paperwork

Today was kind of bizarre in the way only starting at government job can possibly be. One would think bureaucracies would be orderly in their own inefficient sort of way, but apparently not. Paperwork is the word of the day. After finally making it to HR I sat and dealt with two sizeable folders of forms and regulations and such. Quite possibly signing my life or my first born child away.

Apparently quite a bit of the paperwork that flies around gets lost in the shuffle or put off. Multiple people apologized to me for a multitude of delays, generally saying something about "it's just like that around here." For example, I have no computer access at the moment. My boss failed to put in the paperwork to allow me to set up an account so that I can log on to the computer at my desk. The best however involved a single missing signature that would allow me to get an ID badge and thus access to the building. HR sent me to ID services, I stand in line for fifteen minutes, only to be told that the piece of paper I was handed needed to be filled out. So I traipse back across the parking lot in the cold, going around to the front of the building so security can let me and back up to HR. Only to be told "Oh, right...and she's on vacation." Long story short, I did finally get an orange labs badge. In the late after the ID guy promised to stay and wait for me. Skin of their teeth.