As I arrived at the shop, I remembered I intended to buy a Macally keyboard for Dalloway, and what better moment than before I spend ten days in Paris with a new Mac mini? (Assuming the package includes a VGA adapter like their website says — Fabrice has a pretty LCD screen… with a VGA plug.)

— And… do you have Macally keyboards?

— Yeah, but you won’t have the shortcut keys on it.

— Uh… (What the hell?) Well, they’re Mac keyboards, aren’t they?

— No, it’s standard. You won’t have the Eject or volume keys… and it’s more expensive.

— (Well, yeah, it’s more expensive because it’s designed for Mac and it’s better and that’s why I want one for my iMac) Anyway it’s just F14 F15 F16 so there has to be…

— Uh, no.

— (Riiight…) There’s no way I could take a look at one?

— No.

— (Wow, they do want to sell, here.) A picture?

— Ah… yes… (It takes him far too long to find the product page on their site.) There. (The pictures is twelve by five pixels.)

—Mfff rff gnnn… (I can’t see a Zoom button, and if it’s hidden it’s not up to me to beg for it.) Yeah well okay I’ll see, I’ll manage.

— And, you see, it’s more expensive, the Apple keyboard is only twenty euros.

— (Goddamnit, you really don’t want to push your sales.)

— You’ll take the Apple keyboard?

— (Arghhh!)

And the worst part is, he wasn’t being an asshole — he was smiling, rather cute… only he has no idea what he’s selling. On the Macally website, of course: “CD Eject and volume control buttons.”

^* The DVI/VGA is not only in the box, it’s also listed on the Apple store for the latest revision. It’s odd, I was so sure it was, or had become, optional.