I spent a good chunk of the afternoon online, attempting to obtain an official copyright for Deep Blue. This is only a safeguard until I'm ready to self-publish or negotiate the rights. Besides, $35 a pop is a small price to pay for piece of mind.
Even though getting the job done took me the better part of an hour.
That long? You ask.
Have you ever tried to navigate a government website? Do you know how confusing they are? Whether federal, state, or local, it doesn't matter. There must be a general rule that these sites be designed to confuse the crap out of anyone with an I.Q. under 220. Promising links lead nowhere, search engines turn up results that have nothing to do with what you're looking for, and everywhere, everywhere is jargon, jargon, jargon. Siri, Onstar, the smartest of smartphones... They're no help. Nor is the "help" function built into the sites. Do not click on the "help" function! You will be directed to a cold and impersonal page that will only confuse you more. Or just right back to the homepage, making all your progress for naught.
I needed an XXL cup of coffee and a hug just to take the edge off the experience. It's a miracle I didn't end up curled into a corner with a serious case of internet phobia.
But finally, finally SUCCESS! I received the email stating that my document was successfully uploaded and the transaction complete. Hopefully I'll never have to deal with that website again. But because I intend to keep writing, I probably will. At least I'll know what to do next time.
Unless the site gets "updated" and everything changes.
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