Miami Heat: Going into crunch time

I went to the Heat-Piston game last Thursday night…

As a life-long Heat fan, I came away a bit frustrated. Yes – it became more than clear that night that the Pistons are without a doubt a better team than the Heat. However, this is not what made me flat-out mad. The leading cause of this feeling is a man by the name of Antoine Walker. With the Heat depleted with injuries (Posey, J-Will, and Zo), there is a need for our other role players to earn their money…. As I told my buddy Chubby at halftime of the game … I very much want to like Twon, but I just cannot find ONE value-add that he brings to the team. He’s a horrible defender, he forces bad shots, he never makes clutch shots, he whines to the refs constantly…. (I could go on). And I am not the only person who feels this way … If you read the local press or attend a heat home game, you will see that almost every South Florida sports fan agrees with me. I don’t understand why Riley defends this guy …

So going into the stretch run – I’m a believer, but also realistic. If the Heat cannot find a 3^rd option on offense, I don’t see us beating New Jersey in the 2^nd round. If Gary Payton or Jason Williams can miraculously wake up come play-off time … then I you never know… In the meantime, I’m begging Pat Riley to bench Antoine Walker at any cost!

March Madness - Great.... Final Four - A bore

Don't really have so much more to say other than the title... (but - I will try)

March Madness is great - and I don't know why College Football doesn't realize how much better they could make their sport

This is the first time in a long while where I didn't win any of my various pools I enter. I feel like NCAA Madness luck goes in waves. Some years you have it -- some years you don't... This year - I definitely didn't have it. (Although I will say, my buddy Salis did -- he had UCLA going to the Finals and George Mason going to the Great Eight)

I don't think it was only me -- but I felt like the Championship this year was extremely anti-climatic. CBS was banking on a George Mason (underdog) and LSU (heart warming Katrina victim story), but go the exact opposite...I read a headline yesterday (mind you - the day after the Championship game) that said "Florida to be tough in 2007." I mean ... not even 1 day to enjoy the accomplishment? I guess that the Final Four games were so bad ... people are just trying to forget the event as a whole.

Dirk and Jessie

This weekend, I will attending a wedding of two friends, Dirk and Jessica. I have the extended honor of being one of 2 signers of their ketubah.

(New Picture added post-wedding)

In case you didn't know, Jessica and David met via a set-up of a friend .... That friend is me. Dirk and Jessica are both personality-filled, special people that truly are meant for each other. Their wedding takes place at the Garden City hotel, which I've heard is a very nice venue.

I am looking forward to enjoying this day with them and their family/friends. An interesting thought that recently dawned on me, is that I am the one friend- no matter what happens over time that is gauranteed to never be forgotten in their lives together...

Mazel Tov!

Amy Tiene un Trabajo Nuevo

This is somewhat old news, but Amy officially has a new job. (I tried waiting until the trade magazines came out with a story, but couldn’t wait any longer)

She left TV Guide Channel and now works for Telemundo. She will complete her 2^nd full week of work today – so she’s still feeling the ins’ and outs’ of the new gig, but overall she’s really excited about the new opportunity.

One of the funniest aspects of her new job is the reaction people have to the news that she works at Telemundo. When I tell people that I work for Google, one of 3 responses usually take place:

1. “Wow – that’s so cool. I love Google”
2. When did you start there? (In other words – “are you rich”?)
3. Oh – my website ranking stinks – can you help me?

With Amy, there is primarily one reaction (or should I say question): “Oh – so do you speak Spanish?”:….

Amy does not speak Spanish, nor does she have to in order to sell advertising. The people who she sells to are primarily based in New York. The brands that buy Spanish language television are all the same brands you would see when you watch TV. The difference is that the actual creative is geared towards US Hispanics, so it’s often in Spanish. Amy has nothing to do with the creative. Her job is to get advertisers to understand the value of reaching US Hispanics.

*The good news here, is that this market is actually the 2^nd (next to, um, Internet/Search):

Congrats to Amy on her new job! I’m very proud of her as leaving a place where she was successful and considered a clear superstar is very tough to do. Felicitaciones Amy!!

Google Idol

For all of the non-stop praise that my in-the-closet friend has been posting about American Idol, I thought I would share something I just came across:

Google Idol

No, this is not a Google product or even sanctioned by Google -- It merely uses the Google Video functionality. You can watch (and vote) for head-to-head videos of people lip-synching and creating their own music video.

