I don’t get into political discussions very often, although these days it’s almost impossible to avoid them. Still, it’s a fascinating subject, especially because we’re witnessing a phenomenon that I have a hard time understanding: people voting against their own best interests. For instance, some women vote for politicians who won’t support an equal…
This seems like the appropriate day to consider where we’re at—as a nation, I mean—especially during a presidential election year. So far, the campaign has been a monumental disappointment. We ought to be hearing intelligent discussion of real issues; instead, one candidate gives us political platitudes; the other bombast and bullshit, adhering to to…
I think I’ve finally got the business of tipping in restaurants pretty well sorted out. I tend to tip around 20 percent in the more ordinary establishments where the modest prices mean smaller gratuities, but closer to 15 percent in the “fine dining” establishments where the higher menu prices mean bigger tips. (I never stiff…
The Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago’s Union Station is reserved for Amtrak’s sleeping car passengers and that’s where I’m waiting to board my connecting train to Seattle, the Empire Builder. That’s also where I get the bad news: There has been severe flooding along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin and the Empire Builder is unable to…