Where Queensland Transport deserves a smack up the head

Sometimes it's so fucking hard to stay positive.

After hearing 3 different versions from the people at Queensland Transport about what Gam would have to do to get an Australian licence (the actual process turned out to be pay $14 to sit written test, pay $65 for Learner licence, no waiting period, pay $40 to sit practical driving test, then pay whatever it is to get a full licence), we thought we were sorted. Gam sat his written test and passed a couple of weeks ago, and when we got home that day we sat down at the computer to book his practical driving test. In order to give himself some time for a driving lesson or two to familiarise himself with the roads and clear up any bad habits, he clicked on 'next available booking after a specific date and time', gave himself a week for a couple of driving lessons, avoided the available slot on Monday the 11th at 8am in case the traffic was awful, and ditto for Tuesday the 12th, and selected 'Tuesday February 12, 10.25am'. Perfect. We paid, and a receipt screen came up that didn't feature the date and time, which we had a bit of a whinge about, then clicked to print out the confirmation of appointment. Figuring it was a formality, we set it aside, planned driving lessons, and arranged to use the driving instructor's car this morning for the driving test. All good, all ready to go, Gam was getting his things together this morning when he grabbed his confirmation sheet to take with him, and on it was printed 'date: 04/03/2008'.

What. The. Fuck.

He phoned up to check, and they confirmed that his test wasn't today, it is on Tuesday 4th of March, 3 weeks away. And no, there were no available test dates at any other centre in Brisbane at all until the 10th of March. So it's the 4th or nothing.

That's fucking great for Queensland Transport, but it poses an enormous problem for Gam in that he's applying for a community-health style job with an organisation that he had a very good chance of getting- he has a fantastic reference and some great experience... but it requires a driver's licence. The deadline for applications is the 19th of February. I've told Gam to explain that he's in the process of transferring an international licence and send in his resume anyway, because he's such a good candidate for the position, but obviously to have something go wrong on this scale is really demoralising...

And it's raining like a bitch again.

And the video card on his computer has died.

But the main thing is this jobs business. Gam has been really looking forward to getting a job and making us fully independent from our parents for the first time, and to have that messed with by continual bad fortune really, really sucks. We're so lucky that we have parents who can support us, because otherwise Queensland Transport's fuckup could have meant we might have wound up without a roof over our heads. I still can't get my head around the fact that this even happened...

And the more of this shit that happens, the less able I am to convince Gam that the world isn't out to get him and that he isn't just a magnet for bad luck. It's partly out of selfishness that I need to stay positive- after all, if he's not happy and bad things keep happening to him, how can I be happy?

Fuck.