It’s been way too hot to walk down First Street so decided I’d better deal with my unreliable technology or life as I know it would come to a screeching halt.
Spent an hour on Apple’s help line, as Monterey OS wouldn’t download, an hour and a half with AT&T in the Philippines troubleshooting email, and another couple of hours with my sister in Idaho who knows her iPhone. I must say that I’ve never encountered such patient people. The fellow in the Philippines was a model of emotional intelligence, giggling with delight when I did something right, and when I told him he was the most patient person in the world he quipped, “No, you are!” “You did all of the work.” After an hour and a half of putting up with my Luddite ways, he diagnosed the problem. “This is worthy of a celebration, just like Christmas,” he laughed, and he really meant it.
After trying to set up an appointment at Apple’s Genius Bar which at no stage involves a live person, I accidentally stumbled onto a live one by pressing the wrong button. She took pity on me and gave me an appointment. Had all of my questions typed up but on the day of the appointment had to cancel as it was too hot to drive to Berkeley and I wasn’t going to go near Walnut Creek for fear of inviting a shingles attack. Back in the day when I was a kid we listened to comedy albums — Shelly Berman and Bob Newhart were cutting edge. In one bit, Shelly was calling a department store because he wanted to report that a woman was hanging out of the lingerie department window on the fifth floor and he kept being told to hold. “Yes, I’ll hold,” he repeated numerous times. By the time he got a live person who asked him how she got out there, Berman barked, “I don’t know, maybe she tried on something and snapped out.” In those days girdles were de rigueur once you hit puberty. Skinny as I was Mom still made me wear one to church. Can you imagine a Kardashian in a girdle?? Might as well have bound feet. But I digress.
Labor Day was around 105. Still ordering groceries on-line from Raleys, I drove over and popped the trunk. A woman I hadn’t seen before, cheerful and friendly, loaded four big bags into the Toyota. Turns out Laurie is a junior high teacher who started at Raleys when the schools shut down over Covid and liked it so much that she never quit. I admired her spirit in that heat. First St. was all but deserted. Stopped by the tiny library in Kuhland Alley to donate some books and then the car steered itself over to the Resale Emporium and Fabulous Finds in the Tannery. “Pillow Talk” was playing on the old TV. Doris Day was cutting a rug on the dance floor as Rock Hudson ogled her nether regions. Sporting a platinum blond French twist do and a body-fitting sheath dress, Doris hadn’t forgotten her girdle. Good girl! Back home on the deck I noticed a strange snake-like black plume rising over the Martinez hills and draping over Mt. Diablo. A huge helicopter was hovering over the Strait continuously dipping its bucket into the water and dousing the flames — painstaking and dangerous work by Cal Fire who prevailed.
Not having AC, I ordered a table fan on-line from Home Depot and desperately tore open the package. In the box were numerous parts, each in its own plastic bag, and a sheet of instructions. After several false starts, I assembled it and plugged it in hoping it wouldn’t fly apart. Nothing. Perturbed, I flashed back to a program I had heard on NPR reporting that people become less kind and more angry when the temperature rises over 85 degrees. “Grabbing the fan cage, I tried to pull it apart to put it back in the box, but it wouldn’t budge. I broke a nail and nearly stabbed myself with a screwdriver. As the temperature rose, I called Ace, and asked if they had a fan that was already assembled. Putting me on hold, the clerk opened several boxes and found an intact table fan. “Shall we hold it for you?” “Yes, yes!” I bleated. If Ace isn’t the place, I don’t know what is.
By Saturday the cool breezes were back and I headed out. Benicia Plein Air Gallery member Michael Dadasovitch stood at his easel painting an autumn colored bouquet of dahlias provided by Sweetness and Light floral. The canvas had previously been painted by his grandson with wild and colorful slashes of paint and given to his grandfather for a collaboration.The blend of styles and of generations was a success — an interesting idea for a show…
Sarah Beserra is an artist, collector, Dharma practitioner and former lobbyist.
Letters From Benicia 