Behold! (and other matters)

Behold my shiny new kitchen faucet which was installed today by my favourite handyman. He trades under the moniker "Meyer Makes House Calls"

"Behold" I thought, but for reasons which are beyond my ken I have been unable to upload pictures to this blog since I upgraded to Windows 10.

But please imagine a shiny new faucet, made by Glacier Bay, and putting the rest of my kitchen to shame.

David Meyer is personable and skilful. He installed the new faucet, replaced a broken aerator in my bathroom sink, and fixed a wonky drain plug in said sink.

The materials cost $108. His labour charge for 1.5 hours was $65.

I am well pleased.

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For reasons which are not entirely clear (in my mind) - I decided to buy a "Tablet" on Tuesday this week.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I thought that I might be traveling soon, and that a Tablet would be useful. (But I have no travel plans!}

I opted for an Acer product, chiefly because it included a detachable keyboard.

I trotted home with glee from the Best Buy on South Tamiami Trail (if driving counts as trotting) all excited about my new toy.

But "gosh darn it" I could not turn it on. So I went back to Best Buy (this time with my tail between my legs) and consulted with a member of the "Geek Squad" team.

After two minutes he stated "this is a faulty product" (I sighed with relief), you should look for a replacement.

You'd think that a high-tech company such as Best Buy would have a sophisticated system of inventory control. Nah! The first sales clerk who deigned to speak to me said "we do not carry "Acer" products". After (on my knees with a look of deep sincerity) I told him that I had indeed bought an Acer Tablet that very day, he took him fifteen minutes to find the replacement. (Inventory control anyone?)



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Back at home, I set up the Tablet, and enjoyed it for three days. Early this afternoon I shut it down under one of those Microsoft "update and shut-down" rubrics.

Guess what? After the update and shut-down it was impossible to turn the damn machine on again.

Back, in the rain, to Best Buy. Met a delightful service agent. She managed (with the Techie magic which I do not understand) to restart the Tablet.

She figured that the Microsoft update had caused it to mal-function.

I figured that the Acer product had some in-built flaws.

So I opted to turn it in and get my money back.

I spent a wee bit of that money on a pair of walking shorts, and a casual shirt, both of which in truth I needed - and what better time to buy such garments than in a Florida "back to school" sales tax hiatus.

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My good nonagenarian pal Ben was having troubles with his old fashioned flip style mobile 'phone (which he never uses!).

He had figured that that battery was dead, and could not be charged.

I offered to take him to the Battery Store on Bee Ridge Road; but before we set out I tested the 'phone. It was in perfect working order.

Dear Ben had thought that a "quick stab" at the power button would suffice.

I reminded him that he should press the power button for three seconds in order to activate the 'phone.

Ben was grateful and he said "I am a low-grade idiot".

"That's not true" I replied.

Ben was pleased with this response.

I added:

"Ben, you are a high grade idiot".

That made him laugh out loud.