June 27, 2003

Didn't I See This In A Marx Brothers Movie?

Yesterday I went with the GM1 on his rounds at work to fulfill his check-out obligations. He has a form that has to be signed by various people before we can transfer to his next command. Some of the signatures are required from agencies we have had no contact with at all, making them just another useless genuflection to the paperwork gods.
One, however, was a beauty of a Catch-22.

We needed a signature from Housing, clearing us of any malfeasance done to our domicile. This signature is necessary to conclude the GM1's transfer. He cannot transfer, and therefore move out of military housing, before this signature is acquired. Housing, however, will not sign the paper until we have moved out of housing. Our move out date, set BY Housing, is four days after his check-out date when all paperwork must be completed. Housing was aware of this when it set the move-out date.

Let's recap:
Must have signature to check out.
Can't have signature until we move out.
Can't move out until we check out.
Can't check out until we have signature.

I grew weary of this, weary enough to try something a third-grader could see through. I wrote, in pencil, beside the box for the necessary signature "unable to sign until tenant has vacated" and asked the clerk at Housing to sign that statement.
She did.
I then erased the pencilled-in bit.

Yes, I am well aware it wouldn't hold up in court. I'm past worrying about that by now. I just want to get on with this circus, get the show on the road, move along, pull up stakes...
I want a new place to decorate.
And I refuse to festoon my move with a lot of red tape.
(previously posted on Blogspot)

Posted by LeeAnn at June 27, 2003 09:40 AM
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