Monday's Missives

The Family

• I know people sometimes mock Budweiser beer but I promise you it used to be very popular among Germans. They would trade you a six pack of super good German beer for a 6 pack of Budweiser anytime and were absolutely flattered if you thought of them and gave them a six pack of Bud.
• My buddy in Germany was always running side hustles. He sold American booze and smokes to Germans and European fake Rolex watches to Americans. His dad owned a timber company in Humboldt County California.
• Last weekend (today is 02/04/2018) I saw somebody I served with in the war in a restaurant. We didn't speak. He looked old and tired and in no mood to act interested in anybody or anything. I felt old and tired and mostly only in the mood for a nap.
• Although less true for my dad- for being poorly educated both my parents spoke unusually well and seemed to have very good vocabularies- I wonder why.
• Exceptions: dad mispronounced Italy as Ittly, battery as batt-tree and Italian as eye-talian.
• I remember when it wasn't at all uncommon for people to actually wear gloves when they drove. My dad only stopped after getting a car with power steering. Prior to that he kept both cold and warm weather gloves in the glove box. The warm weather ones were nice and he was proud of them.
• I accidentally stiffed a server at my breakfast place one day. The following weekend I gave her a kinda OK tip- about right for the 2 meals plus a small amount extra to male up for being rude the weekend before (it still only amounted to about 20% tip for each meal and 2 dollars or so extra). 
• She acted weird about it- making me feel uncomfortable and regret trying to be nice.
• I give up.