Thoughts on Paperwork

Today I spent a few hours working on paperwork.  Why is this significant?  The paperwork didn't involve the use of my computer.

As a registered charity, the Tumbler Ridge Public Library has to submit an annual return to Canada Revenue Agency.  [As a brief aside, I think it was a stupid decision to change the agency's title from "Revenue Canada" to "Canada Revenue Agency."  I had to walk out to the front of the library to ask library staff members if the word "the" was required in front of "Canada Revenue Agency".  Their response?  "No."]

I started working on the forms, printing everything in block capitals to keep my writing legible, and things went smoothly for a minute or two.  Then disaster struck!  I was writing "Tumbler Ridge" when it happened.  I wrote the T and, thinking about the U next, ended up writing a backwards J.

I swore quietly to myself (this is a library after all -- nobody needs to hear me using that kind of language), and walked out front to retrieve a bottle of white-out.  After a brief waiting period while the white-out dried (during which I amused myself with a hockey puck I keep on my desk), I carried on.

I started filling out a description of the programs conducted by the library, and decided to split them into two categories:  children's programs and adult/family programs.  I wrote out the children's programs, then started writing the adult/family programs on the next line.  A moment later, I remembered another children's program.  I squeezed it in with small writing and congratulated myself on making it fit, until a few seconds later when I thought of another.

Muttered swear.  Big sigh.  Globs of white-out.  More time with the puck while the white-out dried.

And I carried on until I reached an area where I had to fill in the details of the library's board members in 2009.  This area required the addresses of every board member (including the town name), so I had to write "Tumbler Ridge" multiple times and........

I did it again.  Another backwards J.

More muttered swearing.  Even bigger sigh.  More white-out.

Later on when I ranted to Sharon about how stupid I was, she stopped working for a moment, looked up at me, and said "That's why I use pencils for paperwork Jacob."

And in writing this, and re-reading it, I finally have a response for her.

"That's why I use computers for everything Sharon."