Hey Colediggy...Do I hear a little Lionel Richie, "Dancing on the Ceiling"?

Enjoy.

Tommy Amak-GRRRRR

Let me start by saying IÂ’m not the biggest college basketball fan in the nation, but I do love my Wolverine hoop squad. It has been increasingly tough over the years in Ann Arbor to believe in the Michigan basketball program. (I don't know - Brian Ellerbe just did not get me excited)

Enter Tommy Amaker from Seton Hall .. a former Duke guy who everyone loves. I was pumped. I didn'’t expect genius overnight, but I did expect to be competitive and to root for UM in a tourney game or 2. Well 5 years has passed and I'’m still waiting...

As I told mearliernd ealier this week... reallyly really want to like Tommy Amaker. He says all the right things -- He is certainly a stand-up guy... he seems to recruit very well. Again, I really want to like him. The problem is, he just doesn'’t appear to be a good coach at all. "Just not an X's and O's guy"” some may say... Losing 7 of your last 9 games due to sloppy play and turn-overs is a sign for bad coaching if I'’ve ever seen one. He has excuses (injuries, sanctions when he first got here, facilities, etc) BUT ... Good coaches don'’t use execuses. They get wins with the talent they have around them.

Not I'm not saying that I think Tommy should get the boot just yet ... But I would like to see a little sense of urgency for once! I feel like he is fully OK with not making the Tournament in 5 years. I would like to be patient with you Mr. Amaker - but if I have to follow UM hoops for 2 more years without making the big dance (which would make 12 in a row), I just may lose it.

Hire some assistant coaches with some in-game coaches skills. You can still be the face guy that everyone likes. PLEASE!

Google Talk (for your blackberry)

I've been slacking on the front of informing all of you about Google products that should benefit your daily life...

For those of you who don't use Google Talk, you should try it out. Iif you have (and use) your GMAIL account, you will automatically be able to use Google talk within your browser, but you have to download the software to use the cool functionality of talking person to person over your PC.

As of last week, you can now use Google Talk on your blackberry. I've been using it for about a week and have found it very useful in terms of keep in touch with folks while I'm not in front of my computer. Enjoy!!

The last time I watched MTV

I guess I'm officially old, but the other day I realized that I truly have not related to anything on MTV in a few years now. I'm thinking that the image below was the last memorable thing I that comes to mind from those days in the "MTV Generation"

Thoughts on The Oscars

I contemplated leaving this post completely blank, to symbolize that "I have no words for this junk," but decided I'd be much more satisfied with writing a few words.

• To start, I find it really annoying that the show is known as both "The Academy Awards" and "The Oscars." For a very long time, I truly got these names and "The Emmy's" all messed up....Just pick one!!
• I would like to point out that Amy (who I believe will represent most women), was certainly most excited for the pre-show, where various entertainment networks pay very annoying people to "interview" celebrities and critique their clothing decisions. (If there was a metric that tracked the intolerance of the opposite sex on things like sporting events or these events -- call it "torture per second" -- this hour takes the cake!!)
• The actual show is such a sham! It starts with decent entertainment of the host followed by giving one of the 4 major awards... It is then followed by 3 hours of complete filler (I'm sorry to any of those who are interested in art direction, make-up decision, foreign short-films, and lengthy old movie clip montages)
• Throughout these 3 hours, the network thinks that attracting A-list celebrities to do the presenting will satisfy the beyond boring content of the program. Let's just say that having these A-list celebrities read corny jokes from a teleprompter (and created by random freelance writers) does not do the trick...Either give the celebrities the freedom to come up with their own material or just have them say "The nominees for crappy category XYZ are"...
  
• Acceptance speeches are always fun.... (Um - NOT) I totally understand someone wanting to thank people personally - but this just does not make for entertaining television.
  
• Speaking of acceptance speeches ... I think it's hilarious that because the network wants to wait until the end to give the most prestigious awards (in hopes to improve it's ratings throughout the evening) it truly gives the winner(s) of the "Best Costumes" more time to speak than the winner of "Best Picture." By the time the final award is up - the show has already run 30 minutes over... Here's an idea ABC: Give every winner their own website or blog to thank anyone they want after the fact. Promote these URLs throughout the following week during your regular programming... With the time saved from all of the smaller awards -- give the big winners 5 minutes of air time to talk about whatever they want.

