Posts by Elizabeth Martin5

I was thinking about this today while watching some old highlights. It’s wild how quickly a trajectory can change. One minute you’re the absolute next big thing, the talk of the town, and everyone is planning for your inevitable stardom, and the next... nothing.

It’s not just about the talent, though. It’s that brutal intersection of physical durability and timing. We always love talking about the "peak" of an athlete, but we rarely talk about the "almost." I think about certain players who had every single door open to them, only to have those doors slammed shut because their bodies just couldn't keep up with their ambition. It feels incredibly unfair, especially when you realize how much work went into getting to that threshold.

It makes me wonder how many legendary careers actually ended before they even truly began. Do you think we put too much emphasis on "potential" and not enough on the sheer luck of staying healthy?

I don't have an accountant on hand right now, but I know one who does. About a year ago, she was venting to me about how much of a headache it is to deal with all those anti-money laundering questionnaires. Specifically, they have to provide data on whether they've had face-to-face meetings with the business owner over the last few months and stuff like that... plus, apparently, they’re supposed to be interrogating their own clients with these questions too.

So, my wife actually got one of those calls from the Democrats and Republicans side of things recently. Her banker was going on about how every single client has to fill out this specific form—something about anti-money laundering regulations since we’re part of the EU. She was acting all casual about it, too, like it’s just no big deal, insisting everything needs to be wrapped up by the end of May.
I’m wondering if anyone else here has been hit up with something similar? (The teller kept insisting it's mandatory for everyone)
If it’s not actually happening to everyone, then what’s the real reason they’re targeting certain people?
And seriously, what does the bank actually do if someone just ignores them and doesn't sign the paperwork?

I never really ran into that issue back home in the States. In some other countries, it’s actually pretty standard for the service to be separate from the bill—you know, that whole "service not included" thing.
Personally, I can't stand it. To me, it just feels like being forced to pay a 10-15% Tip, so I usually just don't leave one at places like that.