Strikes my fancy

So at my job - we don't keep the tips. Every month we pick a different non-profit that they go to. I try to make them run the gambit: religious/not, buying animals, coffee related, NOLA rebuilding, soup kitchens, invisible children, etc. Most people are pleasantly surprised by this - our tip amount doesn't really change month to month (I find that interesting). Every once in awhile I get comments about our giving the tips away. Once a guy noticed the charity and said, "Finally, you've got a legitimate charity here." Um, every month they're legit..... A couple weeks ago this younger (ie. my age!) guy comes in and as I am turned around making his drink he says, "So the altruistic bastard you work for doesn't even let your tips?" I wisely wanted to take a few moments to decide how to answer him. One of my thoughts was "this dude just called me a bastard AND somehow doesn't think it's possible that I'm the boss" Even th...

I figured I would post this here for those of you who haven't seen it yet, these are the games I have been working on since I started at Merit http://www.meritgames.com/ION%202009%20update .asp . I have worked a little on almost all of them. I am now mainly working on finishing up one game while consulting/working on another one that I had been a programmer on. Also my name is officially in the credits, so if you get the small chance of going to a place with one of our machines with the new software you will see Grant Shonkwiler :). Other than work things are going great I went on a cooking frenzy today and have enough food to survive the next few days. I have also been very excited about how the Phillies are doing it is great being in a city so excited by their team, everywhere you look there is red. :) Well time to go back to reading things about my industry. PS I learned yesterday that I am able to write off games on my taxes this year, Ha who would have thought. :p

Every year since I've been here some of the guys at church have observed "No Shave November". Sometimes it's just 2 people, sometimes more. We have hairy men by the end of the month. Last week I read an article in Reader's Digest about a family who went a whole month without spending any money (with some exceptions for fresh produce). Both of those events have prompted me to try for a No Spend October. I thought about November so it could be as cool as No Shave, but I don't think I can with the holidays approaching. There will be exceptions, the big one being that this is mostly no New spending (ie. I'll still pay off my student loan, my regular IRA amount, health insurance, internet, etc.). I will be allowed new spending for: 1. My dress that has been at the dry cleaner for 2 weeks, I don't want it to get donated while I'm not spending! 2. The box I was planning to send to Iraq 3. The piece of art I was in talks to buy before September end...