Yes I work for the government. Yes I am a slacker.
Now let me explain.

I recently went to a training seminar to introduce and familiarize a number of state personal to the use and functionality of our new tracking and accountability software. Upon arriving at the training session we were required to sign in at the door by checking off our names on a twenty or so page long list of containing about thirty names per page. The listing contained personal from a number of agencies with a number of columns containing information about the attendees. The first column had our last names and was sorted alphabetically, followed by first, agency, email, blood type, and ring number for lair of hell. Now that this is covered…

I stood there in the line waiting for the people before me to find their names on the list and sign themselves in. I was maybe six or seven people back and wasn’t thinking I needed to know my exact place in line. The line was slowly moving forward. After nearly a minute the first person found their name and then the next in line moved up. Some time later this person found their name and the line moved one step closer again. The next person moved rather quickly and the one following them took their time yet again. Finally I reached the sign-in table and after GLANCING at the sign-in log document identified that our names where sorted by our last names in alphabetical order. My last name, being towards the end of the alphabet, required that I jump towards the back. I did but had to backtrack one page as I went just a bit too far. I found my name and signed in quickly. I then stepped aside and with morbid curiosity waited for the next person to sign in and they too had trouble identifying the sorting order. I then spoke up and explained that it was alphabetical and she smiled at me and was able to navigate through it a bit quicker. The person following her had just as much trouble sorting through the list as she had and had apparently hadn’t heard me give the explanation to the woman proceeding him. I informed him as well and he too found his name a bit quicker. The gentleman following him apparently didn’t hear my second explanation either and it was at this point that I just gave up and went to find a seat.

Now if you recall I mentioned that I was a bit of a slacker at the beginning of this diatribe? When your peers are of this caliber one can afford suck luxuries as getting things done half ass and at the last moment often seems exemplary in comparison.