Thank you…

I started this blog for a class – and it was a good class. And while this blog has been fun, and as much as I’d like to continue posting here, I probably wont. I have a blog that I have a hard time keeping up with already. Can’t imagine trying to keep up with two. People who manage to do that? More power to you!

If you enjoyed this at all, please come find me on my official blog: Hot Pink Manolos. I know the name is silly, but I post recipes, restaurant reviews, home decorating ideas, shopping finds, and stories about my dog and cat and life! If any of that interests you at all, I always welcome new readers.

Thanks for reading.

 

 

XOXO

The Service of Love

So I was talking about the holiday tip earlier…and it got me thinking. What is the appropriate holiday tip for your dog walker/dog sitter when that person is your father?

What is the appropriate tip for a 5 day stay where you receive warm blankets to sleep with, coffee prepared for you in the morning and dinner prepared for you at night, when that place belongs to your father?

What is the appropriate tip when you have an assistant that helps you keep your calendar, reminds you to pay your bills, and occasionally acts as a chauffeur…and that assistant is your father?

I know it seems funny to think about, but our families serve us in so many ways all the time, often every day. Yet we don’t feel any monetary obligation to them, and they don’t expect it. When our families provide a service for us, they do so out of love, and love doesn’t expect anything in return.

Our families are our first examples of service, and I hope that this kind of service – service of love, is a lesson we carry through our whole lives. It’s what gives us that warm squishy feeling when we volunteer at the soup kitchen, or donate toys to a Christmas toy drive, or spend time fixing up the rooms at the local battered women’s shelter.

I hope you all remember this idea of the service of love during the rest of this holiday season. Whatever your beliefs, we are all called to help others in need.

 

 

Service Animals Doing Restaurants a Disservice

The concept of a service animal is a wonderful thing. I can’t imagine the freedom a seeing eye dog must bring to a blind man, or a companion animal to someone with severe emotional issues. The problem is, there’s no regulation of these things and when you work in a restaurant, sometimes it’s problematic.

It’s not so hard with seeing eye dogs. It’s usually fairly apparent that the guest is vision impaired, and the dogs usually have a specific kind of harness or vest. But how do you start telling the difference between the chihuahua toting, Paris Hilton wannabes, and the people who actually have a medically diagnosed need for a companion animal? There’s no registration for these things, and anyone could just walk in with their pet yorkie and SAY it’s a companion animal. I mean there are the ones who are so obvious that they’re not companion animals, but just pets of horribly spoiled people, but even when you think you KNOW that’s the case…how do you prove it without being absurdly rude to your customer?

You could refuse service. But then what happens if you’re wrong? You could end up with a lawsuit on your hands for discrimination against a handicapped person!!!

It’s hard for the restaurant too, because what if the health department were to walk in at that very moment? I’m guessing that if I can’t tell the difference between a companion animal and an over entitled lady with a dog, the health inspector can’t either. But between the restaurant and the customer, if the inspector’s being a hardass, the restaurant will pay the price, not the dog owner.

Restaurants need to be able to protect themselves and their assets. But this is such a delicate situation….

How would YOU handle this?