Phew! (and then some good family stuff)


I had eaten so well yesterday that I decided that a heated bread roll with butter would suffice for breakfast this  morning.

Bad choice!

As I bit into the roll my "partial" denture broke into two pieces.  Oh no!

"Oh no" because

(a) my Dentist's Office  is not open on Fridays.

(b)  I did not want to subsist on soup until Monday.

(c)  I will be giving a public performance in on Sunday.

I went on line and found that a "chain" Dental practice (Aspen Dental) offered in house denture repairs.  I drive to their nearby establishment and arrived soon after the 8:00 a.m. opening time.

The front desk staff advised me that

 (a)  I would have to register with them as a new patient before they would help, and

(b) that I would have to make an appointment, and

(c) their  dental prosthetic technician would not even take a look at the broken partial (to ascertain if it was repairable)  until I had become one of their registered patients.

WOW  (1) such incredible bureaucracy in the corporate  sector and (2) such a missed opportunity for goodwill.

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Back at home, in demi-semi desperation I called my own Dentist, thankfully to discover that he has an emergency number,  I left a message which explained my predicament

Within half an hour I had a call back telling me that they had made arrangements so I could take the broken partial to a "dental prosthetic"  business (situated less than three miles from my home), and that the repairs would be made almost immediately.

Of course I drove there in haste  (and discovered that the business was run by a delightful husband and wife, he from Basildon, Essex, U.K. and she from the lovely town of Tintern in the Wye Valley -  not far from Bristol, my home town),

By 1:00 p.m. the repair had been effected, and I was able to face the world with a big smile.

I have such gratitude for these immediate responses from small business owners in the non-corporate sector.

 I am deeply aware that although I am not  a part of the 1% super-wealthy class,  I am high up in that very small segment of the world's population which has immediate access to vital emergency services. For that I am grateful. 

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 In the meantime my family members had a relaxed and lazy morning at their Condo on Crescent Beach. Good for them!  To be relaxed and lazy is at the heart of vacationing/holiday making.

We hooked up for a late lunch at a Sarasota institution, viz

http://www.yodersrestaurant.com

I think of Yoder's as a place for white folks' soul food.

I had liver and onions, with mashed sweet potatoes and fried okra as "sides".

My two brothers in law chose fried chicken - huge amounts of fried chicken!

One sister had meat-loaf. The other had a healthy chicken cutlet with mashed spuds.

It's mostly unhealthy, cholesterol laden, but  entirely tasty food - good for  a "once a year binge",

Yoder's may be O.K. but for excellent food and value for money I prefer my local Alma's

http://www.almasrestaurant.com

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After lunch  I took the folks to "Goodwill" on Honore Ave, Sarasota.  British folks would think of it as a one stop  multi-departmental charity shop.  It was an eye-opener for my family members. I often shop there.

John bought some books, Bern bought two pairs of good walking shorts, Jean and Maureen each also bought shorts, all at bargain prices.

Here's a bit about the Goodwill organisation

http://www.goodwill.org


Lastly we drove to "The Mall at University Town Center".  This is a decidedly upscale place -  it opened just over a year ago.

http://www.mallatutc.com/shopping

I have never been in the Mall -  it is simply "not my kind of place"!   Even yesterday I did not go inside.  We were in two cars, ( I was simply "leading the way") so I buggered out of the parking lot as soon as I could.

So why were we there?   Dear Bern had left the power cord for his I-Pad back at his home.  This bothered him a bit.  So, for a moment I was  delighted that we have this upscale Mall  -  for within it is an APPLE STORE.

I knew that Bern would be able to get a cord there.  He did,  And he is delighted.





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