Am currently blogging LIVE ON LOCATION from this splendid hotel.
I was pondering a little while ago what to leave for a tip for housekeeping or if I should leave a tip at all. It's not a question of whether or not I'm satisfied with the service /amenities, but..well for one, I am unsure: is housekeeper-tipping the norm in ALL hotels or just at seedier ones where the staff gets very measly wages? I suppose the idea behind tipping is that it's a monetary show of appreciation and the weekly salary of the recipient shouldn't enter into it...right?? And I'm definitely appreciative--not only of the bed making & daily towel replenishment, but also for my complimentary USA Today and also for the tremendous attention to detail involved in making sure that the end sheet of my TP is folded into a point everyday (that means A LOT to me!) So, OK, then the only reason I'm conflicted re: tipping or not is because one of the reasons I signed on for this trip is that Maggie hyped it as being "ALL EXPENSES PAID" And sure, I've had a few out-of-the-pocket expenses (not very many) but have been conscientious (if you can believe it--ME, conscientious) about saving receipts for future reimbursement. I don't know if you can get a receipt for a housekeeping tip ( methinks it would be tricky to do so) and therefore if I were to tip housekeeping, it'd be a dousing of rain on the all-expenses-paidness of my parade. Maybe I'll just leave a thoughtful, hand-written thank-you note,eh?
Speaking of rain (a coupla lines back), I didn't feel like driving us (although Bonnie drove us to the CT airport, I have been the driver here in TX--ever since obtaining the co. van ) around tonight in the rain & T-storms and LORDY KNOWS the other chicks won't do it (B is dead set against it....just 'cause she schlepped us down to CT. Sheesh!) So we wound up ordering from this place called Black Eyed Peas and had it delivered to the Fairfield. Blackeyed Peas actually doesn't have delivery service, but we used this nifty-ass service called Entrees-on-Trays that goes and picks up your take-out (from selected restaurants) and delivers it to you. I'm sure such businesses are commonplace in every metro area across the US, but was the first time I'd used such a service and I was like, inordinately impressed. I mean, nevermind the invalubleness of the service provided...that NAME alone struck me as rather brilliant. SOO punny--haa!
We made it a point to ask for a damned itemized receipt when we ordered but do ya think they remembered?? They forgot that and Laurel's side of mac 'n' cheese. The mac 'n' cheese was hardly missed, we had such an overabundance of grub as it was. But we called the restaurant back and requested the receipt be faxed to us. Wonder if that fax ever came in?
Anyways we each got an appetizer to share and then our meals.. the food was good, but I kinda wish I'd gone with my first instinct ..to order Mexican from El Guapo's. I SWEAR, every where you dine out in TX, they give you an ASSLOAD of bread and/or biscuits and your choice of two sides. There's no way this isn't the fattest state in the nation. I'm finding it next to impossible to eat sensibly here. When I hit the scale a week from tonight, I think I might scream the Fbomb and/or cry. I ate soooo much tonight I'm fucking ACHEY. Oy.
I tried fried pickles ...that was Laurel's pick for appetizer. I probably ate more of 'em than L did, they really weren't as nasty as you'd think they might be. Fairly tasty. O' course, I was liberally dunking them in ranch ... ranch makes everything better. It's magical in that way (just like bacon). I am --in general-- a big believer in trying new things, and I feel one should make an extra effort to do so when on vaca. Well, I'm not exactly on vaca, but I'm on an UTTERLY POINTLESS business trip and that's not far off from being a vaca. So anyways, Monday night's thing was turnip greens, tonight it's fried pickles. I know it don't sound like it, but my make-an-effort-to-try-new-things policy is not a purely epicurean policy. It surely would behoove me (& my fat ass) to extend the policy towards non-edibles.
Before we got our food delivered, L & I walked down the Racetrac (local mini mart) and I bought beer (a 40 of Tecate and a 40 of Miller Chill --'tis a light lime-enhanced kinda beer..excellent for the beach, I've found) and I was astonished to discover, in my perusal of Racetrac, that they have at least a half dozen different brands of pork rinds. I had to call Laurel over as a witness. The pork rinds took up about half of the chip aisle. It was INSANE. I shall not be trying pork rinds. I am quite adamant on that point. Will also be passing on the calf fries like I watched Guy Fiere chow down on when he visited OK .
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