Adventures in Bureaucracy

Nothing can mire you in bureaucracy like moving from one house to another, especially if you're moving within the same city.  I had some bad luck and misfortune in December that resulted in A: a lack of blog writing and B: needing to find a new place to live ASAP.  For a while, I thought I was going to have to move into a storage unit and rely on the kindness of my friends, but luckily fate smiled upon me and I found a groovy 70's-style home on Lois Lane.  The address kind of sold it.

I've been trying to transfer my water service this week, a process that should be freakin' simple.  "Hi, I need to move my service from here to there.  Thanks."  That's all it should take.  No, that would be far too easy.  It would seem that the phone number to the city water division is a closely guarded secret.  Apparently, you need to call City Hall on the Batphone and give the secret password then have a pizza with extra onions sent to the Superintendent's cable guy.  So I do all that just to be told that I need to come in  to City Hall.  Super.  I live for this.

I go down to City Hall and talk to the cashier.  Of course it can't be as easy as "stop my service here and turn it on there."  Where's the fun in that?  Nope, I get two sets of forms...one to shut it off and one to turn it on.  And of course, I can't pay my bill while I'm there.  I have to wait until they send me one in the mail.  Brilliant.  So now I have two pages front and back to fill out, which should be simple enough,  but of course it's not.

Name on bill: Hmm...do they want my actual name or the name that appears on my bill which is, naturally, Chalet Rittenday.
If renting, provide a copy of current lease: Really?  I can't even find a bowl for my Cheerio's and you want me to produce my lease?

I think the water service took lessons in customer service from Comcast who, incidentally, called me today.  They're like an ex who doesn't understand that we're broken up.

Comcast:  Why did you leave us?!?!  Was the bill too high?
Me: It was, but that wasn't what did it.  I left because of your shitty customer service.
Comcast:  Would these special offers make you come back to us?
Me: Cutting me a deal won't do it.  In fact, if you were to pay me to use your services, I still wouldn't return.
Comcast:  Are you seeing someone else?
Me: I am.  And we're very happy together.
Comcast:  They'll never love you like I will!





Now I'm left with the wonderfully tedious task of unpacking an entire housefull of crap.  You know, with all my abundant free time.

Lesson 12: You gotta cuddle that bitch.  Bitches love cuddles.
(This has no relation to the post, but was the most memorable quote from moving day.)