “advertising” signs being used are poorly crafted and hugely antiquated for such an affluent community. After all, advertising has rules. Your message should be three to five words, maximum, finish by asking for the sale and, most importantly, know your demographic.

Wendi & I have decided they need our help.

Am desperate for an IPhone4..... God Bless

OMG the price of Jimmy Choo... Be Kind

Premium Cable Went Up...Again! Pls Help $

Premium Cable Went Up... Again! Please Help $

Pilate bill is past due...Please Help Now

The Spring Line is in...Please Give

Torrey Pines State Reserve

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Spent a great day hiking Torrey Pines State Reserve. This is a terrific park. Crowded in the summer but pretty much perfect this time of year. Lots of trails. Easy hikes. Great for the kids. It’s sad to think that there is very little undeveloped Southern California’s coastline left, but there is this. So check it out.

Torrey Pines Reserve Entrance

Mission Beach

Run Forrest Run

1 Reply

I’m pretty sure that I’m in the heart of the exercise universe.

Southern California is a place where everyone seems to be moving. Constantly. They’re running, jogging and marathon training, both with and without baby carriers. They’re biking, road, mountain, unicycle, tandem, recumbent, and cruisers, all with and without baby carriers. Walking, speed and regular, again with and without baby carriers. Trail hiking. Surfing, parasurfing, windsurfing, body surfing and boogie boarding. Skateboarding and skating, both regular and inline. There are pilate studios, yoga studios, fitness studios, spinning studios, health clubs and gyms. Swimming, pool and ocean. Wind gliders and, of course, driving. Millions of them are driving. All the time. Now technically driving isn’t exercise, but with the aggressiveness and anxiety level applied to it here it will certainly burn off a few calories.

Beach Music v.1

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Our month in Southern California has begun.
Wendi & I are very familiar with the area.
In the early 80’s we explored coastal towns from Chula Vista to Oceanside
and were captivated by the laid back surfer hippie feel.
Well, those days are gone!
You could write a thesis on the sociological significance of the economic and cultural shift that has transformed Southern California in the last 30 years.
So, let’s just not go there.
Instead let’s listen close and see if we can still hear some Beach Music.

Beach Runner

The View

Redondo Beach Power Station

Show Dogs

The Poop Deck

Lifeguard Station1

A Country Lane

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It’s funny, the things that influence you. As a young boy the wallpaper in our living room was printed with 8 or 10 variations on a “Country Lane” theme. They were simple illustrations similar to what you might see on English plates. I spent hours imagining who might have walked down that path, lived in that cottage or sat on that secluded bench.

Cape Lookout, Oregon 2009

Southern France, 2007

St. Chinian, France 2007

Mt. Hood, Oregon 2009

Cape Disappointment SP, Ilwaco,Wa. 2005

Going To Charleston, South Carolina!

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Well, we packed the bags, loaded the car, got the maps and hit the road. We drove 750 miles to the Bay Area for Christmas with my daughter’s family. After a great holiday we looked at each other and said, “What the Hell are we thinking?” There was rain in Southern California, snow and sleet in Texas and freezing rain in the Southeast.

After much soul searching we opted to fly instead of driving. Although we miss Emma, we are certain that we made the right decision.

Charleston is a great city. The historical district is fabulous. We’ve just completed the 9 site museum tour.

87 East Bay St.

99 – 101 East Bay St.

Broad St. Shutters

The Belvedere Rutledge St. Charleston, SC.

Manigault House

Middleton Plantation

Drayton Hall Plantation

It’s very unnerving to realize that all this wealth was built on the backs of enslaved people. The Alken-Rhett House alone had 31 slaves to maintain a house for two adults and three children. They did all the physical labor. Those with specific skills were rented out to neighbors and associates for extra income. We tend to think of slavery as a short lived chapter in our history. In fact, slavery existed on the North American continent for over two centuries!

Aiken-Rhett House Slave Quarters – Interior

Slaves lived in small rooms above the kitchens and stables.

Aiken-Rhett House Slave Quarters – Interior

Alken-Rhett House Slave Quarters – Exterior

On summer evenings porches are a way of life.

Broad Street

BruceWPeterson Photography

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