With the library move to WiFi, I’ve heard around the network (and I do get around), that in the future we’ll all be approaching customers at their exact “point of puzzlement”. This trip to the Auckland Writers and Readers Festival looks set to provide me with just the dry run that I need.
It all started at Christchurch Airport with self check-in where I was descended upon by a lovely lady who had graduated top of her class in Point of Puzzlement Training which will from here on in be referred to as POP. I was the customer she had been waiting for since 6am and she went way beyond the call of duty. I became her POP Patsy and I can now self check in using three different methods, in several foreign languages and in a state of emergency.
After directing me to cafes all over the airport, I made my escape to the second POP person where you offload your bags. She came from the take no prisoners school of POP and was not going to peak too early in the day with her smiles.
My third POP moment came when Richard advanced on us in the departure lounge but that was mainly because it was the first time I’d seen his new hairdo. Say No More!
Now here in Auckland – Yippee and acting all small townish . I got connected to broadband all by myself and am sitting here in my hotel room all flushed with excitement. Here’s some library reads to get you into the vibe – Alain de Botton and The Art of Travel, Anita Brookner and Hotel du Lac and a new one that I can’t think of right now, but is about a man who spends a lot of time in airports – it has been made into a film. That is your test question for the day.
Over and Out.
Christchurch City Libraries Blog 
Guess the title of the day … would it be Alain de Botain’s recent book “A week at the airport : a Heathrow diary”? or could it be the weird Tom Hanks movie “The Terminal” where he gets stuck in transit when his country ceases to exist while he is travelling to the USA? what about the new book “The world’s top 500 airports”?
well done on working out the broadband … it never seems as easy as the person at the front desk tells you it will be. blog on.
No, it’s not any of those, it is new in the library – probably only written this year. It’s about a man whose job it is to counsel people who get made redundant, then he himself is retrenched.Whatever can it be?
It’s called Up in the Air and the movie has George Clooney as the lead character. Pretty good movie.
Those self check-ins are a bit of a puzzle and you need “free” hands and glasses on to do it properly…forget the small town attitude remeber where you come from…
Is it one-eyed of me to answer Christchurch?
Hairdo?
I did hesitate when I typed that, but somehow even haircut didn’t seem quite right. What is the word for what you’ve got?
A condition? an affliction? Or ten days till a good haircut 😉
Thanks Zac, Up in the Air it is (in more ways than one!).The author is Walter Kirn.