I happened upon a New York Times article that was a guide to tipping in the big city. Now, I am not what I consider to be a tightwad, and I have on some occasions enjoyed tipping someone who was of real help, or who just happened to be downright pleasant when they did not have to be. That said, I generally abhor tipping. I look upon it as a subsidy that I pay instead of an employer paying a decent wage. What's more, a once optional item has now become obligatory, at least in the USA.
Going by the NYT guide, I figured what an arrival by cab to a hotel in "The City" would cost if I came from the airport and had lunch after checking in. Figuring tips only after I was in the cab, it breaks down like this.
30$ for the cab plus 5.40$ tip (If a range was given as 15-20%, I split it)
1.50$ for doorman
4$ tip for bellboy (2 bags)
2$ for maid (per day)
4$ for concierge (dinner reservation for the evening. Up to 10$ for special services)
4.50$ for waiter at 25$ lunch
2$ for bar man (2 Martinis, about 9$ apiece--what else do you drink in Manhattan for lunch?)
So it costs me 23.40$ in tips for my first few hours. Then there will be a tip for the cab and the waiter at least that evening, so 40-50$ is not out of reach for the whole day, just in tips.
Now this is just for one person. Double the bags, lunch, and drinks, and close to 50-60$ isn't unrealistic. What did I get for all this? Likely, nothing! If I had tipped no one and gotten through the day still alive, these people would have done what I asked anyway.
So, who benefits from my involuntary donations? The employees usually pool tips in bars and restuarants. I don't know about bellboys, doormen, etc. The cab driver does not. The big winner here is the employer. He has me to subsidize his costs.
26 November 2006
17 November 2006
Dr. McKeown and nitrous oxide
One of my memories of life in the 1950s was my dentist that used nitrous oxide for pain relief during procedures. Dr. McKeown and my dad had practiced in the same building in Memphis during the depression. They swapped services to each other and their families. My dad got dental care for he and my mother, and Dr. McKeown got eye care for he and his wife. Later the dental care extended to me. I don't think the McKeowns had any kids.
Anyway, we would make a trip to West Memphis, AR and get dental checkup and work. The thing that I loved about going to him as a dentist is that he used nitrous oxide as a way to make procedures painless. You put a nose mask on and breathed through your nose if something began to hurt. If you felt the lights going out, you just breathed through your mouth. Worked like a charm.
Nitrous oxide is also known as laughing gas. Later, in medical school, I would see people come out of the nitrous laughing, and I remember us holding down "Sarge", a gender confused member of a class while giving her nitrous on an OB table. She laughed her ass off. We learned that in the early days, nitrous parties were held by medical students.
All I can say is that the stuff is great for mild pain relief in a dental chair. It also made me laugh as I awoke. I don't mean snicker. These were big and robust belly laughs from the toes upward. Dr. McKeown and his assistant would just shut the door and laugh with me.
Anyway, we would make a trip to West Memphis, AR and get dental checkup and work. The thing that I loved about going to him as a dentist is that he used nitrous oxide as a way to make procedures painless. You put a nose mask on and breathed through your nose if something began to hurt. If you felt the lights going out, you just breathed through your mouth. Worked like a charm.
Nitrous oxide is also known as laughing gas. Later, in medical school, I would see people come out of the nitrous laughing, and I remember us holding down "Sarge", a gender confused member of a class while giving her nitrous on an OB table. She laughed her ass off. We learned that in the early days, nitrous parties were held by medical students.
All I can say is that the stuff is great for mild pain relief in a dental chair. It also made me laugh as I awoke. I don't mean snicker. These were big and robust belly laughs from the toes upward. Dr. McKeown and his assistant would just shut the door and laugh with me.
16 November 2006
The Vent
The Vent is a series of columns in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. They appear six days a week. There are six vents, a living, a daily, a University of Georgia, a Georgia Tech, a general sports, a Braves baseball, and a Falcons NFL vent. Only the daily vent is, as expected, printed daily. The rest are on an as received basis.
A vent is a short (one or two sentences) comment on something. There is no publication of names, acknowledgements, etc. of a vent. They are emails mainly. A vent is just a way to ventilate one's feelings on any topic. I have seen no profanity, etc. so those must get put in the round file. There is a place to click to send your own vent in to them. I have been published three times.
A lot of vents have to do with local news, but many touch home on a wide variety of social and political aspects of life. About once a week, I find one that makes its way into my signature file. A lot of them are truly priceless bits of philosophy.
I think you have to sign up for the AJC to read the vents, but it is free. I use some dumb user name and an email address that I keep just for spam catching. I have never gotten spammed by the paper. The address for The Vent appears above.
