Tipping Your Server 101

Hello there lovies! Today, I'm going to talk about something that is very important to learn. How to properly tip a server!

Working in a restaurant, I see this every day. Friendly customers, great service, bad tip. Seeing this happen day after day has inspired me to make a how-to! (Especially for all my lovely coworker's sakes)

Things to Consider:

There are many things to consider when it comes to leaving a tip. I'm not saying that you have to sit and analyze information or do complex algebra when leaving a tip, but hopefully this will give a little bit of insight! 

1: Where in the world are you? 

I live in California. This may not seem like anything major, but in my state, servers are paid minimum wage plus tips, although they are taxed on any tips left on a credit card receipt. Other states may not tax their tips. Some states don't pay their servers minimum wage because they make tips. It's always good to know how servers in your area are paid!

2: Are there hosts? Bartenders? Bussers?

There are a lot of people who aid in getting your order to you. A host gets you to your table, bussers clear your dirty dishes, if you get any alcohol or mixed drinks, the bartenders will make those for you. This is all common knowledge, right? What isn't so common knowledge is that servers share their tips with whoever helped them with these little favors! Servers are required to give 5%-10% of their tips to the hosts and bussers. Each restaurant has different policies, but where I work, a server is required to give 10% of all alcohol sales to the bartender. Servers don't take all their tips home with them, and can often give away anywhere from 20%-50% of the tips they make.

3: Are you dining in or taking out?

I see this very frequently as well. While it isn't required to leave a tip on to-go orders, it is very much appreciated. Although you don't actually see anyone putting together your order, restaurants often have their own to-go specialist who ensures your order is made correctly and puts it together for you. It stinks to be that person who puts together a big, very specific order and then isn't left anything because no one actually saw them do any work. Typically, it's customary to leave 10% of the total if you do tip your to-go specialist.

Now that you have some food for thought (see what I did there?), how to leave a proper tip!

While this may vary from place to place, the consensus is to leave between 15-20% of the total as a tip. There are two easy ways to calculate a tip, especially for those who can't derive functions in their head! One way will come out to about 15% (depending on where you live), the other will give you 20% every time. 

The 15% Tip

Take a look at a receipt. It should look something like this:

And now look at the tax. In this case, it's $1.32. In -most areas- of California, tax is anywhere from 7.5%-8%. Multiply the tax by two. In this case, you'll end up with 2.64. That is your tip! 

The 20% tip

We'll use the same receipt for this one. However, this time, we'll be looking at your total, which is $17.77. Getting a percentage sounds scary and hard, but it's actually pretty simple! You're simply going to move the decimal point over one place, like so: 

So now it looks more like 1.777. Drop that last number so it looks more like a dollar value. Now you'll have 1.77. That is 10% of your bill. Double that number. If you ended up with 3.54, congratulations! You have found 20% of your bill and can leave a tip.

I hope that this post was helpful! Now go forth and be a good tipper instead of a server's horror story. Until next time~

-MZ

Bloglovin

Once again, let me just say that I suck at posting. It's part of my New Year's resolution to try to get better at that, and I'm brainstorming all over for things to fill my blog with. 

My first step is creating a Bloglovin account! 

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3230316/?claim=u4ryrnqcr9d">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

I'm pretty exciting. Wish me luck at bringing this blog somewhere good!

Shame On Beautylish

Okay, I don't typically get upset over things online. However, I thought that this was ridiculous, and terribly poor planning.

This is an email newsletter from Beautylish. As you can see, the main focus is about Barbie's new platinum blonde hairdo,. Meanwhile, beneath it, about 1/3 of the size of Barbie's photo, is a picture of a bald woman saying: losing hair, losing femininity. Can we just stop a moment and look at this?

First off, how can you make a woman feel good about herself and losing her hair due to chemo or radiation when you stick her underneath a freaking Barbie? Especially when the article about Barbie pertains to her hair. It's a bit disgusting to me.

Another thing I would like to say, long hair DOES NOT equal femininity. It's insulting to all the lovely ladies out there with bobs and pixie cuts to say so. Are they any less feminine than a woman with long hair? Of course not. And it's appalling to imply such a thing. One could argue that because it is breast cancer awareness month, that by "losing femininity", they're implying the list of breast tissue. Yes, cancer is one of the most devastating things a person could ever go through. But is losing breast tissue really losing ones "femininity". Not by a long shot. Breast size should not define what makes a woman "feminine".

