Watch and See the Ways I am a Bastard

Seeing as how Cat recently posted on the terrors of a meal with a boss, I would like to offer a comforting and humiliating story, which is more of a remark than a story.

While on my internship at the TV station, there was a night when my Aunt (the big boss of the whole place) took me to an event many of her higher-ups and friends were attending. She was kind enough, even, to buy me a drink. A Killian's Irish Red. I'd say 22 oz. Well, we are all sitting around the table and I have just gotten my beer, so I decide to take a sip. Unfortunately, for some reason I still don't understand, I inhaled instead of drank, which resulted in my choking on that Killian's Irish Red, which resulted in a sputtering and spattering that got Killian's and spit all over my aunt and most of the table. Wow.

But, everything was ok. She was more worried than embarrassed, I think. And everyone soon forgot about it. I hope. And I still like Killian's. And I haven't choked like that since, I don't think. Maybe I just learned to keep my mouth closed.

Can I tell you two things about work? The second is back to tipping, which I'm really sorry to revisit, but I think it reflects poorly on me, so it's ok.

However, the first is about my fellow associates. Why don't they do anything? No no, why don't they do anything for other people. The majority of us, including me at times, only care about getting through the shift. The less we have to do, the better. Which sucks, because then when someone has to do something that sucks, and no one helps them, they get mad. And they hate those other people. And we aren't a team at all. But I wish we were. I wish we just respected each other enough to help each other out and try and make someone else's shift just a little bit better. And seriously, why the fuck didn't you empty the mop bucket before you left for the night?

See, there it was.

Tips. Remember when I said that you should always tip and stuff? Well, I definitely still believe that. But, I feel differently about tips from blue collar and white collar professionals. This might sound... insulting to both camps, but I'm not saying it's good. I'm just saying I do it. When a blue collared worker gives me a small tip, I don't mind, because I know that they work hard for their money and they don't have as much to throw around. And when they give me an average tip, I'm grateful because they are still kind enough to give me a little more than I deserve. But when a white collared worker gives me a crappy tip, it drives me crazy, because they're wearing a nice suit, and they have their own office, and why can't they be a little nicer. And when they give me an average tip, I hardly notice.

Does this make me prejudice? I think so. However, I'm not saying that I hate white collar workers, or that I feel bad for blue collar workers. Neither is true. But sometimes I have more patience with someone who has less, and less patience with someone who has more. I'm sorry if this offends you. If I should think a different way, please try to persuade me.