Weather It Is (Make An Effort)

Good Evening:

It was suggested that teachers start the new school year with a cane.  The aristocracy used to walk around with a cane, and everyone knew to give them respect.  Teachers too could peck their way into school with a swagger and a flourish, and no student would dare to  misbehave.

Upon hearing this, I realised that the key to my success is my Bosch drill.  I wrote about this before, but I can tell you that the effect it has on the wife hasn't worn off.  The other day I plunked my Bosch down in the kitchen, attached a rotary beater to the end and away I went.  My wife heard the noise, came in to say a word or two, stared, uttered a word or two of praise, and went back to what she was doing.

I haven't heard from anyone about the weather, other than from someone who strongly hinted that they would prefer winter weather (snows) to our summertime warmth.  Up here in the central mountains the weather has been absolutely outstanding (not to hot and not too humid), while near the beaches a westerly wind has kept things pleasant, even though temperatures are more summer like.  The westerly winds are also bringing in a bit more humidity, so if you're going to be along the coastal plain, the best place to be is the water itself.

The weather pattern is pretty stagnant.  There is high pressure over central Europe and low pressure over the desert to our east.  The two of them combined are the reason for the persistent westerly wind. No change is expected for the next 10 days.  A couple of weeks down the line, there is a 50% chance of more summertime heat.

We just returned from a few days in Haifa.  We had a strange experience, or two.  For instance, it seemed like no matter what we did we always had to wait.  We waited for ice at the the Leonardo Hotel (in Haifa), we waited for extra blankets, and we waited an hour for lunch. The staff didn't seem to notice or be concerned. The problem is that this hotel masquerades as a 4 Star hotel, but really gives 3 Star service.  However, we also waited while trying to find the entrance to the Science museum ("Mada-tech").  It's actually on Balfour street, not as given (Sharmayahu street).

But then, it turned out that there are those who care..  For instance, the museum let us enter right away when we finally arrived and explained that it was hard for my father to stand in the heat.

Then an even more remarkable thing happened.  We went to the "Confi" restaurant at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, ordered and then waited.  The waiting wasn't remarkable -- as we were sort of used to it by then.  It wasn't even remarkable when the kids fell asleep in their chairs, and I began to wonder just what food tasted like.

So, what was so remarkable?  The food came, but the manager came to to tell us that the meal was free!

What a nice way to end a trip, seeing that customer service is really a concern -- at least to some -- and I believe will encourage other establishments to actually think more about their customers and the services they offer.

Barry Lynn
P.S. A kosher restaurant opposite the Crowne Plaza is called "El-Goucho" and they give good food and good service.