
I worked late every day this week in preparation for our major, major, final deadline. This project is a big deal. I was going to leave early on Friday but thankfully we caught something that was wrong with my code, and I was able to correct it before too long.
So I had been scheduled to meet up with Bryan, Scott, and Jenn around 4:30 but didn't make it until 5:45 or so. I missed happy hour but oh well. They were already tipsy and in good moods, and I joined in. Apparently it was order cocktails night, since that's all that they were ordering, which I approve of as beer doesn't really affect me, even though cocktails are more expensive. Got to taste some interesting drinks.
Our waitress, Ryann, was cute and fun, she was interactive with us. For example, tipsy Scott was all, "You know what you need to change about these menus?" and she responds, "The fonts?! I hate the fonts! Nobody can find what they want on the menu!" No, he wanted a free movie ticket if you bought enough drinks. But it was funny. There was also this loud family there and after they left she complained to us that they left her almost nothing in tips. Later Bryan did this dorky thing with his hands, I don't know how to describe it, then he was embarrassed cause she had seen it and pointed out, "You didn't realize I was behind you and saw that did you?" I asked her for a drink recommendation and she suggested one (the name eludes me) that she described it as "Christmas on the beach". Bryan was intrigued and got it. He said it did indeed smell like Christmas due to the cinnamon and we passed it around and it reaches me last and I smell it and say, "It smells like alcohol." Apparently that was hilarious cause they couldn't stop laughing. I was dead serious, that's what it smelled like. Anyway, later Scott is drunk at some point, and she asks if she can get us anything more and Scott says yes but he's too drunk to make a decision, so he says, "You pick," to Ryann. She comes back with this mystery drink and he makes a big deal of sniffing it and trying to figure it out, and then he finally tries it, states it is amazing, and so we of course have to pass around the cup and each try it. Frankly, it was amazing. We deemed it the coconut mule as it was a variant of a Moscow Mule with coconut rum that she said she and her coworkers sometimes drank. I ordered two. I was buzzed this time and we kept swapping good stories and jokes.
Our waitress told us her shift was over and we could cash out our tabs or stay and these others guys would take care of our orders. We decided we'd leave. Our friend Lee's wife and daughter work just down the street at Cold Stone Creamery so we decided we would head there next. My bill was $40 ($40 for just alcohol!) Since she had been so cool with us, I decided I would give her a $20 tip. $20 tip is kind of my go to if I like a waiter/waitress (presuming it is more than 20% of the bill), just cause I think of it like leaving a $20 of cash, the most commonly carried bill, at least by me, even though I buy everything with credit cards for rewards points. But then I thought how she had been screwed by that annoying family and doubled it to $40. After she collected our receipts she came back and put her hand on my shoulder and thanked me for my generosity. I told her "someone had to make up for those assholes" gesturing to where the family had sat. Then I was quizzed by my friends as to how much I gave her, to which I would not answer. I told them, hey, I have money, much as I'm aiming for early retirement who knows how long I will live, if I can brighten someone cool's day with such a gesture, then I like to do that. And you know, if I can ruin someone's day who is an asshole, well I'm an asshole too, so I'll try to ruin a bad person's day too. :p
So then we went and got good ice cream, though our friend's family members were not working. It was a beautiful night outside so we sat outside and ate ice cream, then eventually went and walked around the strip mall area.
Today I woke up in a good mood. I forgot how it was to have so much fun. The sad thing is I probably can't repeat it, cause all my friends are impossible to get free time with. It'll be at least 2-3 months before we go out again if even then. I also put the pieces together today (I was too buzzed yesterday to do the calculations in my head), but I gave her a 100% tip. It's something of a point of pride, maybe kind of stupid on my part, but my parents always calculate 15% so I make a habit of giving 20-25% to not be so stingy, and then if the person is awesome I usually give them that round number of $20. I must admit I was quite attracted to Ryann, she had a fun vitality and liveliness to her and she was quite cute. That said, she was probably too young for me, she looked young, and she was engaged, had both the ring and told us about her fiancée. But she was cool to hang out with, if you count hanging out as her working and talking to us in the midst of doing her job. And she introduced us to this amazing drink, which I don't know how we'll get again. She told us the recipe but I didn't catch all of it.
Anyway, good times.