No! It's today!

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Yesterday, while out in my car with my misses I had a phone call, it was from my doctor's surgery offering me the flu jab. Apparently, I am in the 'High Risk' category given my age and "Medical History" what on earth are you talking about, medical history? I've not seen my doctor for nearly six years! And the last episode whereby you had convinced me that my heart was about to explode into a soggy mess inside my chest cavity turned out to be.......... Nothing! So I have no idea where they get this medical history from? Anyway, initially, I refused while I know the vaccine (supposedly) works I know a few people who have had bad reactions to it and given my general good health contrary to what my doctor's practice says I felt it was safe enough in my case to decline the offer. There was one fatal flaw in my cunning plan to avoid the needle that feels like a six-inch nail being embedded in the upper arm The Wife.

As I was saying "No Thanks" the wife was glaring at me, nodding, and mouthing the word "YES!" clearly I was not going to dodge this bullet and so like a true-blooded Alpha male I puffed up my chest and said "Ermm? OK, what appointments have you got?" the person rattled off some slots over the next few days along with 8:15 this morning "Eight fifteen? That should be fine, I'll see you tomorrow." the following day which is to say today I arrived at my local surgery ready for my appointment.

Wow! I now know where the NHS budget for the Midlands is being spent. I was presented with a mind-blowing array of signs and stickers on the floor all that was missing was some barbed wire and couple of machine-gun nests wouldn't have seemed out of place! At the third set of automatic doors, there were two huge signs stating:
DO NOT ENTER UNLESS YOU HAVE AN APPOINTMENT
IF YOU REQUIRE ASSISTANCE SOMEONE WILL COME OUT TO YOU.
There was a guy in front of me, I hadn't read the sign properly, so I waited behind him although I now realise I could have gone straight in because I had an appointment, however, as it turns out, I'm glad I didn't because otherwise, I would have missed the start of what was going to be the typical experience of my doctor's practice. A woman came out and with a look of horror on her face that there were two people in the foyer she spoke to the chap in front of me:

Receptionist: "Can I help you?"
Mr White "I've come to pick up some documents, they should be in the name of White."
Receptionist: "Are you sure?"
Mr White "Yes."
Receptionist: "Are you sure it's St David's Surgery?"
Mr White "Yes."
Receptionist: "What was the name?"
Mr White "WHITE! I already said that!"

Backing off a little and holding her hands up she replied:

Receptionist: "I'm just trying to understand there's no need to get aggressive."

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Seriously? How difficult can that be? It's simple, you tootle off to the Out Tray look to see if there's anything there for a Mr White if there is, good, hand it over if not you say so but it gets better, it took me all of twenty seconds to find out why he was agitated and what he had come for. Turns out his dad was pretty ill and couldn't get a face to face appointment with the surgery so he had arranged for another practice to see his father but they needed his medical records which is what he had come for, however, that nugget of information isn't that important, as I said, all the receptionist had to do was: "Oh, OK, one moment I'll go and look." but then this is typical behaviour for my doctor's practice. The Scene is Set

So what about you Pete?

Having re-read the sign I realised I could go straight in and so headed for the counter:
Me: "Hello there, Mr Cannon I have an appointment for 8:15?"
Receptionist-2: "What did you say the name was?"
Me: "Cannon C-A-N-N-O-N as in the gun" (I'm forever saying that LOL)
Receptionist-2: "When was this appointment made?"
Me: "You made it, you phoned me! Well, not you personally but the surgery did."
Receptionist-2: "What's your date of birth?"
Me: "21-9-61"
Receptionist-2: "Your appointment is tomorrow at 8:30"
Me: "No, it is today. The person I spoke to offered me a list of times and dates and I chose this one because it was convenient as I work."
Receptionist-2: "A text did go out with that appointment"
Me: "I don't care, I've not seen it anyway. The appointment I agreed to was today at 8:15, my wife was there is the time shall I ring her to confirm what I'm saying?"
Receptionist-2: "Well all I can say is it says here tomorrow at 8:30 and Trudy, who will administer the injection, is not here today."
Me: "This is the problem with this surgery and I know it's not your fault you just happen to be sat there but the problem here is that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing I've just witnessed some poor guy being messed around (The first receptionist had returned to her seat just to the right of me) and now you are messing me around."
Receptionist-2: "As I said, the appointment is for tomorrow, I'm sorry."

I flounced off in true Diva style passing the recently installed plastic sheeting to protect staff that clearly don't want to be there or at the very least any patients to be there and headed home.

Wife: "That was quick?"
Me: "What time and day was my appointment?"
Wife: "Today at 8:15"
Me: "Apparently not!"

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My actual name is Pete

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