I actually caught one of those ads for the new McDonalds meals...

Two women are gossiping. One of them is talking about her brother's fiancee, but before she says what's so horrible about this woman she breaks off her conversation to walk up the stairs while her friend takes the elevator. They then meet up just in time for us to find out that *gasp* the fiancee is FOUR WHOLE INCHES TALLER THAN HE IS! I mean, can you imagine?

I'm not sure which part of this commercial is worse, the idea that you have to by an overpriced, unhealthy salad at a fast food chain with a toy to walk, or the fact that these four inches are apparently something people should care about. Either way, I feel as though I've been firmly insulted. I mean, god, are people honestly that shallow/stupid?

Tipping sucks.

Seriously. I hate the idea of mandatory tipping because I know you have to tip, or else you're stiffing your server of his/her pay. Restaurants here are allowed to pay less than minimum wage (which sucks anyway) because the assumption is that they're getting tipped. The argument against just paying minimum wage is that "well, if we did that, the prices would have to be higher", which sounds like a good argument until you realize the prices wouldn't be any higher than they already are. I mean, the prices in the menus would be higher, sure, but you're already paying what they would be. You already know, when you go out to dinner, that if you're buying a $10 meal you need to budget for $12. Since you're already planning to spend that much, why not just add it onto the menu prices, thus eliminating the financial loss wrought by bad tippers AND making tipping a completely free and honest assessment of a job well done?