To finish off, let me say that I am confident I will be going through this hell once again next year. The truth is that Amy certainly doesn't force me to watch it. I suppose it's a sort of pop-culture knowledge thing, where knowing who won "supporting actor" in a given year or recognizing who forgot to thank their significant other in their acceptance speech is just some random, useless knowledge that doesn't hurt one's conversational skills...

So...Until next year (where I will probably push some sort of rooting interest like a pool)....

Seth Godin speech at Google

Seth Godin (one of my favorite business authors) speaking at Google in Mountain View.

Default Elevator Conversation

I don't have a deep problem with it, but after several home and office elevator rides with neighbors or co-workers, it is clear to me that the safe 45 second time filler of choice is without question "the weather." I'm curious to know who decided this? (Matt Weiss??)

I suppose it makes sense...

1. It's certainly a common interest among elevator occupants - as everyone is obviously witnessing the same thing.
2. It doesn't take but 10 seconds of watching New York 1 (or any morning news program) in the morning to be up-to-date on the topic.
3. It's a lot more comforting than, say, "Hey - how many times do you think this elevator can go up and down before it just snaps?"

Anyhow - in noticing this - I have made a conscious effort to never be the one to actually bring the topic up. (If someone bring it up - I'm versatile - I can go with it). I mostly don't bring it up because I wouldn't want to offend anyone else who has noticed this very same thing (that the weather is the default conversation with someone that you clearly have nothing else to talk about with). However, I'm also not the "weather conversation starter" as I like to buck the trend -- but again -- it's not something that totally drives me crazy. I just hope you notice it now that I've pointed it out (if you haven't already).

"Employees Must Wash Hands"

Does this sign in various restrooms of eating establishments trouble everyone as much as it troubles me? It feels like a total Seinfeld rip-off, but I can't help it....

Why REALLY is this sign posted in bathrooms?
Do employees in the service and food industry really need to be reminded to wash their hands after using the restroom? ("I don't normally wash my hands, but the sign says I have to so... what the heck")

OR

Is it really there to give confidence to paying customers? (You know - in case there was any doubt before you entered the bathroom ... rest assured ... there is a SIGN - so that must mean hands ARE being washed by employees before returning to work.)

It turns out -- that employees failing to wash their hands after going to the bathroom is a federal (and state) healthcode violation. Problem is -- there really is no way to track and enforce this. SO ... I'm assuming that brilliant people somewhere decided ... "Why don't we make sure that restaurants are mandated to hang this sign in bathrooms. Once every 6 years, we'll send someone to random restaurants and fine those that don't have the sign in the bathroom...That way, it will APPEAR that we are tracking and enforcing the healthcode violation."

Anyway - I felt the need to point this out as everytime I see it in restrooms it irks me. I feel vented.

Herman Weinstein (1913 - 2006)

My grandfather passed away on Monday (February 20^th), so yesterday I said good-bye to him for the final time. As sad as death itself is, I don’t feel completely sorrow today. I know this probably doesn’t sound right – but let me try to explain.

In his 92 years on this earth, my grandfather lived a damn full and complete life. I thought my mother and uncle did a perfect job recapping it in their words at the funeral yesterday. The cliff notes are as follows:

• He was married for 64 years to my grandmother! My sister and I are convinced that Seinfeld and Larry David ran into my grandparents somewhere in Sunrise Lakes Phase 3, and then modeled Frank and Estelle Costanza (George’s parents’) after them on the hit show.
• He was beyond proud of his family. It was seldom that he didn’t tell me how great or beautiful my mother was…
• He was a somewhat quiet man (especially on the phone), well, until he felt comfortable. Feeling comfortable was either being with his family or having 2 glasses of scotch. After which, he was certainly no longer shy….
• Professionally, he was a “jack of all trades.” I still don’t know for sure what he actually did… (He was an army veteran, a mechanic, a singing waiter, a boxer, and a slew of other things)
• Although I called him “grandpa” it was clear that he really just wanted to be our “pal.” He was a fun dude – there’s just no other way to phrase it.
• In his spare time, he loved to bowl, play pool, and go to the race track. As my grandmother puts it, he also enjoyed “speaking in Jewish” (yiddush) to anyone who would listen.
• He certainly enjoyed his whiskey and his food. Foods that come to mind are sausage, herring, and pickles. (Strangely enough, I don’t remember him eating my grandmothers chopped liver – which believe it or not was my (and my sisters) favorite.

