Moron in Leathers

[EmilyRose1982]

This guy is gradually becoming a repeat SC offender. He comes in afternoons, dressed from head to toe in biker leathers, zippers everywhere, etc. In short, he's hard to forget.

Here are two interactions I've had with him in the last week, that made me shake my head and bite my tongue, hard.

Sales Tax

SC walks up to the counter and orders a drink from my CW. Don't remember what it was, or exactly how much it cost. (prices below are ballpark guesses from my memory)
CW: Ok, that will be $4.72.
SC: What?? But it says (points viciously at the menu) $4.49!!!
CW: Yes....that's the base price, before tax...
SC: Over 20 cents tax??? That's RIDICULOUS! We need to get with that Tea Party and get this all fixed!!!!
CW: Uh....yeah....

I'm standing with my back to him, making his drink. At the sound of "Tea Party" my jaw clenches, and I'm fighting to keep from spinning around and yelling at him for various reasons.
Also, if you live in Minnesota, you have no damn reason to bitch about sales tax, as it doesn't apply to food and clothes (restaurants don't apply, as they are no "essential") If you're buying a coffee drink for over $4 and can't handle 20 cents tax, then maybe you have bigger problems.
As for my "Tea Party" comment, my reaction had more to do with that lunatic Michelle Bachmann, who's the Rep. for a district just north of mine. She's a nut, and every time I see her on TV I start barking.

Volcano Schmalcano

This one happened today. SC comes in, orders his drink, but not without giving me shit about the chocolate option (Dark, Milk, or White chocolate?) Apparently in his mind, there is only ONE type of chocolate, that being Dark. Whatever.

While I'm making his drink, he picks up a newspaper and starts glancing over the front page. All of a sudden he starts laughing in a sort of disbelieving manner.

I look up at him inquiringly.
SC: How could a volcano shut down all of Europe? That's just silly!
Me: Um, well...
SC: It's all the way up in Iceland! What does that have to do with Europe?
At this point, I'm too dumbfounded at his idiocy to speak, so I just shrugged my shoulders, and handed him his drink.

I didn't have the energy or patience to explain to him the physics of a jet engine, how it draws air into itself in order to work, and if that air is filled with particulate, guess what? Jet engine stops working! Maybe even goes BOOM! I also didn't feel like explaining the whole concept of the Gulf Stream and how it's carrying all that ash through the atmosphere towards Europe.

His stupidity just made me tired.

And THEN! Oh no, kids, it doesn't end there... He asks for something to seal his drink lid with, so he can stick the entire thing in his jacket pocket while riding his bike home. Had to tell him, no, sorry, we don't have anything like that. He left, slightly annoyed. Hopefully he was hurrying back to Physics class.

[Stormraven]

Worse, on story #2, most of those articles explain how the volcano can mess up travel in Europe.

But that, of course, would require him to actually read the article, instead of just the headline.

[Pedersen]

I also didn't feel like explaining the whole concept of the Gulf Stream and how it's carrying all that ash through the atmosphere towards Europe.

I can make an absolute guarantee that the Gulf Stream is not carrying any of that ash through the atmosphere (or, if it is carrying it through the atmosphere, the world is more fucked than any Hollywood movie would care to imagine).

I'm pretty sure you mean the Jet Stream.

[EmilyRose1982]

Gulf Stream, Jet Stream, whichever. And yes, it is carrying particulate from the volcano through the atmosphere, the lower portions of it. Mainly the portions that jet airplanes fly through. It's not world-ending, just a major pain in the ass.

It's kind of like when Mt. St. Helen's blew it's top years and years ago; there was ash falling on my state of Minnesota later that week.

[Soulstealer]

He doesn't seem to get that Iceland isn't far from Europe or that ash spreads pretty far. Now I'm annoyed again, I want to go home on Friday but from the looks of it that flight is getting cancelled.

[fireheart]

Isn't Iceland PART of Europe? Or is it its own separate continent?

Anyway, this little quote sums things up perfectly:

"Reading-it's not an acquired skill. It's a required skill."

[Chromatix]

Iceland is, geologically speaking, right on the divide between the European and American coontinental plates. Which is also why it has active volcanoes.

Technically, even Britain is considered an island, and thus not part of Europe-the-continent. The fact that it's close enough to drive a tunnel through the gap makes this slightly less obvious to the layman, and geologically it is definitely European.

Meanwhile, Greenland is the largest island in the world.

[Seshat]

Some people consider Australia to be an island. So Greenland is the largest undisputedly-an-island.

Iceland is part of political-Europe but not the European Continent. (Same with Ireland, Britain, the various Mediterranean islands, the islands up around Sweden and Norway....)

[Whiskey]

Its always amusing that people will pay 4.50$ for a five cent drink the flip out about a twenty cent tax.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Worse, on story #2, most of those articles explain how the volcano can mess up travel in Europe.

But that, of course, would require him to actually read the article, instead of just the headline.

But then this guy sounds like he's one of those whose attention span isn't long enough to read past the headline.

And that was probably saying too much about a short subject.

[Pedersen]

Gulf Stream, Jet Stream, whichever.

Gulf Stream: A current in the Atlantic Ocean that starts from the Gulf of Mexico, and carries warmer water from there to western Europe.

Jet Stream: A fast flowing current of air in the atmosphere.

One you can breathe, one you can swim. Despite this statement:

And yes, it is carrying particulate from the volcano through the atmosphere, the lower portions of it.

I can make an absolute guarantee that the Gulf Stream is not carrying any particulate matter through the atmosphere.

I didn't have the energy or patience to explain to him the physics of a jet engine, how it draws air into itself in order to work, and if that air is filled with particulate, guess what? Jet engine stops working! Maybe even goes BOOM! I also didn't feel like explaining the whole concept of the Gulf Stream and how it's carrying all that ash through the atmosphere towards Europe.

And that's where my irony bucket overflows.

[EmilyRose1982]

Gulf Stream: A current in the Atlantic Ocean that starts from the Gulf of Mexico, and carries warmer water from there to western Europe.

Jet Stream: A fast flowing current of air in the atmosphere.

One you can breathe, one you can swim. Despite this statement:



I can make an absolute guarantee that the Gulf Stream is not carrying any particulate matter through the atmosphere.



And that's where my irony bucket overflows.

Seriously, quit obsessing over my mistake and move on.

[Soulstealer]

Isn't Iceland PART of Europe? Or is it its own separate continent?

Anyway, this little quote sums things up perfectly:

"Reading-it's not an acquired skill. It's a required skill."

I'm voting it off political Europe. I've been watching too much weakest link lately.

Seriously, quit obsessing over my mistake and move on.

It's not really about your mistake so much as this stuff is a popular topic considering the volcano.

[CoffeeMonkey]

Mine was the guy who, upon hearing that the Monday $1 coffee special came to $1.06 after tax, sneered and said "I bet you voted for Obama!"

The manager cheerfully informed him that yes, she did. I wasn't actually working that day, so I didn't have to respond. Which is a good thing, because my response might have gotten me in trouble.

I really wanted to inform him that sales tax had been around a TEENY TINY bit before Obama was elected.