My Club 33 application arrived today, a scant thirteen months after I requested it. (Just to be clear: I’m not talking about my acceptance into the club. Just the application to apply.) Why it took thirteen months to mail three laser printed pieces of paper, I can’t imagine. Nor can I imagine why, when I called to check on my request after a couple of months, the Club 33 representative was able to keep a straight face while telling me that it routinely took seven months to fulfill application requests. (And even that was an absurdly overreaching estimate.)

In all likelihood, I won’t join even when my application is eventually accepted in 2023. As a San Francisco resident it’s hard to envision that I’ll be able to take advantage of the club often enough to make the membership fee worthwhile. But this experience hasn’t exactly whetted my appetite.