How's this for efficiency? And Efficiency Redux!

Looking down from the deck to the dock.

How to begin? One wonders. OK. Here goes. Got an extra check for $80 from Social Security posted to our savings account. Got a letter from SS explaining that I will be getting an extra $4 a month because of all of the work I have been doing. The $80 check was a one time check to catch up on all the four dollarses they owed me. Do the math. Over 20 months of four dollarses! Pretty neat! Wow, our government at work.

Yesterday I went up the street to the Backus Lab for some blood work (fasting regular check up stuff). There was one lady waiting. It was 7:20am. Someone, a somewhat surly someone, took my paperwork and told me to take a seat. There were 3, count them 3, ladies working in that office. After waiting a while and nothing was happening I asked the lady in waiting if the computers were down. "Yup!" They had already taken care of two other patients when the computer went down. After some more waiting I asked the 3 ladies, count them, how long it was going to be. They had no clue. (First time I went there I had to wait for a half hour for the computer to come back on line.) So the other patient and I both suggested that they do the paper work by hand so we could get out of there. That wasn't reasonable to the 3, count them 3, office ladies. Said there was no protocol for such a thing and they'd need permission. I left. Lady in waiting left. And so I went again this morning and was almost taken immediately. Still 3 ladies working and even though they managed to get the paper work completed on the computer I had to wait until one of them was free (all of them were sitting on there "derrieres" doing nothing, oh yes, one was on the phone laughing!) When I was finally allowed to be pricked and on my way I asked the girl why they didn't have some sort of system for when the computers went off line (all yesterday morning they couldn't work!). She calmly explained that it was a lot of work to do by hand. I did explain that it was a real pain to wait. They still don't get it. I remain incredulous. I should complain to Backus but am truly doubtful they'll understand the problem.