Wednesday 19 January 2011

WOYWW 19th January 2011

I had a clean up during the week and sorted some stash out so it is looking relatively tidy at the moment.  I have lots of things I should be doing and a few things that need finishing off but I am sitting playing at making more envelopes!! I gave up on the collage effect and decided to make some 'my way' in the words of Frank Sinatra!!
OK... maybe not that neat and tidy...
This is one done 'my way'...
and this is on the other desk... I found some black frames at the dollar store and now have to decide whether to go with colour on the background or black and white papers.
Before my Mum left to go home we went to the pet store for cat food and this fell into Chris basket for Tom-Tom.  They already have the very tall version so this one was for Chris' study where Tom-Tom sleeps beside him in a cardboard box.  Now, these things don't come cheap and anyone that has a cat knows that they will do the opposite of what you want them to... and yes, Tom-Tom was not impressed that his old cardboard box and blankie had disappeared and been replaced by the new addition and chose to sleep on the floor in front of it.  Mum decided that it was unfair to leave Pandora out of the equation and picked her up a pink sheepskin bed for the scraproom...
Pandy thinks its the bees knees and spends hours in it..... mostly because of this
Yep... it's the ceiling heating vent and the hot air blows down on her... she is a true Saudi cat and loves the heat and plonks herself down on top of the floor vents in whatever room she happens to be in.
And the new climbing frame bed for Tom-Tom? It has moved upstairs into our bedroom and Pandora thinks it is great! LOL  (I found Tom-Tom another cardboard box and replaced his blankie and he is quite happy again now)!
Don't forget to check out the list of fellow What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday folk over at Julia's!

Tipping.... as in gratuities... I really, really wish that this practice was stopped.  I hate tipping, I figure I have been charged the market rate for whatever job has been done and figure I shouldn't then have to sit and try and work out what would be an acceptable amount to tip on top of it.  I look at it that I wouldn't tip a bus driver for getting me from A to B so why do I have to tip a taxi driver?  I don't tip in MacDonalds but have to in a restaurant but they both supply me with a meal? I am expected to tip my hairdresser and manicurist but I would never tip my podiatrist or chiroprator.  
For my birthday Chris arranged a surprise meal with our friends - 13 of us in total in the restaurant - the restaurant that mislaid the booking but was luckily not full so could accommodate the number when they all turned up ahead of us.  After the meal, Mum and I headed for the car with Chris bringing up the rear, but he took a while so we waited in the cold until he came out.  I asked him what the hold up was and he said that the waitress had stopped him as he was leaving and told him he hadn't left her a big enough tip.  Eh?  Yes... she explained that it was an industry standard to leave 15% of the total bill and went on further to tell him that the restaurant only paid minimum wage and therefore the tips were required to make up her money.  I sat in the car open mouthed... what?  Never!  What did you do?  I asked.... gave her the rest to make it up to 15% was his reply.  LOL  You have to give the girl some credit, it takes guts to do what she did.... but I so wish it had been me instead of kind, nice Chris, because I would have taken back what had been given and left her with nothing for the cheek of asking for more!  

39 comments:

  1. I would have been disappointed if that bird cage hadn't turned up somewhere!
    And about tips - yes, I know that most of the waiters and waitresses only get minimum wage which is terribly low, however, to expect the tip and complain when it's not enough is quite - hm, I can't even think of an appropriate word. I honestly love to give a tip if the service was good. However, if it is bad I'm not so generous.

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  2. Great busy desk, Happy WOYWW 85, thank you for sharing.

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  3. Some gorgeous work on your desk - love the bird cage piece especially but also those letters. I think the link is wrong - when I clicked I went to last weeks. Might be me but worth checking. #27

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  4. LOL..don't you just love how things "fall into the basket"??? HaHa on Pandy...mom's always do know best right, and husband's too! Good job Chris ;) And a happy belated birthday!

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  5. LOL when i first clicked on her i thought I had reached my desk - our mats look very stained and similar! soon realised it wasnt my desk cos you can actually see your mat!

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  6. I had a terrible time trying to link up at Julia's today. I kept getting a script error. It sounds like your mom has left. I hope she had a great time.

    I LOVE YOUR STYLE. So much better than the willy-nilly that doesn't make sense to me or results that are no fun at all for either of us.

