Stoopid Bureacracy for Today

I didn't mean for my first post to be so bad, but I'm annoyed. Stoopid bureaucracy. Whose bright idea was it to make this important application into a PHP form on the website? Sure, it sounds so efficient and trouble-free. Unless, of course, someone has an error with the form, and after searching for half an hour for a real-life human email address for help, recipient of said email replies that the problem is all in the asking person's head. After further interaction, they they continue to claim that the problem I have is due to user error and I need to fix my address in the form. TO FIX MY ADDRESS? Dude, its my ADDRESS. I can't fix my address short of moving. Bastards.

Then I call the immigration people, who's slowness is the reason my address doesn't work for the application. I want to change my appointment to be a little sooner than a month away, so I can do little things like apply for important life-changing things that won't accept my address. After transferring me to three different departments, someone gleefully informs me that I can't change my appointment. I ask if there is any possible way, please, I will do anything! I will stop eating chocolate for you! No, it is set in stone. Even if I already had an appointment with God at the same time, they will not change the it. I hereby call you to repentance, Mr. Immigration Man.

The third annoyance is really just a little bit ridiculous. After calling the evil immigration trolls, off I go to the library, where I have found a practice piano, interestingly enough, that anyone can sign up for. I always carry my music in my small backpack -- one that's the size of a regular purse. As I walk in, I pause at the message boards to peruse the advertisements. This was my mistake. As I start to walk upstairs, the security guard runs up and tells me something like 'mevrouw, u kunt dragen de tos boven.'* I pause to watch another lady pass me with her purse of the same size. So I return and place my bag in the lockers. As I head back to the stairs, I see the security guard apprehending another miscreant daring to head upwards with a backpack. So we have three examples. Me with a backpack, the lady with the purse, and the guy with a backpack. The only data point we lack is male with purse. Perhaps if I stick flowers and tassels on my little backpack, it will look girly enough to pass for a purse. I have seen that it is not the size of the bag, but the style that the guards dislike. I've never seen them apprehend a purse-carrier. Since purses are generally carried by women, while backpacks are carried by both genders, is this an instance of reverse discrimination?

*I don't know correct Dutch grammer, but it means: "You can't carry your bag upstairs."