Beautylish editors should be ashamed of this poorly planned newsletter. It's disgusting that cancer is trumped by a doll's hair style. Shame on you, Beautylish.

Adventures in OC

Oh golly, I've gotten far behind on my posting again! Luckily, a trip to Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm is the cure for that~

On Thursday, my bestie Poppy and I went to Knott's Halloween Haunt. Sadly, we didn't get a lot of pictures because it was so dark, and I can't do flash photography due to -occasional- seizures. I was able to get two photos of that night, however.

This was my outfit. I bought new clip-in bangs specifically for this night, because I missed having bangs so much. And, yes, I AM wearing a fanny pack.

This was from the end of the night. I had been jonesing for ice cream so we had to get some. Knott's has a little Dryers outside of the park so we stopped inside to get some. We both got single scoops, but for some reason, mine was twice the size of Poppy's! She said, "yours is bigger because you're pretty." Well, I don't know about that, but why on earth would you give a little girl like me an ice cream that big?!

The next day, I went to Disneyland with my friend TK, just like last year. It was so much fun! 

It's all decked out for Halloween!

Me and TK waiting in line for the Matterhorn. It's just been redone, but it was like 100 times bumpier than before!

We went on Star Tours, also. I always have to buy nerdy gear from the shop in Tomorrowland. We both bought a bunch of pins, and the cashier asked us if we wanted big pins. Of course we had to say yes! He gave us Honorary Citizen of Disneyland pins, which I was super excited about. He also gave us birthday pins, despite the fact that it was neither of our birthdays. We wore them regardless, and got birthday wishes from everyone in the park. 

I've started a bit of a tradition in my photos over the last couple years where I have to be jumping in front of interesting backgrounds. Of course I had to get a jumping photo in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle!

We also got pictures with Tigger and Pooh. I was taking up a bit of time because I couldn't work TK's camera and Tigger was giving me a hard time. But he forgave me and gave me a hug and a pat on the head!

This is probably my favourite picture. Tigger accidentally tripped TK and this photo (that was taken completely by accident) was the result. Priceless.

Pooh was very sweet and gave me a hug. We also had to match our poses.

This is from our picture from Space Mountain. It's all decked out in its "ghost galaxy" phase for Halloween, which I've never been on. Honestly, it kind of freaked me out. I know for a FACT that it would have given me nightmares as a child. The "ghost galaxy" reminded me of a Resident Evil monster that gave me nightmares for years and years. This was my unhappy face.

This one is from Splash Mountain. TK hadn't been on it more than twice, so I had to drag her on.  She wanted to avoid getting wet, so she made me sit in the front. I got absolutely SOAKED. But it was worth it just for this picture.

This one is from the roller coaster in California Adventure. It was my first time going on it and, oh my gosh, I did NOT expect it to go so fast! I might have a new favourite roller coaster. We also went on Tower of Terror at California Adventure, but TK didn't care for that photo. 

This was the last one we took for rides, on Buzz's Astro Blaster. I was making a super concentrated face because shooting a ray gun is srs bsns.

I feel like the only time I ever update is when I go to Disneyland! I need to work on that.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

I've recently been making a lot of little changes in my life, trying to add up to a positive feeling of evolving as a person lately! Especially with the upcoming change in the seasons, and also because school is starting. 

Step one: New hair!

Now, I'm a bit of a "hair chameleon", as my friends have called me, so while this isn't a super huge change, it's still new, nonetheless. Naturally, I have a wonderful shade of hair that's auburn, brown with a reddish hue. I've had my hair just about every colour under the natural spectrum, but I tend to stick to one colour: RED. My hair has been red for a year, and recently I decided that I was tired of it and needed something new. 

BEFORE:

I loved my red. It made me feel like Ariel of the Little Mermaid. There's no doubt in my mind that I will go back to red someday. I just felt that I needed something new. So I said goodbye to my mermaid hair.

AFTER:

Instead, I said hello to what has been deemed "Snow White" hair. The first day after I got it done, the little girl I nanny said, "You're Snow White now!" (And, yes, I also base my hair colours off of Disney characters) While at first, I was a bit taken back at how dark it was, I'm completely in love with it. It's silly how something as simple as hair colour can make you feel like a completely different person, but by golly, it's just what the doctor ordered! 

