For some reason, the U.S. Census Bureau likes me. They like me so much that today I went in and got fingerprinted and turned in an exhaustively filled-out SF-85 form.

I was sweating bullets.

Finally, the form was filled out properly, with initials all over the place. I didn't even have to take it home and do it all over again. (Thank goodness!)

I tell you, the biggest test the American government gives its employees is this one: "Can they fill out the paperwork properly?" If you pass that, you can be a government worker anywhere.

It reminded me of the M*A*S*H* episode where Hawkeye and B.J. were trying to requisition an incubator. The g-man paperwork expert they talked to gave them all kinds of form jargon and acronyms on how they could requisition everything from a space station to a pizza (just cross out this one certain ordnance word on form number so-and-so and write in "pizza"), but they could not requisition an incubator.

It is good to have experts in things like paperwork. Government is weird, but it is held together, literally, with tape and glue. :D

I am proud to be that tape and glue.

And I start January 7, 2008