I'm Glad I Did This In The U.S.

The Apple Store Genius Bar.

I made my appointment, I showed up on time.  The place was teeming.  I knew I had to check in, but where?  I found a guy and asked, he told me to go to the Genius Bar.  I went there, had to wait, a guy told me I had to check in with another guy who was in the center of the store.  I did.  He checked me in. 

There were about 15 people ahead of me.  Isn't that what an appointment is for?  Obviously not in Apple Land.  I waited and waited. People jostled me, there was nowhere to stand.  People kept crowding in at the Genius Bar, hoping they could get helped right away.

After waiting for about 15 minutes I checked back with the original check in guy who told me that I was late for my appointment, I'd have to wait! I wasn't late, even after circling the store to try to find the check in guy.

At the 20 minute mark, I was about to cry in frustration.  Finally my name came up.  The guy was nice, he helped me, he fixed my problem. 

I had considered buying an AppleCare insurance plan but after this, I think I'd rather take my chances.

As I was waiting, I wondered what it would be like to try to do this in France with the language barrier and cultural differences.  Would I have even understood that I got bounced from person to person without getting helped.  Certainly I would be jostled more, French people tend to crowd more.  They also cut in line if they can, but at this store, all the people were trying to cut in. 

It was a gorgeous, sunny afternoon.  Why are all these people in the Apple Store instead of 1. work 2.  the beach.  Even the dentist is better/easier than this. 

Health Food Stores

I just got back from Whole Foods.  "My" WF is gigantic, maybe 200,000 square feet.  It has an olive bar, a mozzarella bar (fresh), lots of regional, vegan and ethnic choices.  It has fresh soup, two different kinds of pre-cooked chicken, bins of grain, nuts, cereal.

Every time I go to this store, I end up buying less than I expected, I get a bit stalled by the sheer size and quantity of goods.  I just needed a few things.  They also have lots of vitamins, a machine that makes butter out of a variety of nuts, fresh meat and fish, lots of gluten-free selections.

I don't really like this store, but it's the only place around to get some of the things I eat.

Naturalia in Paris resembles health food stores in the US circa 1980.  The first thing you notice is the health food store smell.  What is that?  A combination of spilled health foods, I guess. 

Naturalia is so small (maybe 1500 square feet) that two people can barely pass in an aisle.  Lots of the really good stuff is on the bottom shelf so people are hunkered on their knees or crouching, looking for their products.   It has the basics, even some health food wine (maybe made with organic grapes?). 

Consistent with Whole Foods, I never buy as much as I expect.  Either they don't have it (even if they had it last week), or I can't find it and no one is available to help me. 

They have a few bulk products, like WF but no convenience, pre-cooked stuff.  You buy it, you take it home, you cook it. 

They are both more expensive than regular stores, which is to be expected. 

Computer Problems, Genius Bar, Here I Come...

I have a computer that is less than one year old.  It started having problems about a month ago.  The fan started running and it started to heat up (a lot).  I realized it was the battery, it's under warranty, I didn't worry about it, I just plugged it in.

Today, I tried to plug something into the USB drive and it was dead, too. I have two and I think I use the same one, probably never tried the second one before today.

I called Apple and spent 50 minutes on the phone with a guy who finally determined that I need to take it to the Apple Store.  I think this could have been determined in about 5 seconds, since it needs a new battery and it's under warranty.  Oh well.  He said that they can't look at the USB port until they fix the battery.

Tomorrow you know where I'll be -- at the Genius Bar.  Ready or not.  Genius Bar is  the (adjective omitted) name for the Apple repair at the Apple Store.  In the past when I've gone to the Apple Store, I've noticed that the employees really think they are geniuses and let you know that you're inferior. I detest this attitude, especially since they are basically working in a store.  But, they hold the power in this situation. I can't get my computer fixed without getting an appointment (they won't see you without an appointment), showing up at the designated time, computer in hand, self-esteem in check.  

I will try to put up with their attitude, but as you can probably tell, I have an attitude, too.  My attitude doesn't respect the Geniuses standing around in the store in their "hip", computer-person looking clothes, glasses and hair styles.  Hopefully they can help because the next step is to mail (yes) the computer to Apple, which could take a long time.

I've had many Macs.  I bought one of the first ones, in 1984.  It was terrific.  Besides an occasional battery problem, I've never had a problem with a computer like this before.  I dropped my previous laptop while going through security at LAX.  After that, the case was bent and it wouldn't close properly but it still works.  It is not modern, but it works.   I don't know if this new one is a lemon or if they aren't making them like they used to.  We'll see.  The Apple rep on the phone tried to sell me a $249 Apple Care extended warranty in case it breaks again.  Hmmm.  That means I'd have to go back to the Genius Bar again. 

Normandy

 

The weather was glorious in Normandy.

 I only took my iPHONE, thinking that any photos I would take would be of us doing an activity.   Silly mistake, although I prefer to experience the environment without looking through a lens, it is also nice to have a few memories.  

These were all taken in Honfleur, a beautiful setting.