Invisible?

This year I will be officially old.  The government says so and if the government says it, it must be so!  I guess we could debate that theory on any given day, but it may be time for me to enjoy the perks of being "officially" old. Earlier in the month I went online and set up my Social Security user id and attempted to apply for my monthly retirement payments to begin the same month as inception of my Medicare benefit.   Instructions were fairly straight forward and questions requiring answers seemed a little invasive.  How does the government know how long I've had that particular credit card or who holds my mortgage??? Answers to those questions had to be correct in order to prove I am who I am.  I worked my way through the nosiness of the site assuming it was for my own good, filled in all the choices in an effort to have my benefits in place on my 65th birthday.  It took just under an hour to muddle through the maize and at the end, it suggested I review the information for accuracy and select "submit" if it was correct and ready to go.  I did, but it did not...GO that is!  The little icon just began to spin when I hit "submit" and continued to spin for several minutes until my screen saver timed it out.  I awakened it to see no sign that the process had completed. For several days I tried unsuccessfully to re-visit my application.  Finally, today I went to the local Social Security office.  

I arrived around ten a.m. and there was a short line at the front door.  Within half an hour I had been given a number and called to one of the cubicles to explain what I needed.  A few keystrokes and the clerk told me to have a seat and I would be called by name shortly.  I asked if my application showed in the system, she said she wouldn't be able to see it if it was there.  OK, I should feel pleased that my information is not available to just anyone. I sat down and waited.  Others were called back and more sat solemnly in chairs around me. After about three hours or so, all chairs had changed occupants except mine.  Time was racing and I did need to be elsewhere by four.  Just after three, I started over to ask the uniformed crowd control officer if i could schedule a firm appointment another day.  Before I reached him a man in a business suit asked if he could help me.  I explained my dilemma and he asked my name and asked me to wait just one moment.  He went through the big door and returned in about 30 seconds waving me forward.  Behind the door, he asked if I could allow about ten minutes to finish the process and apologized for my long wait.  He said it was not acceptable for anyone to be kept waiting more than two hours. The lady who handled my application said my name was nowhere in the que and she didn't know what had happened.  I guess I was wrong to be relieved that I couldn't be seen in the system.  I wonder if I will get an invisible Medicare Card or invisible money...