What the truck?!?!

I was driving home from work today and listening to the radio when an ad came on for a local Nissan dealership. I've heard some pretty crazy gimmicks to try to get you to buy a vehicle before, but this one takes the cake.

Buy a truck and get a car for free! That's right! If you buy a Titan, you get a decently equipped Versa for free!!! There are bound to be some interesting wheelings and dealings between friends looking for new rides. (Sorry, I just couldn't resist.)

Tip O' The Mornin' To Ya!

I've heard a few debates about this topic on the radio, and I have a recent story that has brought it back to the forefront.

Yesterday, I went to get my hair cut. The lady was not much for conversation. In fact, she even said a few things that were inappropriate for the situation. Anyway, she finishes cutting my hair, and I go to pay for it. I didn't have cash, so I use debit and the keypad asks me to input the tip. I just hit enter (not tip) and then confirmed the total and my PIN. She "politely" thanks me with a bit of a restrained glare, as I left. So here's the question: when should you tip?

I should clarify that I didn't refuse to tip because of the inappropriate conversation so much as I did because of the venue. Let me explain: I understand the purpose of a tip at a restaurant, and I'm generally quite generous with those tips. At a restaurant, your bill pays largely for the food (hence the variance in price dependant on the dish you order), and then the tip is added in respect to the extent that the service is acceptable or even excellent. At a haircutter's, on the other hand, the entire bill is for the service of cutting your hair. Now I've had occasions when the person cutting my hair went beyond expectations and I've tipped them. That said, I don't think that a tip should be expected in such a business.

I think most would agree that a standard tip is usually around 15%, and that this can vary based on the service. But where should a tip be offered, where should it not be offered, and where should it be asked for? Any thoughts?

In Palin sight...

I don't generally like to get political on this blog, but I've been involved in an interesting discussion over at my friend Matt's blog. He's what I would consider a moderate liberal, and he recently wrote an entry on Governor Palin's nomination. Between Matt, a mutual friend Dusty, Matt's brother-in-law Nathaniel, and I, we've had quite a good debate going on. The later comments are turning into more of a pissing match than anything else, but there was some good substance early on. I don't know if any of my readers are remotely interested in US politics, but if you are, it might be worth a look. (You'll know my posts as they often include a grammar correction about another post.)

Regardless of what you may think...

Irregardless is not a real word!!! So says Washington State University anyway. And while others may disagree, I think we should abandon its usage in the English language. I cringe when I hear it, and I feel queasy when I read it! It should be noted that, while I found plenty of references to its actuality as a word (each letter in the word "other" above contains a different link), there appears to be an agreement that this word should not be used, especially in writing, as it is considered "incorrect" or "nonstandard".

(Sorry for the rant. Some guy near my office was just using the word about 50 times in a conversation with another guy. I was nearly brought to tears!)