Excuse Me, But...

I went through the drive-thru at McDonald's on my way to work last week and ordered two cheeseburgers and a large light lemonade. I paid at the first window then proceeded to the next window for my order. The woman there handed me a bag and wished me a good day. I asked her about the lemonade I'd ordered and she responded, "oh, we're out of lemonade".  "Okay, then do I get a refund?" I asked. She replied, "Yes, I can do that." I drove away wondering why it was that I needed to say anything at all?

A few days ago Tammy, Rachel, and I were at Mall of America kicking around. We settled on Ruby Tuesday's for dinner and placed our orders. When the food arrived Tammy mentioned that the order she and Rachel were sharing didn't come with the cheesy breadsticks it was supposed to. The waiter apologized and said they were out of them but he made no offer of a discounted price or a substitution.

Okay—so what's changed? Am I expecting too much? It takes a lot for the wait staff not to get a 20% tip from us. It was all I could do to manage 5% for our waiter.

Our neighbors Bob and Karen are the best party hosts I know. They hosted our 2nd annual 4th of July party on Friday night at their home. Even an ominous shelf cloud (best viewed in full screen) and a torrential downpour that it preceded couldn't put a damper on the evening. Karen's Lemon-drop Martinis were a hit! ...at least with me.

The funniest story at the party had to be of Tim telling us (the abbreviated version here) about the time in 1965 as a 12-year-old in Chicago and faced with the first big decision of his life. He had an option to see either the Monkees or the Beatles in concert. He chose the Monkees.

Photos from the party

I needed a long ride this weekend if I have any hopes of pulling off a double century (200 miles) ride in the next two weeks. I got it done yesterday with a 151-mile loop out to Hutchinson under a gorgeous blue sky with temps in the mid-80s. My quads were a concern of mine as they showed signs of fatigue (due to a lack of serious riding this year) toward the end of last Sunday's 103-mile ride but they were just fine. I'm good to go for the 'double' if I can find the right day to do it.

Ride video from Saturday.

Google Latitude has been around a couple of years and allows you to see where your friends are. It's a great program for Tammy to see where I'm at out on the road if she's ever curious about my progress or wondering where I'm at. It's the ultimate in an electronic leash! ...or for showing your friends how much you get around.

Comments

Marielle said…
Oh they are rude in America ;) almost make you pay for things you don´t get. That would never happen in Sweden you know ;)

Great videos!! And a cool pic of a nice looking family!!

Greetings from the teeny tiny country far far away...
July 4, 2011 at 3:16 AM
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