Speaking of changes, I've also begun redecorating my room! I'm definitely going to start my own set of posts based on that soon~

Liebster Award

The Liebster Blog Award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. 

The Meaning; Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. 

The Rules: 

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves. 

2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you've tagged to answer 

3. Choose eleven people and link them in your post. 

4. Go to their page and tell them. 

5. Remember no tag backs!

I was tagged by a lovely lovey over at http://xowl.blogspot.co.uk/

And now, 11 things about me~

1: I am hard of hearing, or "hearing impaired" as a lot of people would say it. I have low-frequency deafness and am almost completely deaf in my left ear. Luckily,  I learned American Sign Language as a very young child because deafness is hereditary in my family.

2: Even though I'm in the prime of my youth, I'd much rather stay home and make things than go out and party, or whatever it is people my age do. My friends and coworkers refer to me as the "old lady" of the group because, more often than not, I stay home to knit on a Friday night.

3: I have been a huge fan of Nintendo my entire life! My favourite franchise is the Legend of Zelda, and the only gave I haven't played/beaten out of the franchise is Skyward Sword. (I own it, but sadly have not gotten around to actually playing it)

4: Speaking of video games, between my brother and I, we have owned every video game system since NES except for a Dreamcast. 

5: I collect giraffes. I have around 50 different plushes, glass figurines, wood carved figurines, jewelry, bookmarks, beanies, pillows, bedding, and statues of giraffes.

6: I went to Fashion School and majored in Costume Design before deciding that it wasn't for me. Despite not finishing my degree, I still freelance in costume design and often make my friends' costumes for Anime Expo, Comi-Con, and Halloween.

7: I'm really into Japanese street fashion, especially Lolita, Mori Girl, Fairy Kei, and Otome. While I don't often get to dress in these styles often, I could sit and look at pictures of them all day long.

8: I'm a lucky individual to have traveled as much as I have at a young age. For my senior year of high school, I was privileged to travel to Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England. I would give anything to go back or move to one of those places.

9: I often have extreme anxiety over situations I think are silly. If I have to call someone on the phone, move past other folks, approach people, or be the first to speak in conversation, I get extremely anxious. However, if someone approaches me and makes conversation, I'm totally fine.

10: I have a slight-moderate case of OCD. My compulsions often include counting, reciting the digits of Pi, and singing a little song I know about the sun. "The sun is a mass of incandescent gas, a gigantic, nuclear furnace where hydrogen is forced into helium at a temperature of millions of degrees"

11: While I am very petite and often considered "dainty", I've actually had extensive training in muay thai and jiu jitsu and was a lightweight MMA fighter throughout high school. I had to stop fighting after an allergic reaction to anxiety medication which caused me to have a set of seizures and slip into a 3 day coma, unfortunately.

And here are the 11 questions by my tagger~

1. Who/what inspires you?

I'm extremely inspired by nature and the universe. My two biggest sources of inspiration are forests and the sun. Forests are filled with some of my favourite animals (deer, bears, owls, foxes) and stars are one of my favourite things in the known universe because we are born from them and everything in the universe is made up of "star stuff". They are infinite in their life cycles and never fully die.

2. What's the best thing that's happened to you in the past year?

I had a wonderful moment of realization that I am who I am, and darn it, I'm a great person no matter what anyone says. I'll never settle for anything less than I deserve, it will never matter what anyone thinks about me, and I will only change who I am to evolve into someone better.

3. Do you have/want any tattoos?

I do not have tattoos, but I have several planned out, all thigh pieces. One of them is an art nouveau style portrait of my late grandmother, another is an American traditional style anchor with a banner that reads "I refuse to sink", another is a mix between American traditional and traditional Japanese bear with a banner reading "Mother Bear", and another is a mix between the same two styles, but a coyote. 

4. How would you describe your fashion style?

I admit, I dress very "hipster" at times. I love big, baggy Bill Cosby or grandpa sweaters, anything that would come out of my grandma's closet, leggings, loafers, and tank tops that don't touch my body at all. As mentioned above, I love Japanese street fashion as well and dress in all the styles I mentioned, but not as much as I would like to. 

5. What food can't you live without?

There are a few I could not live without! Living in California, I am very lucky to have Mexican food unlike anywhere else in the US, and I couldn't live without it. I also could not live without pastas, ranging from spaghetti to Japanese Udon. 

