It looks sharp to me

Since I'm behind on Memory Monday, I'll post to it tomorrow. In the meantime, a small incident from our recent trip to California.

We stayed at a very lovely and fairly expensive resort near San Diego. The service was excellent except for one very teeny, tiny thing.

I work crossword puzzles. Since my mind isn't what it used to be (it's better?), I work them in pencil. To that end, I'd packed both puzzle and pencil. Having finished the one I'd brought with me, I downloaded the Wall Street Journal's new one on Friday and started it. But my pencil, having been in use, wasn't as sharp as it could be.

So I took myself off to the front desk and asked it they had a pencil sharpener.

After the young female clerk looked at it as if it were a foreign object, she told me it looked sharp enough.

Now, it could have become ugly at this point. (pun intended) However, I restrained myself and said that if it were sharp enough, I wouldn't be asking her to sharpen it. A bit huffily, she took it from me and disappeared with my only pencil (note to self: bring more next time). A few minutes later she emerged from behind the near-invisible rear door and proclaimed that they hadn't a sharpener. I kept myself from asking if she'd know one if she saw it and pleasantly took my pencil back.

Grrr.