in line

I spent a lot of time in government offices this week. Friday it was an hour at King County Metro getting my bus pass. It could have been avoided, sure. I shouldn't have waited until 2pm on the last day of the month. Rookie mistake. I could have bought online with their ORCA solution -- except I've been avoiding that until they get the kinks worked out or I moved. It just doesn't work very well when you commute via the water taxi.

On Saturday Jer and I spent two and a half hours at the Department of Licensing. Things that could have been avoided: going on a Saturday; arriving there at 11am, a couple hours after they opened. And that's about it.

In both cases the employees were friendly, overworked. But the people... It's just a different world. In line for the bus pass someone behind me said, "Every time I get mugged they let me ride the bus for free... I was mugged 14 times last year." It's safe to say I can't relate to that.

A guy kept sighing heavily and finally called over the supervisor and started grumbling to him about the inefficiency of the place and how he could see somebody who wasn't working and blah blah blah. Congratulations on making it worse, dude. You pulled a guy from his job so he could listen to you berate him.

At the DOL we came in and they were calling number 38. We were 133. It was the parents of young children that attracted my ire. They just let them run around. One of the employees finally had to make an announcement that the rope and stanchion they were swinging from was dangerous. Turns out two hours of waiting is my limit. I came out of there with no compassion whatsoever. So, you know, congratulations young parents with wayward children. You helped me find my way to the bottom of a Bloody Mary post-haste.

My waiting line epiphany: if more people understood cause and effect we could solve all of the world's problems.