I have decided that Mississippi is one big bureaucracy graveyard.  It is where inefficiency uses the last of its meagre energy stores before grinding to a complete halt.  The sun-bleached carcasses of previous interfaces, databases, failed anti-poverty campaigns - creepy temples to failed institutions - litter the landscape.  This is where helpdesks come to die.

Recall that I was instructed at the ITS helpdesk to email them (at the helpdesk) about my need for an admin password in order to finish setting up my printer.  So I did that.  And I got an auto reply telling me what my service ticket number was.  Excellent.  We are moving forward.  Ten days have now passed so I thought I'd call the helpdesk (showing up there in person apparently has already been determined to be completely ineffective) to follow up.  The auto navigating thing has me enter my ticket number.  Done.  Hooray for progress.  Then we move on to ringing.  The guy that answers asks me for my ticket number.  Hm.  Lateral step?  A step back?  I explain to him what the issue is (apparently having my ticket number doesn't give him any access to whatever sort of service file or post-it note or vague memory of my email exists).  He says he'll email the person who is responsible for that ticket number about my problem and that she'd be contacting me soon about it.

Um.  So we're back at the beginning then?  Isn't that what I did ten days ago?  And wasn't this supposed to be taken care of six weeks ago when they were setting up this computer for me?  All I need is someone to walk out the ITS door, turn left, go up a flight of stairs, turn right, come into my office, and then enter the admin password.  The biggest frustration is that their sluggishness is keeping me from taking care of it myself AND its not like this is a problem that can just resolve itself when ignored long enough.  It is a rare, passing moment when I identify with Dagny Taggart.

Did anyone notice, by the way, that the contractors under criminal investigation for the botched demolition of the Deutsche Bank building in Manhattan was some shady group that renamed themselves the John Galt Corporation?  

I noticed today where they hide the shallots at Piggly Wiggly's.  Yes I bought shallots (they cost, by the way the same as four fresh catfish fillets, a reasonable $2.50).  I would have bought arugula too if they had it.  And white wine if they sold wine at all.  So there.

Off for a shallot and beer snack...