As a grandson, my role is to take things from him and pass them down to my kids (besides the good looks of course). In thinking about this yesterday, 2 things dawned on me:

1) He rarely asked general questions like “How are you?” He would ask things like “Are you happy?” …I think I’d like to try and take that with me down the road. Obviously there needs to be a comfort level with someone before asking questions like that – but I do admire the fact of boiling down a question to what you want to know. To him – happiness was all that mattered. Not money or material things, not popularity or anything else. As simple as it sounds – he really just always wanted me to be happy with my life -- regardless of any of the details – and I would like to take that with me.

2) The man never seemed to worry. I can’t say he was 100% stress-free (mostly in thanks to my grandmother), but he always seemed to just take things as they came.

So, congrats on a great life Grandpa! You will certainly be missed most by your wife (Grandma Crannie), but Roz, Ron, Bruce, Ellen, Lauren, Jill, Fred, Amy and I will all miss you very much and will think about you often. I especially will have you in my thoughts when I go bowling or go to the racetrack.

Stupid, yet common hangover prevention idea

I had bigger plans for this post, a pseudo “investigative blogging” type thing, but unfortunately almost finished with the process, my browser crashed and I lost everything. That was over a week ago and I have yet to replicate my work, however, I still wanted to get my thoughts out … So – here it is – nice and short.

It turns out that my “genius” remedy for hangovers in college (Tylenol and a big glass of water before I went to sleep) was actually a very stupid idea… Apparently, the main ingredient in Tylenol (acetaminophen) is considered extremely dangerous to one’s liver if mixed with alcohol. If you don’t believe me – just read the warning label of the actual Tylenol bottle…..

When I learned this, my first thought was – well ok – I actually think I’m more of an Advil taker due to the coating on the pills tasting like sugar… Well – I was wrong here too (and not about the sugar taste). Turns out that Advil and alcohol mixture is just as bad – but this time potentially causing Ulcers and stomach bleeding.

Now – I don’t bring this up to scare anyone from anything they’ve done in the past or the future. The warning label considers the worrisome action to be “3 or more drinks each day,.” Now I definitely don’t have 3 drinks every day (although in college this was fairly standard) – however in reading up on the topic online – it appears that several doctors/specialists warn against use after ANY heavy alcohol use….

So I don’t have any solution of trying to limit a hangover other than drinking a glass of water per drink you consume (this slows down the pace at which you drink liquor). There have also been other products in the market like “The Chaser,” but I’ve never tried that. Apparently there are a bunch of myths out there – so do whatever works for you (except be careful with the Advil and Tylenol route).

Delonte West's Perfect Date

Thanks to my boy David J. for passing this my way ....

Delonte West is on our Fantasy Basketball team. He's been a very under-rated guy for us this year - helping us to the top of the standings currently. This being said - I'm a huge fan.

It's hard not to be a bigger fan after reading this ESPN Article where he describes his vision of a perfect Valentine's Day date.

Freakin hilarious...

Snow storm record?

So apparently there was a record snow storm on Saturday. The largest snow fall in New York City history - 26.9 inches in a 24 hour period...

Was there a lot of snow? ....Yes.
Was it windy?.... Yes.
Are the streets still covered with dirty slush? .... Yes.

Did it feel like it should be considered as the larget snow storm that the city of New York has ever seen? ... NO WAY.

Granted - I didn't leave my apartment on Sunday - however - is it only me who thinks that it's the most weenie record breaking snow storm ever? (well - of all the places that regularly get snow)

Of course I'm not trying to tempt the snow storm gods into proving anything, I merely wanted to document that the effects really aren't "that" bad... (i know - I'll avoid telling that to the city workers who cleaned up the mess). I'm surviving - even with my snow boots which are a full size too big...

What makes a good Super Bowl party?

Last night Amy and I went to the Browns for SuperBowl XL. It was a great time! Definitely what I would call a Super Bowl party success. Certainly, everyone will have their own requirements for what makes a super bowl party a blast or bust - but here are mine (in no particular order):

