September 16, 2002
Well, I’ve wondered what kind of odd consequences my posted journal entries could possibly have and here they come. Sue H. (our receptionist and circulation director) stuck her head in my office this morning and said, “Why would you leave a $5 tip on a $65 meal?” I knew instantly what she was talking about.
In the afternoon Carole, R.G. and I were interviewing a woman in the conference room for a job in production. She seemed rather uneasy about something and mentioned she had visited our website. As she shuffled thru a stack of papers in front of her, she kind of rolled her eyes and said that she had also read “the journal.” We all laughed nervously and Carole said, “What did you think of it?” The interviewee found a printout and read out loud: “I feel sick to my stomach today. I’ve hired someone who we can’t afford and I feel like a failure.” Well, Carole, Roland and I howled, but I couldn’t tell if the interviewee seemed more uncomfortable by the diary entry or our seemingly demented reaction to her reading it. Ouch!

I’m trying to get ready for a trip to Cody, WY tomorrow. Will be gone for five days to the Cody Desgin Conference and to see my mom. Came home last night and had a glass of cabernet wine and Swedish pancakes (funny what we eat when we’re trying not to waste food, ha.).

Jana B. came in today and was a steamroller. Trimmed her own copy and helped R.G. hammer out several pieces. Our 2003 issues are going to be very strong.

By the way, the $5 tip happened like this: Russ and Wendy Shaw went to dinner with us at the Boulders about a month ago. I have a Signature card which gives us 30% off the bill. For parties of four, the Boulders charges an automatic 18% gratuity, but since it was off the lower combined bill ($120, which we then split between the couples) we added a $5 cash tip so the waiter (he’s the son of a friend) would have a little extra. So glad to clear that up. In spite of the correction, I can just imagine my obit: “Bell, a notoriously bad tipper, died Thursday...”