    In the US, believe it or not, I was told that the govt. feels wait staff have under-reported their taxes if tips were less than 15% of the night. Wait staff say they have been "stiffed" if they don't get at least that much. My musician friend who now lives in CA. always leaves at least 20% to make up for those who don't. You would NOT like to go to a restaurant with him. Even when the service is shoddy, he tips big. Sometimes I want to stay behind and keep part of the tip, but of course, I never do.

    BTW, a Pod is a container that is brought to your home and dropped off for you to fill (or leave on site till the job is complete). Oftentimes people use them to store items while a house is being built or they can get into their new place of residence. Most times, the Pod goes back to their warehouse once it's filled.

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  7. Found your right blogpoat, and love your wooden words :)
    Happy Woywwing
    Jennie #2

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  8. Wow, was going to comment on something else but the tipping thing got me sidetracked...lol

    I am with you, I would have requested the money already given back. I do believe that tipping should be a personal choice, for both how much to give and if you are going to tip at all.

    What really irritates me is places that add the tips in for you with no choice at all.

    Saying all that, I do tip, the only time I don't is if the service is bad.

    Oh yeah, just remembered what I wanted to comment on..Pandora is one smart kitty!!

    Thanks for the peek and sharing. Have a great WOYWW.

    Hugs, Marjo #10

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  9. hiya quine
    dunno if its a NE Scotland thing, but i definitely agree with you about tips. I prefer to tip because i am particularly impressed with the service I've received, not because it's expected
    Debbi #39

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  10. Love those frames you found! Your tales of tipping made me smile - right with you there!

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  11. I'm right there with you about tipping. Surely it is at the discretion of the customer? And I feel it depends on the job that has actually been done....If youR plate has been thrown across the table at you then the tip is much less :-)
    a X

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  12. I hate tipping too. I don't know what it is like over there but I get confused by the 'optional' service charge that often appears in restaurants (which should mean no tip). If it is optional why do they automatically stick it on the bill - I know why - they are hoping you can't be bothered to deduct or alter the amount if you don't think the service warrented the charge.

    Toni xx

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  13. very pretty projects.

    i think you are right about the tipping, i will tip well if i get very good service but resent having to tip if they are unprofessional and the food is not up to standard.

    caroline #53

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  14. Hi ya
    fabulous creations, glad you had lovely birthday, as for the tip bloody cheek! i wouldnt have given it to her, ya tip on the service you get, not what they think they should get!! lol,have great day, happy WOYWW, sue,x (26)

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  15. Back again; guess I was too sleepy to notice the date on my first visit. Happy WOYWW! (still!)

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  16. The envelopes are beautiful, so are the Letter/frames. My preference is for the white background but it always depends on where they are hanging. Your kitties are so sweet.
    Sandra #66

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  17. Wow, those are your envelopes?! Very beautiful indeed! Someone will be so lucky to get a beautiful envelope and then one of your gorgeous cards as well!
    Your cats are too cute! Like a kid who gets a present and then proceeds to play with the box it came in!
    Happy WOYWW!
    xoxo Karen

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  18. We find tipping really confusing and stressful, as its not typical in Australia. Its one part of overseas travel my hubby and I hate.

    Pandora looks so cosy. How incredibly cute!

    Thanks for sharing :-)

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  19. Cheeky or what asking for a bigger tip, I wouldn't have given a tip at all for loosing the booking in the first place and when she asked for a tip I would have said get a better job that pays properly, that's your tip.

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  20. Hi, love YOUR WAY, beautiful work. And, that's cats for you, contrary :) Re the tipping issue, when I was living in the States I got the impression that tipping was a bigger deal than here in the UK but, as the other Elizabeth has said too, the taxman has expectations of how much a person makes in tips and taxes are calculated taking this as fact! If we don't tip it works out that the poor waiter, hairdresser, etc., nets rather less than the minimum wage after tax so we carry on tipping perpetuating the problem. Me, I think tips should be considered gifts and therefore not taxable. After all I've already paid tax on my earnings so if I chose to gift it to someone it should be tax free surely :) Of my box now and thanks for sharing, Elizabeth #78

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  21. Loving those envelopes. I hated the whole tipping thing untill my kids were waiters and I saw how hard they worked and how little money they earn. Now I tip well 9up to 30% if the service is good, but I am also not afraid not to tip at all for bad service.
    Tertia 110

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  22. Ah those letters are gorgeous...so nice to have them smooth and undistressed! I hope the tip thing didn't spoil your birthday; I'm constantly reminded that people in North America are expected to make-up their living on tips, but it is like a black market really...and I really only l like to tip good service. My Sis says that's very English. So it just leaves me confused..and sometimes, resentful!

