Tuesday, January 07, 2003
The thought never occured to me
Normally, a small form would arrive in the mail from the DMV and I would fill it out, and send it back with a check to renew the registration on my car. Fairly painless.
Only this year, I never did receive that form.
I suspect that's due to never having actually updated the address on my driver's license (even though I have only ten days from moving to do so) since going to the DMV is like being in a real life version of Brazil, only twice as annoying and no Harry Tuttle or Jill Layton to help out. But since I need to register my vehicle and I suspect not actually living at the address listed on my driver's license would cause a bureaucratic snafu the likes I've yet to see I figure the best course of action would be to break down and get a new driver's license!
Spring did mention finding an empty and fast DMV when she went nearly two years ago so I figure I would give that office a try. It couldn't hurt, right?
Never mind I was in a foul mood by the time I got there due to traffic. Never mind that I missed the strip mall and had to circle back around across six lanes of heavy season traffic. Never mind that the XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX of a XXXXXXXXX woman couldn't make up her mind as to which XXXXXXX parking lane she XXXXXXXXX wanted to park in, or the XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX of a woman was trying to back into a space in a huge conversion van and tying up traffic to XXXXXXX XXXX and back. Never mind all that.
There was a XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX line out the XXXXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXX XXXX XXX X XXXXXXXX door! XXX XXX XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXX XXXXXXX XXX XXXX XXXXXX XXX XX XXXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX X X X XXXX XXX XX XXXX XX X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXX XXXXXX XX DMV XXXXX XXXXXXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXXX X X XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX X X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX X X X XXXX XXX XX XXXX XX X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXX XXXXXX XX XXXXX XXXXXXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX XX X DMV XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXXX X X XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX X X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX X X X XXXX XXX XX XXXX XX X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXX XXXXXX XX XXXXX XXXXXXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXXX X X XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX X X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX X X X XXXX XXX XX XXXX XX X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXX XXXXXX XX XXXXX XXXXXXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXXX X X XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX X X!
And then some!
So I decided to try the old DMV office I used to use. It wasn't quite as crowded as the people were only crowded up to the door but not out.
XXX XXX XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXX XXXXXXX XXX XXXX XXXXXX XXX XX XXXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX X X X XXXX XXX XX XXXX XX X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXX XXXXXX XX DMV XXXXX XXXXXXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXXX X X XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX X X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX X X X XXXX XXX XX XXXX XX X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXX XXXXXX XX XXXXX XXXXXXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX XX X DMV XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXXX X X XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX X X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX X X X XXXX XXX XX XXXX XX X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXX XXXXXX XX XXXXX XXXXXXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXXX X X XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX X X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX X X X XXXX XXX XX XXXX XX X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXX XXXXXX XX XXXXX XXXXXXXX XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXXXX XXXXXX XX X XXXXXX X X XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX X X!
I gave up the notion of just waiting in the office. No way I was going to waste five, six days easy waiting for my turn to talk to a surly public employee who probably never heard of “fast friendly service.”
But there was a web address listed on the door, claiming that you could renew your driver's license, renew the registration and about half a dozen other things on-line!
What have I got to loose?
Five minutes.
And that was to change the address on my driver's license and renew my car registration.
For some reason, the thought that I could do this all on-line never occured to me. Not once. Here I am, having had Internet access for twelve years now and it's still yet to sink in that other parts of society are now using this wonderful thing called the Internet!
XXXXXXX yea!
