The importance of tipping

During my first semester at Utah, very few things were going for me.  First, well, I came expecting Yamerica, but what I got was Utah.  Second, within the first week, I realized all my four years of Engineering and my hard-worked above-average GPA could go for a toss as being completely worthless.  The material was miles ahead of what I learnt, and look Ma, they give out problems, no short answer questions like we had back home! Tough, tough problems. Third, did I mention it was Utah? Translated - effin cold?   I did count my one big blessing - I had a part time research assistant-ship job. But since it was only part time, I flipped burgers at the campus grill.

By December, I had just about had it.  Most days, I was so tired from working in the grill  and the back and forth trudging in snow, that it was an effort to stay awake in class, much less at night. I constantly emanated a greasy smell, which to this day, I can recall in an instant.  It was always freezing cold. My grades were so low, I was hoping for a miracle. I hadn't understood major parts of my subjects, and I was flaying at problems. Our TA had just discovered interesting similarities between all our homeworks, so we were expecting getting called into the profs office very soon. I wasn't broke yet but knew that I needed to convert my research job from part-time to full-time if I needed to pay fees.

One day, I was at the grill generally brooding over my problems.  It was almost close-up so I started cleaning the grill.  I looked up and found this one guy who said - Can you make me a cheeseburger?  My shoulders must have stooped, and I must have let out a moan. What he said next totally took me back . "Sorry, my man. Here, let me make it up to you.  I know am not supposed to tip you but here.." he said, handing me a closed fist.  I palmed  what he gave me and opened it to see a $1 coin.  That was the first (and only) time I ever saw a $1 as a coin. And that was the first (and only) time I ever got tipped. The effect was instantaneous. My tiredness forgotten, I made him my very best.

I fiddled around with the coin in my pocket the next couple of days.  I went back and forth on spending it. Some part of me said no, don't spend it.  The other part said - hey, it's free money.  I ended up spending it finally to pay for a cheeseburger (how fitting, I thought).  I made a show of it to the cashier almost to say - look here's a $1 coin, ask me where I got it.  She didn't and the coin was gone.

December came and went. I did much better in the second sem, even grew to like the Grill. I quit when full-time research came around.  But since then, I've always tipped waiters, much to the chagrin of family.  I didn't tip all that big but I tipped very frequently, even for bad service. I would tip for coffees and for take-out. My dad and I fought over how much to tip a waiter in India.   Recently, I saw HG wrestling with the decision on whether to tip the eyebrow parlor lady.  She kept apologizing after saying that the time she worked came back to her.  I told her I completely understand.

Now, I've started cutting back just because being a student again changes things a bit.  But I tell you, tipping is almost an urge for me. 

New Resolutions

I've decided to spend $10 a month on buying used books.  What with the plethora of used book stores in the bay area and the monthly sell out back in Bton, I should acquire a substantial number.  So, during the first month of this mid-summer resolution, I visited Recycle book store.

A quaint place, with a cat that roams around the bookshelf.  The fiction section is enormous.  I bought 

- Murakami - What I talk about when I talk about Running.

- Martin Amis Short Story Collection (Being married to an MFA student has rubbed off some of the good stuff)

- Alchemist

In the end, I spend $20.  The Alchemist cost me ten bucks, but I couldn't resist the cover.

I forgot to mention that the last time around, I had also bought this book.

Who is Ha Jin, you ask? HG's prof starting Sept 2011.  HG got her visa today, so this is a gift for her.   It is, literally, going to be A Good Fall. 

Bookstore memory

Nothing like catching up with old friends on a summer night.  M showed me around the famed Google campus, with their 18 different restaurants providing free food, their volleyball courts and swimming pools and gigantic gym, their open offices with snacks and espresso machines on every floor, their "Google" bikes that people ride around campus - it's a self contained unit with a single motive of keeping the worker in.  ( I wonder what J.G. Ballard would say). I saw pasty geeky looking devs riding around the bikes, young Indian men showing off the place proudly to their parents, few women and extremely fit men and women playing beach volleyball (M said they were from the business units).

We ate in a Tequira, which is a cheap Mexican place popular around this side of the country.  The food was good though, and then went for a couple of drinks.

Walking back, we saw a bookstore and my legs automatically steered me inside.  I've realized that I've done this enough times before and just so that I remember them, I decide to blog everytime I entered one.

So, this was Book Buyers on Castro Street, Mountain View, CA.  (Image :google)

The night was with A & M. And I bought Orhan Pamuk's Snow.

A asked who he was and didn't seem terribly interested when I said that he was dating Kiran Desai (HG is the source of this). 

Book unusual

I have to admit that this is the most unusual book I've read.  Not unusual in the story, but just in the manner of reading it.  I could go two days easily without even glancing at it, but when I do pick it up, I spend hours without even realizing the evening has turned into night and that the natural light is fading. Two days later, I can just continue exactly from where I stopped.

I've never read a book this way before.  Usually, it's the regular 50 pages a day or the frantic reading where I do nothing else. This one..hmm..strange.

Another thing about this book, I GET the guy.  I understand what he's doing - the half man the half loser character that he is.  Weird.