A vent is a short (one or two sentences) comment on something. There is no publication of names, acknowledgements, etc. of a vent. They are emails mainly. A vent is just a way to ventilate one's feelings on any topic. I have seen no profanity, etc. so those must get put in the round file. There is a place to click to send your own vent in to them. I have been published three times.
A lot of vents have to do with local news, but many touch home on a wide variety of social and political aspects of life. About once a week, I find one that makes its way into my signature file. A lot of them are truly priceless bits of philosophy.
I think you have to sign up for the AJC to read the vents, but it is free. I use some dumb user name and an email address that I keep just for spam catching. I have never gotten spammed by the paper. The address for The Vent appears above.
13 November 2006
JV and Me in the ICU
JV and I were in the ICU one night. We were on call. He was an internal medicine resident, and I was a general surgery resident. In those days, if a patient needed a cut down to get access to a vein, a general surgery resident did it. There was a big Tennessee football game that night. JV and I were both big fans. He may have been a bit more radical that I, but it was close.
Anyway, he had called me to come and do a cut down on an elderly man who was "low sick". The old guy needed a cut down, so I got the nurse to get me a tray for one. JV had a small portable radio with the Tennessee game playing. It was a particularly important game, and things were really tight with suspense. JV and I were both enthralled. The nurse brought the tray, but we kept listening.
The old patient was awake and could hear and see what was going on. Suddenly, he sat up and said, "Are you boys going to listen to that damn ballgame or try to get me well?" We both cracked up and got busy doing what we were supposed to do.
Anyway, he had called me to come and do a cut down on an elderly man who was "low sick". The old guy needed a cut down, so I got the nurse to get me a tray for one. JV had a small portable radio with the Tennessee game playing. It was a particularly important game, and things were really tight with suspense. JV and I were both enthralled. The nurse brought the tray, but we kept listening.
The old patient was awake and could hear and see what was going on. Suddenly, he sat up and said, "Are you boys going to listen to that damn ballgame or try to get me well?" We both cracked up and got busy doing what we were supposed to do.
Old Classmates
One of the most unpleasant aspects (to me at least) of "getting on in years" is hearing and seeing old friends get older and, as they say here in CH, starting to "close the circle of life". Mortality is a fact, no doubt about it. As I have said before, one would be a fool to wish for life to never end.
Our high school class will have its 50th reunion next summer. The group has been particularly good about maintaining contacts, and email plays a big part of that now. We get emails when someone is sick or has died. Now one member has been designated as the contact for everyone to pass on information to about the members who die or have some illness. She then emails almost a hundred of us. I guess that I like this. At least next year at the reunion, I won't have the unpleasant news put on me all at once.
Our high school class will have its 50th reunion next summer. The group has been particularly good about maintaining contacts, and email plays a big part of that now. We get emails when someone is sick or has died. Now one member has been designated as the contact for everyone to pass on information to about the members who die or have some illness. She then emails almost a hundred of us. I guess that I like this. At least next year at the reunion, I won't have the unpleasant news put on me all at once.
12 November 2006
Dr. F's Mid Term Exam
Dr. F was a fine teacher of Gross Anatomy, however, we could not be sure that there was not a quiet malignancy in his manner at times. It was little comfort to start a new quarter without at least one or two "retreads" joining us. Retreads were students who had busted a subject and were allowed to repeat the whole quarter. Unless you were a real mental case, most everyone could get a chance ONCE to repeat. The faculty of each quarter held a grade meeting after the final exams had been graded and discussed each student and their grades. Boy!!! Wouldn't you think that would be interesting!
Anyway, a mid term exam was usually worth about 40% of your grade in a subject, so they were respected. The day of our written mid term in Gross Anatomy, Dr. F wrote on the blackboard ONE question! "Compare the upper and lower extremity."
We were all stunned. There were as a rule, 20+ questions on the two hour exam. We all thought at once, "One question means one right or one wrong". Pass or fail. Well it was not the case, but it was the first thought. Panic began to set in.
I thought what the heck, I can only bust the exam once. Then it struck me. Both extremities are made up of bones, blood vessels, muscles, nerves, as well as external landmarks. I took my little blue exam book (remember those?) and drew a line down each page with upper on one side and lower on the other. We had learned the lower extremity anatomy just six months before, so one had to consider what we learned then as well as the recent weeks. After that, it wasn't too hard. The structures are comparative even though they have different names. We had two hours.