1) Good people -- It certainly helps when good friends are in the mix, but friends of friends is cool too...As long as people have a good, festive attitude - everything seems to work out. Nobody likes mean people - especially on Super Bowl Sunday.
2) Good Food (Some of it being home-cooked) -- Obviously a holiday isn't a holiday without eating - but the little detail having home-cooked food at your superbowl party is quite under-rated. I think it adds a sense of "sophistication" or maybe just good old TLC, but there is something about it that makes is more special that way.
3) A rooting interest -- Many go to high stakes gambling, others go to office box pools, and some actually just genuinely want one of the teams to win...BUT...in order for someone to truly enjoy the day, there needs to be a rooting interest. (That is why one may here random females saying they hate the super bowl)
4) Ability to listen to commercials - During the 16 regular season weeks, I have typically gone to a sports bar to get all my NFL action at once. On Superbowl Sunday, however, I am anti-bar as a location. Working in the advertising industry, I like to be able to appreciate the creative executions in real-time (if desired). No, I didn't "Sush" anyone last night if there was a commercial I wanted to see - but luckily it was an intimate enough affair that I could listen if I wanted to. (Side note - you can see all of the Super Bowl Commercials from yesterday here)
5) Comfortable-enough seating - Now this is certainly tough, especially in NYC. BUT - it is over a 4 hour commitment to watch the Superbowl. I don't care how "easy going" I am, 4+ hours sitting on the floor ain't fun. I'm not saying that I need my own Lazy-boy with built in surround-sound (which would be cool), but my legs are too long and I am too old to sit on the floor.

I know it seems simple - but that's it. Of course things like "winning your bets," "a bunch of drunk hot girls," or "actually going to the game" can certainly IMPROVE your time, but they are not required.

Thanks to The Brown's for hosting a great Superbowl 2006 party. Looking forward to doing it again in 2007.

Super Bowl Box Pool Analysis

I am officially in 4 Super Bowl box pools. In the spirit of that - I wanted to share some analysis and history of this event. It was done by a guy named Rick Deutsch (who I don't know - but learned he used to go out with one of my friends in high school) Here it is:

Ah yes, it's that time of year again...Super Bowl Boxes are being
filled out as we speak! A time when friendly office competition turns
ugly, when any man's 10 spot is as green as the next, and a time when
the most annoying pr*ck in the office beats your numbers on a
meaningless interception return in the waning moments of the game. Of
course, for the eternal optimists in every office, it's also a time
when every combination of numbers seems conceivable: "Hey, all I need
is two safeties, 7 field goals, a missed extra point and a flash flood
inside the dome and my 5/5 is lookin' pretty good!" Well, to shed some
undeniable light on the chances of your numbers actually hitting, here
is a statistical analysis of the winning box numbers from the last 10
Super Bowls (EDITORIAL NOTE: as an video editor, I have a lot of "down
time" when the computer renders effects, so please spare me the 'lots
of time on your hands' comments)...

PERCENT CHANCES THAT ANY SINGLE NUMBER WILL HIT:

7 - 23.75%
0 - 22.5%
4 - 18.75%
3 - 12.5%
6 - 6.25%
1 - 6.25%
9 - 5%
5 - 2.5%
2 - 1.25%
8 - 1.25%

SOME OTHER THINGS TO CHEW ON:

- In the last 10 years, no other number but 0, 3, 4, or 7 has hit in
the first quarter!

- In the last 10 years, except for a single hit each by the number 6
and the number 9, no other number but 0, 3, 4, or 7 has hit in the
first HALF!

- The number 5 has only hit twice in the last ten years, and both
occurences happened in consecutive quarters. The last time the number
5 hit was in 1997.

- The numbers 2 and 8 have only hit once each in the last 10 years.
They were both numbers in the final score of the game.

- The numbers 1, 4 and 7 have by far the best chances of making it
into the final score -- each has a 20% chance. Number 9 has a 10%
chance, and every other number has a %5 chance, including everyone's
favorite, Number 0 (only one appearance in 20 chances)!

- While they may seem like good numbers individually, some
combinations just don't seem to hit. 0/1 hasn't hit in the last 10
years. In fact, 0 hit with 9 once in the last 10 years, but 0 has
never hit with any number other than 0, 3, 4, or 7. 6/3 has only hit
once (and it was as a final score) and so has 6/6 -- 6 has only ever
hit with a 3, 6, or 7. While 0 is a phenomenal first half number, it's
a pretty bad second half number, with only 3 appearances in the last 10
years and only one appearance in the final score (0/7). You have
almost as good a chance as hitting a 5 in the second half as you do a 0
(2 appearances in the second half compared to 0's 3 appearances), and
an equal chance of hitting a 9 (also 3 appearances).

