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
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

David Crowder Concert, NWA188 and Photo Review

Image
I got up from laying down after the all-night shift Thursday morning and figured I'd better get a ride in while I could because the forecast wasn't looking so good. The temp was just above 40 with a northeast wind steady at 15 mph under overcast skies. 40 degrees is very reasonable cycling weather but the key is to be somewhat chilled when you start out. Being warm and toasty at the beginning leads to being sweaty, cold and clammy before the ride is over. While putting air in my tires before leaving I could tell that I needed a lighter top layer. I'm glad I made the switch. I loved the ride  ( Strava link ) and would like to have gone further but David Crowder was playing at our church and I didn't want to be late getting in line for some good seats as it was general admission. I considered a quick detour by Hosanna on the way home to get a pic of their tour bus but I figured I should really act my age. The concert was worth every penny and better than any of the o...
Read more

Riding, Retirement and a Home Revisited

Image
I skipped out of work a couple hours early today to take advantage of some mild weather. I took the pups for a walk then headed west on my bike putting my heart, lungs, and quads through some paces. It felt so nice to be out there. I'd have stayed out longer but I had to be back to take Rachel to dance class for 5:00. It's possible that today will be the last time I'll have to take her to class if she passes her road test this Thursday. I'd like to have taken some time to hose down my bike. It's full of road salt and that can't be a good thing. Every large vehicle that went past me had a cloud of salt dust trailing in its wake and settling on me. I'll spend some time cleaning it tomorrow and have it ready for a ride on Wednesday after work. Speaking of work—I've been kicking around the idea of bidding on a staff job. Believe me, it's not something I want to do. It's about self-preservation. I want to work another five years to get Rachel thr...
Read more

My Bicycle Ride to Babbitt

Image
Wow, what a trip. In planning for this ride, I figured I’d have only two weekends this summer when our schedules could come together to give it a go. The first of those two times came and went two weeks ago when a steady north wind kept me grounded. There’s no way I could have gone the distance into the wind, and what I was really hoping for was a stiff southwesterly breeze, but that wasn’t in the cards either. After looking at the wind forecast on Wednesday, I told Tammy that it looked as though we were looking at another no-go. I’d been watching the forecast the previous 5 days, and they consistently said to expect a light wind from the southeast. It wouldn’t be a headwind but wouldn’t be much help either. I came home from work on Thursday morning and looked at the forecast again, but it hadn’t changed. I got a couple hours of sleep, then woke up to work in the yard. Then, I decided I wouldn’t let the lack of a tailwind keep me from going…just so long as it wasn’t a headwind. I tol...
Read more