Afterwards, there were the usual post exam worries. "Had I put this or that?" "Had I left out this or mistaken something for another structure. Some guys were distraught. It was a week before we met to receive our papers back. The grades ranged from the 20s to above 90. Dr. F was apologetic for having thrown us a loop, and I believe he was genuine. He was reassuring to those that had failed and praised those who had done well.
What was my grade? I don't remember exactly, but it was over 90. There was no one in the class that could not have passed, if the panic had not taken hold of them.
Anyway, a mid term exam was usually worth about 40% of your grade in a subject, so they were respected. The day of our written mid term in Gross Anatomy, Dr. F wrote on the blackboard ONE question! "Compare the upper and lower extremity."
We were all stunned. There were as a rule, 20+ questions on the two hour exam. We all thought at once, "One question means one right or one wrong". Pass or fail. Well it was not the case, but it was the first thought. Panic began to set in.
I thought what the heck, I can only bust the exam once. Then it struck me. Both extremities are made up of bones, blood vessels, muscles, nerves, as well as external landmarks. I took my little blue exam book (remember those?) and drew a line down each page with upper on one side and lower on the other. We had learned the lower extremity anatomy just six months before, so one had to consider what we learned then as well as the recent weeks. After that, it wasn't too hard. The structures are comparative even though they have different names. We had two hours.
Afterwards, there were the usual post exam worries. "Had I put this or that?" "Had I left out this or mistaken something for another structure. Some guys were distraught. It was a week before we met to receive our papers back. The grades ranged from the 20s to above 90. Dr. F was apologetic for having thrown us a loop, and I believe he was genuine. He was reassuring to those that had failed and praised those who had done well.
What was my grade? I don't remember exactly, but it was over 90. There was no one in the class that could not have passed, if the panic had not taken hold of them.
09 November 2006
Thyroidea Ima
This is a story from long ago. Once upon a time, I was a medical student. In the second quarter, we took gross anatomy of the head,neck, and trunk. It was a lot more fun than the first quarter which was the back and lower extremity. This is where the more interesting stuff resides. We named our cadaver "Earnest" so we could always say that we were working in dead earnest.
We had not been in the lab more than a week when we found out that "cutthroats" were not looked kindly upon by fellow students or professors. A "cutthroat" is/are student(s) that have some knowledge of a fact and do not share with their compatriots. This could lead to an unfair advantage, and at least the appearance of such. After all we had done to get to medical school, it just wasn't done. A class with cutthroats was always a bad class.
In the gross anatomy lab one day, our group of four found a structure that wasn't supposed to be where it was. It was an artery coming right off the arch of the aorta and running into the neck. After combing our books, we called the lab assistant over and asked him. He did not know. He got the professor, Dr. F to come over, and he identified the artery as the Thyroidea Ima. In 1-2 % of people, this remains after birth from an embryonic vessel to the thyroid gland.
OK. So now it was time give our classmates a quiz. We started with the ones who were always at the top on quizes, etc. We asked them over to our table in small groups, and nobody had a clue. When everyone had been puzzled, we told them what it was. A couple of weeks later, we had a lab practical exam. This is a test where you have a sheet of paper with numbers on it, and you go from cadaver table to cadaver table finding small tags attached to structures. You then name the structure or answer a question about it on the paper. Our Thyroidea Ima Artery was tagged.
A day or so later, Dr. F passed the papers back and as he came by our table, he said, "Gentlemen, I placed the tag on the Thyroidea Ima to see if you were cutthroats. I am happy to say that your fellow students got the correct name as well as yourselves. I like that."
Our mid-term written exam was another story that will come later.
We had not been in the lab more than a week when we found out that "cutthroats" were not looked kindly upon by fellow students or professors. A "cutthroat" is/are student(s) that have some knowledge of a fact and do not share with their compatriots. This could lead to an unfair advantage, and at least the appearance of such. After all we had done to get to medical school, it just wasn't done. A class with cutthroats was always a bad class.
In the gross anatomy lab one day, our group of four found a structure that wasn't supposed to be where it was. It was an artery coming right off the arch of the aorta and running into the neck. After combing our books, we called the lab assistant over and asked him. He did not know. He got the professor, Dr. F to come over, and he identified the artery as the Thyroidea Ima. In 1-2 % of people, this remains after birth from an embryonic vessel to the thyroid gland.
OK. So now it was time give our classmates a quiz. We started with the ones who were always at the top on quizes, etc. We asked them over to our table in small groups, and nobody had a clue. When everyone had been puzzled, we told them what it was. A couple of weeks later, we had a lab practical exam. This is a test where you have a sheet of paper with numbers on it, and you go from cadaver table to cadaver table finding small tags attached to structures. You then name the structure or answer a question about it on the paper. Our Thyroidea Ima Artery was tagged.