- The best double numbers (ie, 0/0, 3/3, 4/4) are 0/0 (4 hits) and
7/7 (3 hits). Only 3/3, 6/6, and 4/4 have ever hit, but only once
each. No other double number has hit in the last 10 years.

WINNING #'s BY QUARTER - LAST 10 YEARS:

2005 -
Q1 = 0/0
Q2 = 7/7
Q3 = 4/4
Final = 4/1

2004 -
Q1 = 0/0
Q2 = 0/4
Q3 = 0/4
Final = 2/9

2003 -
Q1 = 3/3
Q2 = 3/0
Q3 = 9/4
Final = 8/1

2002 -
Q1 = 3/0
Q2 = 3/4
Q3 = 3/7
Final = 0/7

2001 -
Q1 = 7/0
Q2 = 0/0
Q3 = 4/7
Final = 4/7

2000 -
Q1 = 3/0
Q2 = 9/0
Q3 = 6/6
Final = 3/6

1999 -
Q1 = 7/3
Q2 = 7/6
Q3 = 7/6
Final = 4/9

1998 -
Q1 = 7/7
Q2 = 4/7
Q3 = 7/4
Final = 4/1

1997 -
Q1 = 4/0
Q2 = 4/7
Q3 = 1/5
Final = 1/5

1996 -
Q1 = 0/0
Q2 = 3/7
Q3 = 0/7
Final = 7/7

Rich In Love

I somewhat believe in Karma…. The concept that if you are a good person, life will eventually reward you as such. With this in mind, I believe that I am a good person, who strives to do “the right thing” as much as possible. This being said, I have never selflessly (meaning without getting some benefit someway – like building your high school resume to get into college) devoted my time to charity.

This post isn’t to announce my personal foray into volunteerism, however, it’s to give props to those that have….

Last night I attended a fundraiser of Rich in Love, which is a new organization devoted to raising money for Cancer research. You should spend 5 minutes reading their story on the site if you can, but the gist is that 2 best friends (Hallie RICH and Allison LOVE) grew up together with their families being super-close – and both fathers have been diagnosed with Cancer (one of them having passed away).

Last night was their first event, and it was extremely heart-warming to see the execution of a great event (with a great turn-out). Amy and I joined a slew of friends and family of Hallie and Allison – who helped raise almost $60,000 for the American Cancer Society. I don’t think that the $60K alone is going to cure cancer, but I do think this millions of acts like this are the right thing to do....I was beyond impressed with the effort and result of the organization. Congrats to all involved!

Side note: Amy and I went on behalf of the entire Goffin family. As my father and Mel Rich are long-time friends, he insisted to on donating to the cause and "sponsoring" Amy and my attendance and raffle tickets…

Just write it down!

In New York City, one tends to find a bit more finicky restaurant ordering than say in Omaha, Nebraska… In Omaha, customers are probably more comfortable with ordering straight by numbers (with no modifications), so a waiter could probably get by with remembering “Two number 16’s, a number 3 and 2 Milwaukee’s Best Beers” …. HOWEVER…In NYC, I cannot seem to understand why ANY waiter would not write down a food order.

It has been mentioned by me in previous posts, that I do not have a problem with attempting to modify a standard menu item at a restaurant. I believe that if I’m going to be paying for something – I might as well try and get it exactly how I want it (within reason)…In my vast experience in New York city restaurants, I believe that many New Yorkers agree with me…

So back to the issue…. What is the possible advantage for a waiter NOT writing down an order? Am I going to be so impressed that he remember my order without writing it down that I suddenly realize that I should leave a 100% tip rather than 20%?? I don’t get it! For me, the anxiety of the waiter not writing anything down (even IF he/she doesn’t mess it up) makes me want to leave less of a tip…

Yesterday, I ordered an egg white omelet with tomato and feta (my standard), with fruit instead of French fries…. The waiter brought me a regular egg-in omelet with tomato and feta, with fruit… When I told him that I ordered egg whites, his response was, “You did? I remembered the feta and tomato” … Again … AS IF I AM SUPPOSED TO BE IMPRESSED?”

The strong aggravation is that I just do not see the downside….Similar to repeating the order before the waiter leaves the table… Yes, it takes more time, but I don’t have a problem with it….

My frustration with this has caused me to try and adopt a new practice….. For any waiter that does not write down my order (even if they get it right), I am automatically going to leave 15% gratuity….(versus the standard 20% I usually leave)…. We will see how this goes – but in case you haven’t been able to tell … I really don’t like it when waiters do not write down my order….