Bureaucracy gripes

We have a three year cycle on computers at work: it's recognized, at last, by the powers that be that this is a reasonable replacement timeframe: and so this year, my laptop being three and a half years old, I was on the list for a new box. And while my old machine is still working reasonably well, it is beginning to show its age, and some parts have worn out, and had to be replaced, still others are probably verging on the edge of a worn-out breakdown. Like the hard drive. And the screen.

Anyway, I'm pleased to be on the list.

The only thing is that the machines get bought with year-end money. Which has to be spent by June 30. Not only does it need to be spent by June 30, the equipment has to be delivered by then too.

My machine was ordered about two weeks from the end of June. And it arrived a week before the end of June. End of story, surely! Except that the person in charge of ordering it had gotten cold feet before it got there, and had cancelled the order, and spent the money on something else -- I have no idea what, but the money had been spent. And so my brand new computer was shipped back.

Fortunately, fairness being a good doctrine, or for whatever other reasons, the department realised that it would be good for me to get a new computer. And so they set about forthwith on the task of ordering it for me.

Unfortunately, since the one which had been delivered had been shipped back, there was an issue of getting refunded for it. Even though the money had been spent on something else. And they had to wait for that refund before they could spend money from yet another fund on another computer, this time one which might come for my use.

Finally, in early July the money was returned here, and we could go about ordering it. If the relevant person was on campus, which she was. And so, without further ado, a mere two weeks later, the order was placed.

Of course, that was just the order within the department. It had to be cleared through purchasing. And because of their speed and efficiency that took well under a month. Barely more than a week, in fact.

Now, granted everything takes a while, but the purchasing order went out, from purchasing, that is, the order was placed for the computer two weeks ago. And it is still not here.

Fume.

Fume further.

Fume so much LOML accuses me of taking up smoking again. I'm not. That's not smoke coming out of my ears, its fumes.

If it had come in when it was supposed to, I would have had lots of time to tweak it, to get it the way that I want it, before going to the beach, so that when things get really busy again the next week, it would all just work.
As it is, I won't even be likely to get my hands on it now until it gets busy.

Grrrr.

Yours, smouldering, and not in a good way,
N.