A day or so later, Dr. F passed the papers back and as he came by our table, he said, "Gentlemen, I placed the tag on the Thyroidea Ima to see if you were cutthroats. I am happy to say that your fellow students got the correct name as well as yourselves. I like that."
Our mid-term written exam was another story that will come later.
08 November 2006
Ah, Good Old Politics
Another election has come and gone. We can now enjoy a bit of quiet after all the name calling, dirty tricks, and general BS that characterizes these things every time. That there was a shakeup to not many of us surprise. After 12 years, a few things needed a shake. I am basically a conservative, but not a radical rightist by any means. As I look back over my 68 years, I cannot think of a thing that one or the other party has done that has impacted my life in any fatal way. Overall, great calamity has not befallen me, or the country as a whole, no matter who was in the main position of power.
Why is that? I think it all goes back to the people who were beyond ordinary wisdom in framing the constitution of our country. I believe, and am fond of reminding people, that the USA did get get started by the Cream de la Cream of Europe. Most of the early settlers came to the New World out of need, not to start a new country with the best brains in the world. Most were not criminals, but some were just that. A lot were honest and able to work hard, but because of religion, inheritance laws, etc. in Europe, they could not have a good life and stay there. So, it was mixed bag of new people who came. There were not that many with an education of any kind beyond basic, if at all. I do not recall seeing any reports of how many went back, but it must have been very few.
There were some who were the exception, and we better be awfully glad that there were. They may have been aristocrats, and that may not sound so good, but they were good. Men like George Washington, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Paul Revere, and Patrick Henry were able to put together a constitution that, so far, seems to have thought of everything. That is a big reason why I don't worry too much about which party gets the nod. No matter how many "kooks" of any persuasion are elected, there is one or two other governmental divisions to hold them back from stupidity.
I have to wonder how many "suppose this happens" were discussed by those men. I also really would like to have 30 minutes with them to see what they think about today. Flabbergasted, I am sure, but I think also they would be very proud of their ideas.
Why is that? I think it all goes back to the people who were beyond ordinary wisdom in framing the constitution of our country. I believe, and am fond of reminding people, that the USA did get get started by the Cream de la Cream of Europe. Most of the early settlers came to the New World out of need, not to start a new country with the best brains in the world. Most were not criminals, but some were just that. A lot were honest and able to work hard, but because of religion, inheritance laws, etc. in Europe, they could not have a good life and stay there. So, it was mixed bag of new people who came. There were not that many with an education of any kind beyond basic, if at all. I do not recall seeing any reports of how many went back, but it must have been very few.
There were some who were the exception, and we better be awfully glad that there were. They may have been aristocrats, and that may not sound so good, but they were good. Men like George Washington, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Paul Revere, and Patrick Henry were able to put together a constitution that, so far, seems to have thought of everything. That is a big reason why I don't worry too much about which party gets the nod. No matter how many "kooks" of any persuasion are elected, there is one or two other governmental divisions to hold them back from stupidity.
I have to wonder how many "suppose this happens" were discussed by those men. I also really would like to have 30 minutes with them to see what they think about today. Flabbergasted, I am sure, but I think also they would be very proud of their ideas.
05 November 2006
Rats and Red Wine
There is a new report out on red wine. Many of you know that red wine drinkers are supposed to derive cardiac and vascular benefits from their imbibing this beverage. Well, listen up, this is just in!! Red wine fed to rats, that's right rats, also gives them health benefits and longevity. Isn't that just the most comforting thing you have heard all day?
Now, I may be in the minority here, but I haven't had a pet rat in years. In fact, I have NEVER had a pet rat. I doubt that my feelings on the subject will change either. I still think that those of you who love the the little rodents will be comforted by this bit of reassuring knowledge. Just think, little Felix, Marie Theresa, or whatever the rat's name is, will have a longer and healthier life if you can just get it to suck up a little of the grape each day.
Heaven forbid that some of the little pests will develop an appreciation for vintage, hybrids, or localities associated with red wines.
Now, I may be in the minority here, but I haven't had a pet rat in years. In fact, I have NEVER had a pet rat. I doubt that my feelings on the subject will change either. I still think that those of you who love the the little rodents will be comforted by this bit of reassuring knowledge. Just think, little Felix, Marie Theresa, or whatever the rat's name is, will have a longer and healthier life if you can just get it to suck up a little of the grape each day.
Heaven forbid that some of the little pests will develop an appreciation for vintage, hybrids, or localities associated with red wines.
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