Hello, my dear friends.

I know you miss me terribly, just as I miss you terribly.

I am back from Lake George, where we spent a couple of days.

It was the whole family, because we thought it was the last time we could take the whole family of five on a trip before Ani goes off to college.

So we did a Sunday to Wednesday in Lake George, Lake George, New York.

I had never been.

None of us had ever been.

And now we’ve experienced Lake George.

We stayed in Bolton’s Landing.

We did a boat tour.

Liam and I jumped off a big old rock, and that was fun.

So it was a good time.

I found the driving totally exhausting on the way home, for whatever reason.

But we had a good time, and it was a good trip.

Now I’m back, and I’m working, and I’m squeezing in this episode right now.

Your Daily Lex.

The thing where every business in the U.S.

wants you to leave gratuity is a bit crazy.

And yeah, it makes me nutty.

Obviously, I’m a good tipper at restaurants.

I’m a good tipper at an ice cream stand or a coffee shop.

We went to this private boat tour where it’s family-owned, and the family, in this case, the son, is the one taking out of the boat tour.

I tipped there, too, even though the money’s going to them anyway.

It’s their business, and I’m tipping them.

It feels crazy.

Nobody ever tips me at Lex Friedman Consulting.

There was a store where we bought Sierra a cover-up, like a dress cover-up thing for swimming.

And when I went to the register there to check out, it was like, do you want to leave a tip for this person behind the register?

Tipping them for taking my money in exchange for goods.

No, no, I don’t.

I declined that one.

It was one of a couple tips I declined.

It’s just random store transactions.

Crazy.

There was one place we went to, a sort of deli-style spot to grab snacks before the boat tour.

And we had a bunch of drink bottles lined up, sodas, seltzers, juice, whatever, and a PBJ was there.

So we have all these things lined up, and the woman who’s ringing us up accidentally knocks over one of the bottles.

And when she does, I catch it.

It was one of those crazy moments that usually nobody sees, but this time multiple people saw it.

And I catch it one-handed as it’s falling to the ground.

And she’s like, I’m giving you that one for free.

And she did.

So that might tip, because they gave me a free bottle of, I don’t remember what it was.

It was probably bottled water.

But yeah, tipping’s out of control.

This is nothing new.

You already know this if you live in the States, but it’s still true.

Now we have a very action-packed several days.

We’ve got the fourth, where we’re hosting, and also being hosted later in the day.

We’ve got the fifth, where we’re hosting again.

The sixth, taking 67% of my kids to camp.

And then the eighth, Lauren and I fly internationally.

So plenty of packing to get done.

I’m going to start waking up early every day because I want to start adjusting to an Italian time zone.

And I’m doing it early so that it can go better, I guess.

I also want to make sure I fall asleep on the plane, and the plane leaves at five-something in the afternoon and evening on the eighth.

So I’m trying to maximize my ability to sleep on that plane.

So yeah, a busy, hectic time here.

I’ve also run out of time to finish this episode, so this is all you get.

I’ve missed several days, and now you only get three minutes and 15 seconds.

That’s how it goes sometimes, my friends.

But you’re wonderful, I love you, and more soon.

You want to know something funny?

It’s one of those situations where no time has passed for you, but a couple seconds have passed for me.

I don’t have a call right now.

I have a call in half an hour.

This time is free.

I can go slow.

I can come up with other topics to talk about.

Yeah, so this plan about waking up early is not so I can get onto Italy’s time zone exactly.

That would be a little bit crazy.

It’s more so that I will fall asleep on this airplane flight.

Normally, I would take different drugs to help me fall asleep, but many of them are not compatible with the drug that I’m currently taking to not make my arm feel any better.

It’s supposed to make my arm feel better, and it was for a few days, but it’s been less helpful over time.

So yeah, because of that, I’m just not sure I can take anything else when I’m on the plane, and so that’s a bummer.

So I’m trying to do whatever I can to make sure I’m as tired as possible when I do board that plane on Tuesday.

I guess it’s this coming Tuesday.

Boy, you’re going to have to go a couple weeks without episodes of this show.

Sorry.

That’s just how it goes sometimes.

You’ll be fine.

I do have to make a bunch of crossword puzzles before I go, otherwise my app will run out.

Good times.

Yeah, I think that’s all my updates for you now, and now I’m not rushing.

I’m just concluding.

So yeah, I know you missed me just like I missed you, and there’ll be more Your Daily Lexes before I leave the country, so don’t worry.

Lex.