What a day. From 7:30 to 12:30 I was waiting for a building inspector, as I needed to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy.

(Related note: the Building Department rep told me I needed to be in the building from 8 or so to 3:30. What a ridiculous window! Assuming the business day starts at 8, if I'm first in line for an inspection then fine, tell me to be there are 8. If not, let's be realistic. Don't make me get up so early.)

(Second note: the inspection itself took less than 10 minutes. Either inspections generally take that long, or they don't. Either way there should be some average time out there such that, rather than make me wait for potentially 7 1/2 hours, I could wait for 2 or 3, tops.)

The weather was miserable, the sun poured heat like molten lead into a puddle of stagnant air. Needless to say, I was a little dehyrated by the time I left; I couldn't afford to run to the nearest convenience store to grab a drink while I waited; if the Building Department is thick enough to give me a 7 1/2 hour window of doing nothing, I imagine that waiting for me to rehydrate would be a little beneath them.

I have never had anything even resembling a tolerable experience with bureaucracy. Ever.

I brought a copy of Orthodoxy with me, and got through a good bit despite the heat and mounting rage. There are some wonderful quotes in there; perhaps I'll post a few.