Testing the Waters

According to my Oceanography prof, the coriolus effect (which causes the winds and the oceans in the northern hemisphere to generally spin clockwise), is not strong enough to affect things as small as your toilet bowl or sink. Therefore, the spiral in the toilet is a result of the construction of the toilet and not some global force. My dad, who didn't even know how the coriolus effect worked until I explained it to him, was so powerfully convinced that sinks are affected that he bet me on it. We therefore set up an experiment in the sink, which has a large, straight drain. We filled the sink to the brim, pulled the plug straight up and put in a drop of green food coloring so that we could monitor which direction the water moved. We agreed that 5 trials would be enought to significantly rule out chance if the water always drained spiriling clockwise. Only one counterclockwise rotation would be needed to falsify my dad's claims. In the end, we discovered that the water always drained clockwise (5 for 5) but was not strong enough to force water to go clockwise if you gave it a slight nudge in the other direction first. So much for people who know everything from books.
In other news, it was my birthday the other day and my family treated me to El Torito for supper. My dad really didn't like the waitress. She had trouble with the margarita orders and didn't give my ID a good check beyond the big red stripe with white lettering saying that I was 21 in 2004. Therefore my mom made sure to point out that it was my birthday. The rest of the evening went well and after plates had been cleared, I was still engrossed in conversation when a group comprised of the waitress and 4 large Mexicans snuck up behind me. They suddenly started singing "Happy Birthday" in spanish loud enough that I jumped in shock and horror. The waitress put down a custard dessert with a candle in front of me and then proceeded to cross the line. She picked up my spoon, took a piece of the dessert and stuffed it in my face! Who does that?! My advice to anyone in the service industry is that unless you're female, possibly topless, and (most importantly) the patron is expecting it, don't do this. I'm sure she had her reasons (like a total lack of personal boundaries or job satisfaction) but that just crosses the line!