I took my daughter and granddaughter to Paris. I have always wanted to eat at the Tour d’Argent – a famous Michelin-rated restaurant, albeit only one star. But it’s the place to see and be seen and I wanted my granddaughter to experience culture in its finest sense.
I told my offspring that we would eat at cheap cafés, buy bread and cheese, have the free breakfast at the hotel so we could afford the $200+ drinks at Tour d’Argent. So, I’m thinking it’s going to be about $750 for the evening.
I was concerned that my granddaughter’s dress was not quite nice enough so I bought her a new one at Galleries Lafayette. And, since I bought her one I thought I deserved a new one too. But they were "solde" (on sale).
We came back from sightseeing early and showered, did our hair, makeup, and all around made ourselves beautiful. We came downstairs and got in our cab. The driver had never heard of the restaurant! Really, where is he from, Tunisia? Actually, yes, he was.
Traffic was terrible and we were going to be late. So I finally called the restaurant to tell them that we would be there but were stuck in traffic.
They could not find our reservation. I gave them the reservation number and while I waited for her to find it, I looked at the email again. It started Dear Madame, we are so pleased to be of service to you but - OMG – they did NOT have room for us on that night, not that they did have space.
I begged and pleaded – could we just come in for a cocktail? Non, non, non. We regret that we are completely full.
Just at this moment, we are pulling up at the front. I ask the Tunisian taxi driver if he knows of another restaurant. Sure lady, maybe in Tunisia. He sees the starch-suited bellman who opens the door, takes my money, and gets out of “Le Dodge”
The bellman takes me in and explains to the gatekeeper who says, no food at the inn. However, he will run across the street to their “sister restaurant” and see if by any possible chance they can seat us.
Amazingly, they could. We were squeezed into a table in the middle of the empty restaurant where we ate for $185. We had a great laugh and had a fun dinner. I figure we saved about $370 ($750 expected cost of dinner minus $200 (dresses) and $180 (cost of the real dinner).
You always have to look on the bright side. This restaurant even had a cat!
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
talking to computer people
Have you ever had a computer problem and gone to your IT specialist or a friend who knows about computers? When I have a computer problem I do everything I can think of before taking a deep breath and asking for help because I know what’s about to happen.
I will not only feel like I caused the problem, but also be subjected to a long dissertation about the history of computers and why I, a word person, could never truly understand what I’ve done.
The first thing the computer guru will ask is, “Did you reboot your computer?” What I want to say is, “What’s that mean? How do you do it?” Of course I have. Instead I say – on the verge of tears – “I don’t know what happened. I’ve rebooted twice.
The laptop is whisked away for a computer physical. When it comes back, held lovingly and gently by its savior, I’m told in detail what is wrong, what has been done to fix it, and what to do and not do in the future.
Shortly into this conversation my mind starts to wander. Gee, I never noticed that picture is a little crooked. There’s a little dust ball in the corner. I think I’ll have a turkey burger for dinner.
Now it’s time for a favorite expression at our company, "So I should save my work to a separate file?" This means I have no idea what you are talking about; I don't care; and I’ve have stopped listening.
The first time a computer guru hears these words, the response is a blank look and then a string of more technical computereze sort of like, when talking to a non-English speaker yelling will bring comprehension.
At this point I’m reminded of another famous expression we have at our company. Years ago, a our web guy was chastised for not posting the content he had been asked to put on the web. He madly looked for it and then announced, “I posted it. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there!”
Computer people: Ya gotta love ‘em! And what would we do without them!
I will not only feel like I caused the problem, but also be subjected to a long dissertation about the history of computers and why I, a word person, could never truly understand what I’ve done.
The first thing the computer guru will ask is, “Did you reboot your computer?” What I want to say is, “What’s that mean? How do you do it?” Of course I have. Instead I say – on the verge of tears – “I don’t know what happened. I’ve rebooted twice.
The laptop is whisked away for a computer physical. When it comes back, held lovingly and gently by its savior, I’m told in detail what is wrong, what has been done to fix it, and what to do and not do in the future.
Shortly into this conversation my mind starts to wander. Gee, I never noticed that picture is a little crooked. There’s a little dust ball in the corner. I think I’ll have a turkey burger for dinner.
Now it’s time for a favorite expression at our company, "So I should save my work to a separate file?" This means I have no idea what you are talking about; I don't care; and I’ve have stopped listening.
The first time a computer guru hears these words, the response is a blank look and then a string of more technical computereze sort of like, when talking to a non-English speaker yelling will bring comprehension.
At this point I’m reminded of another famous expression we have at our company. Years ago, a our web guy was chastised for not posting the content he had been asked to put on the web. He madly looked for it and then announced, “I posted it. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there!”
Computer people: Ya gotta love ‘em! And what would we do without them!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)