Fishin' in the stream of consciousness (all-purpose, no topic chat thread)

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So staff meeting at work today, and something came up that I want to run by other humans to make sure I'm not living in a bubble. I already have a strong opinion on the matter, but I want to present this as neutrally as possible.

I work at an ice cream shop, a pretty expensive one. People have the option of tipping when they pay, 10%, 15%, 20%, custom amount, or nothing. Management is considering taking that option away and putting in an automatic 10% gratuity on everything. What would you do if that happened at your local ice cream shop?

 

I would be pretty confused. I tip anyway and without very, very clear instructions or signage I would think the ice cream price had gone up - ice thought a restaurant was much more expensive than it was before because of unclear automatic tip policies, and it made me less likely to come back. I'm not a fan because it adds an extra step to my mental tip calculation. I know a lot of people don't tip, though, having worked food service, so I'm torn.

 

I have to agree that it’s likely to confuse people. Plus, Even if they do understand it, people who don’t want to tip will be upset at being forced to, which can cause customer service problems and possibly lose you customers. Maybe suggest they change the tip options to 15, 20, 25 percent?

 

As long as it's clearly stated that the price has gone up by 10% to make up for tips, then thats fine. I would probably not care if i'm already paying for expensive ice cream. I'm committed to buying A Treat and paying a little more

 

Also unrelatedly, does anyone else who used to play music in band or sing in choir get anxious when you lose your place even if you're just reading along with the lyrics while listening to a song?

My impulse is to skim along trying to catch some part that looks like it matches what i'm hearing, to mentally jump back in at. But i'm not actually playing along so i make myself just close the page entirely lol

 

this is the daddest thing ive ever seen

 

Grammaphone acoustic iPhone speaker- cool? Worth $50?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_cuisine

I used to be in the SCA and I have a bunch of medieval cookbooks. SCA food was always pretty good except that I didn't know I had celiac disease back then and I'd have to be a lot more careful now. (Millet was available, though, and unlike wheat and barley, it is naturally gluten free. Oats are gluten free but are easily contaminated if stored near wheat.)

Soy milk wasn't available, but almond milk was commonly used on fast days where consumption of dairy was forbidden.

 

I never know how much to tip when I am in a place that doesn't have table service so I would be in favour of an automatic option and more importantly the assurance that the servers are paid a living wage.

But most of the ice cream shops I frequent don't have much in the way of 'service'--you walk up to the front, they make your cone/bowl, you pay and take it. At the Haagen Dazs in the mall there isn't even a place to sit, you have to eat it in the food court. At Bi-Rite there are four chairs. Good luck getting one, the line stretches around the block unless it's too cold for ice cream.

If you have table service, though, 10% is a ridiculously chintzy tip.

 

Someone’s dog got loose in the parking lot across the street so one of my coworkers had to call our boss because we don’t have the owners info.

 

journey of self discovery over the past few weeks

found out my skin is a zitty mess because i pick at it constantly

found out i pick at it constantly because of anxiety

found out fidget spinners help with the anxiety enough that my skin is starting to heal

found out that between that, daily washing and moisturizing, and drinking as much water as i can force into my body without getting sick, my skin is clearing up after only about three days

 

paging our native english speakers and others who might know the distinction:
what is the difference between "definitely" and "definitively"?

 

'definitely' is basically a synonym for 'certainly'. you are definite that a thing is the best.
'definitively' means that whatever you're describing is The Best Example of whatever it is an example of. the defining example, as it were. a thing is definitive.

 

Definitively is more limited. I'd only use it if there was some sort of concrete fact involved, for example "I know definitively that humans are mammals" or "the dictionary provides a definitive definition of this word"

Edit: https://english.stackexchange.com/q...he-difference-between-definite-and-definitive

 

I think "definitively" implies "certainly, and that's the last say anyone can have on the matter", or something like that.
Source: lots of younger French people keep using "définitivement" to mean "definitely" which is technically prescriptively not right.

 

thank you two! makes sense, now i just need to plug it into my language script "_"

 

I’d use “definitely” in casual speech the same way I’d use “totally” or “completely”. It technically has a meaning, but the purpose is more to modulate tone. “It was definitely a bad idea.” “It’s definitely okay if you don’t want to do that.” It’s sort of putting emphasis on something I want to mark as important, but it’s functioning more as a verbal hedge. It makes the sentence seem less blunt.

I wouldn’t be likely to use “definitively” that way unless I was exaggerating for humor. It’s a less common word so people won’t gloss over it as easily.

 

This doesn't stop English speakers from using "definitively" as a more intense version of "definitely"-- but it's not the correct usage.

I know you've seen me use it that way in dialogue, but it'll always be someone like Mabel, who is creative with her language and slang in general, not someone like Ford, who would probably say something about it if she ever did it in front of him.

 

Really? That softens the sentence...without forcing you to remind people that your opinions are your own, or speak as though you're not actually sure about things you are pretty sure about? That could be really useful.

(I loathe being expected to talk about things like I'm not sure of my own opinions, but then you get people wanting to Prove You Wrong, even if you're actually delighted with new information.)