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  23. I agree with those who say tipping should be stopped. I am probably considered mean, but I do not tip my hairdresser, and on the rare occasions I use a taxi, he gets the fare and nothing else. We do tip in restaurants with good service, but not in self service places. Our tip is totally linked to the quality of the service. What you give or don't give should be your choice alone, and not expected.

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  24. I'm with you with the waitress ....cheek of her. I need to get a new cat tower thingy ....our last one was nearly 7 feet high and 4ft wide but our huge feline family, helped by the boys who thought it was a great castle/fort,have finally killed it....not cheap to replace when its that size.

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  25. Love the pieces of work on your desk. Pandy looks so comfy.

    Marilyn

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  26. Hummmm. I had a weird sense of deja vu as I was first sent to the post from last week - which I recognized as one I picke for the UKS Blog Bits! Glad I persevered as I do like the new birdcage project and the letters in frames. Cool beans!

    Mary Anne

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  27. love the frames. a scripty paper background would really look cool IMHO

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  28. Love your makes and musings. Cats always manage to find the warm spots!!
    Thanks for sharing WOYWW
    kyla

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  29. I agree with Frank, your way is definitely best! Pandy knows which side her bread is buttered on but I think TT is still an alleycat at heart! I was surprised at the tipping thing but if she was the only waitress she would have had to work very hard for a party of 13 and maybe was given no other tables because of it? In Michigan, if the party is over a certain size (8 -10 or more) they automatically stick 15% on the bill, but they state their policy on the menu. Like you say, she had guts for stopping Chris! Hope it didn't spoil your evening!

    Hugs
    Brenda 100

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  30. What a great idea for those frames! I agree about tipping! I hadn't really thought about it in the terms that you had, but I feel that it's my choice to tip for great service...it shouldn't be an expectation!

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  31. oh the tipping saga, its hard i feel you should give it if the service and food has been good, but on the other hand, i worked in catering and tips did make a big difference to my pay packet !!!

    great space and love those letters, cant wait to see what you do do with them

    Thanks for the peep

    Hugs
    Judie xx 69

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  32. Go with black and white papers - more classy, and you have a classy space!

    Pandora - way to go hun! And shame on Tom-Tom but I can understand his point.

    Re- the tipping. I totally agree with you, and I hate the fact that our government feels they have to take a cut of everything. However, over here I'm sure that they've passed a law that says that the restaurant may NOT use the tips to make the waiting staff's salaries up to minimum wage, but they do get taxed on them. If it had been me on that occasion, I'd not only have told her that no, I wouldn't be tipping extra, but that I would complain the manager about her rudeness, and the restaurant would have lost any further trade from me.....

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  33. Love the pics of the kittehs I see on WOYWW! Pandy is gorgeous. Speaking of gorgeous I love the projects you are sharing today. Tipping is a difficult thing for me. I always tip. If the service is poor they get $1 and nothing more. IF it goes way above then I tip above the 15%. I stand in a line a McDonald's to get my food so I don't tip. At a restaurant they 'take care' of me and I appreciate it. Where I live they just add in 15% for larger parties and I don't know what I would have done if the waitress had been so rude.

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  34. Great projects you are making this week very interesting - love your cats and the fact that you have put another cbox down - lol

    Re the tipping - I must be honest I do not tip I am on a very tight budget and can normally only afford to pay what it is asked for not an extra 15% - no one helps top up my wages.~ Nicky 24

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  35. Fabulous projects going on in your crafty space and the cats look happy too. Fab cat house!!
    Happy WOYWW!! ((Lyn))

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  36. Kitty looks so comfy in her basket. At first I thought they were little kittens then realised they were her dark bits and that is was one cat...I think I need new glasses.
    Sue xx 67

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  37. Hello
    This is my first week at this and finding it rather fun(not to mention time consuming)looking into a little piece of others creative spaces :~)

    Nice workspace :)

    Jinny #116

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  38. Running late this week...

    Love your pics! Thank you for sharing!

    Maggie @ http://maggiescraft.blogspot.com/
    xx

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  39. Typical cats never do what you want them to! LOL!!! Lovely to see them as always and glad that they are curled up away from the cold weather.

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Thank you for taking the time to leave your comment, it is truly appreciated - sort of confirms that it is more than my Mum and husband that read this thing! :)