Good and Bad Karma

good: after being at the symphony for awhile and watching my boss get slammed repeatedly trying to keep this huge project we're working on from dying a horrible death, i gave him a purple heart.

yep. a real purple heart. it had been another touch and go day and he was feeling overworked and under appreciated, but now he's got a purple heart to remind him that we notice. he was touched.

bad: i swear, i had a little nightmare about the staff at zeitgeist on the way there, but just told myself i was being silly. nope. i get there and order a burger. i give the guy six bucks and start to walk away. he says, "hey, it would be really nice of you to tip." that's sort of obnoxious, but hey, what the hell. i go, "okay, sure" and dump the change in my pocket into the tip jar. it's, i don't know, forty cents or so.

he says, "you know what," turning the tip jar over and dumping the change back out, "i don't even know what to do with that. keep it. i'm trying to teach people bar manners because everyone's been so cheap, but forget it. keep it." he says that in a voice that implies i've taken a long, slow piss on his grandmother. as if it's my fault that he's not making $100K, or that people don't tip grill cooks the way they tip bartenders.

i go, "okay. whatever man" and take the change back and walk away. what an asshole! but then, after getting a beer and still feeling all tense about the exchange and worrying he's going to spit in my food (i mean, what the hell! i don't need to feel tense about not tipping enough to some counter-jock -- i worked in a cafe for a while and any tip is good!), i go back. i say, "you know what? that's the rudest anyone's been to me all week, but i'm sorry you're having such a hard time" and put a dollar in the jar. (that's 15%)

he takes it out and tosses it down on the counter and says something nasty which i can't really recall but which boils down to, "i don't want your money. i'm not going to spit in your burger so don't worry. fuck you."

what a pussy. first he begs for a tip. then he throws it in my face and tells me he's trying to teach me manners. then i give him more money and he's too proud to take it. and he abuses me for doing what he asked me to do. i almost asked for my six bucks back and cancelled the order but i really didn't feel like talking to him any more.

if anyone knows who manages zeitgeist, you could pass that story along. last night was the last time i'm ever going there. the place is filled with people who think they're way cooler/punker/tougher than they are and they can have it. i'm glad they're building a freeway over the tables. i wish them a nice steady stream of lit cigarette butts tossed from fast-moving windows, falling onto their unwashed heads like rain.

it was such an ugly experience. later, other friends (warned) ordered food and were told "the kitchen is closed for a while." i just hope it had something to do with the health department or a brain tumor or something.

i do realize that guy's life must be pretty lousy for him to act that way. it's a shame that that only makes me wish it were lousier.

plus madhavi's away and my brother is moving and i got kinda sad. it's been good to have him around. if i thought he was making a mistake moving, it would be different, but it's really the right choice for him so i guess i'll just miss having him around.

this post hasn't been that funny.