6. Tell me an unpopular opinion that you have

In high school, I was considered quite heartless for feeling little sympathy for those who would do something foolish with great consequences. There were two girls in our school's ASB who were in a car accident because one of them drove drunk, and while everyone treated them like heroes for surviving, I openly told them how stupid their decision of driving drunk was and that they deserved whatever consequence they had to deal with.

7. Top 5 bands/artists?

I absolutely LOVE Breathe Electric and consider them one of my favourite bands. Motion City Soundtrack has been one of my favourites since high school, as well as Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer. I'm also very fond of Youth Group and Her Space Holiday.

8. Do you have any strange habits?

As I mentioned above, when I get anxious, I either recite the digits of Pi or sing a song about the sun. I also have a very bad habit of peeling the chapped skin off of my lips and plucking hairs out of my head individually, to the point where I once had a tiny bald spot. 

9. What song never fails to make you happy?

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's PONPONPON song. I just can't help but smile, do her little dance, bob my head, and attempt to sing along.

10. What is your dream job?

I would LOVE to be a biology professor at a university or college, but my goal is to teach high school biology. 

11. What's the most you've ever spend on something and what was it?

The most I have ever spent on something was my beloved MacBook~ It cost $1100, but I got a student discount of $100. With taxes and everything included, it ended up costing me $1024

The 11 questions I chose to give to the people I tag are:

1: What is one thing that always calms you down no matter what?

2: Your favourite memory of your childhood?

3: Your dream home?

4: If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring one tool/weapon, what would you bring?

5: What is an animal you feel you relate to the most?

6: If you were to write a memoir of your life, what would it be titled?

7: If you could only shop at one store for the rest of your life, what would it be?

8: If you could trade places with any person for a day, who would it be?

9: If you could choose any fictional character to be friends which, who would you choose?

10: If you could have a self portrait done in any art style, which would you choose?

11: If there is any one thing you want to accomplish before you die, what would it be?

People I tagged!:

Meowzie

The Camera Girl

The Woolen Mitten

Buttons and Bows

Sadly, most of the people I follow have over 200 followers, thus breaking the rules! Anywho, thank you again, Sapphire for the award! 

Adventures

My last two weeks have been so much fun! It's been a bit of a blur because so much happened! Luckily, Instagram helps me keep track.

My sister, Poppy, was back from Davis (she just graduated with her B.S!) and so we had to go hang out! We also met our other sister, Ani, and Poppy brought her boyfriend Alex. This is Poppy's sexy face, by the way.

Poppy didn't finish her salad, so Ani and I told her she wasn't allowed to have any cheesecake!

This is my cheesecake (and it was delicious). White chocolate raspberry truffle~

We went back to Poppy's house, and I got to see her cat Joey, whom I haven't seen in almost 5 years. He got so fat!

I also got a lovely pair of Timberland boots in the mail, and was SUPER excited about it.

The next day, I went to the beach, and got sun poisoning :c It was all the way from my thighs down to my ankles, and the burn unfortunately went all the way down to the muscle. Sadly, once it started to heal, one patch became a second degree burn that's still healing now!

Throughout the last two weeks, I've had to take both my dogs to the groomers. It was their first time being professionally groomed, so it was stressful for the poor things. Huckleberry was so scared of everything, but did such a good job! He deserved a special reward for being good.

Wyatt was just as unhappy, but did a really good job. He sat in my lap the whole drive there and smiled at all the people in PetSmart. The groomers all said he was so sweet and they'd love to have him back. I'm so proud of our little boys!

My lovely friend, Lor, has been getting a lot of fan art lately and said how much she loves when people draw her, so I just HAD to jump in on this opportunity. Here is the drawing I did of her (which she LOVED!) It feels so good to draw again, so I definitely have to keep this up.

Then yesterday, I took yet another trip to Disneyland! I went with three friends (who are all siblings) and we had SO much fun! We just went for a short trip (Oh, the benefits of living in Southern California and having season passes) and it was just lovely.

We also headed over to California Adventure where we had to ride the Tower of Terror and take some photos. Our picture for TOT was amazing, but unfortunately I'm a scatterbrain and left it in their car when they dropped me off. We had SO much fun. We're excited to go back for a whole day and see what we can accomplish.

I hope everyone's been having lovely adventures during their summer!