Yesterday's Adventure

Tomorrow May begins.  And that means it's that time again.  Time for new plates and a new driver's license.  So, yesterday, I took the trip. 

It's not a long trip.  I was there and back in 90 minutes, and 2/3rds of that was drive time.  Half hour up, half hour back.  In the remaining thirty minutes, I hit the bank, got the car safety-inspected, did the plates and then did the eye/sign test. 

The worst part of the trip is the drive.  It's all hills and curves.  The kind of hills that have the warning signs for trucks and the kind of curves where you'd better slow down to 20mph or you'll go shooting off into space (cuz, like, you're driving in a small mountain range). 

Oh, it's a very pretty drive.  Everything here is green.  It's like nature is trying to outdo herself with how many shades of green she can create.  Plus, the dogwoods are still blooming, so you have occasional bursts of white alongside the road.  And the sun was dappling through the trees.  Unfortunately, sun through trees at any speed tends to give a strobe-light effect. 

Anyway, I did the trip.  This year, Missouri decided it would be a good idea to give us all new plates instead of just a new sticker.  What a waste of money.  Plus, now I have to memorize a new plate #.  I liked the old number because part of it made a funny word.  The new number?  Blah.  The old plates had a blue bird on them which I loved.  The new plates are to celebrate the state's bicentennial... in two years.  1821-1921.  Umm, yah.  They're kind of boring. And no bird.  =o\

This year, Missouri is also shifting to the Real ID program thingie.  It's a federal government thing that's supposed to make it harder for assholes to fake the ID.  In order to get a Real ID, I had to present my old driver's license, birth certificate and my Social Security Card to prove I was who I said I was, and a utility bill to prove residency.  Kind of a pain, but if the program helps to keep our nation safe, I can deal with it.

While I was there, a gentleman was also trying to get his Real ID.  I overheard the gal talking to him and apparently, he tried to hand her a piece of paper with his SSN written on it instead of his SS card.  Nope.  Need the card.  Says so right on the postcard they send you.  Oops.  He did not seem happy.  :shrug:  Follow the rules and you'll get along fine.  I had all my shit together.

With one exception.  When I started handing all my paperwork to the first gal to get my plates, I didn't have proof of insurance in my Big Folder of Information (tm).  I mean, it was in my car, so not that big a deal, but it was especially funny because right before I left, Hubs said I should take the thing out of the glove compartment and put it in the BF of I.  And I was all like nope, I have this.  Which ought to teach me to listen to Hubs. 

The license thing went smoother.  Handed over all the stuffs and was directed to the nice young gal in charge of the eye test and taking the license photos.  Did the eye test - which consisted of reading the top line and then being able to identify six signs by their shapes and markings.  Passed it all with flying colors.  She said I would be surprised at how many people don't pass.  I said something about people needing glasses and she said that wasn't the part they couldn't pass.  Dude, if you can tell what signs are by their shape and markings, you need to maybe review that shit before you get behind the wheel.  Stop, merge, do not enter, signal ahead, no left turn, and no u-turn... simple stuffs. 

Anyway, she gave me an A+ and then shifted me over to get my picture taken.  I had thought about doing my hair to make me pretty before I left, but then I thought that these licenses are supposed to look like you on an average day.  Getting all dolled up would not have looked like me on an average day.  And the picture actually turned out better than my old license.  Go figure.

She punched holes (they spell out the word VOID) in my old license and handed it back.  Then she gave me a printed temporary license to carry around with me.  A paper license.  For three weeks.  Considering when I fish I usually only take my license with me instead of my whole purse, and I often get rained upon... Guess I'll have to carry that sucker in a baggie for a while.  :shrug:

On a side note, watching Live PD in Greene County, MO makes me wonder if we're the only people in the damn state who actually have licenses.  So many people on there don't.  Derp.

So, that's done for another two years on the plates and another six on the license.  Plus, I'm a legitimate person in the eyes of the federal government.  Umm, yay. 

And that was my adventure yesterday.  Gotta take the adventures where you find them.

What big adventures have you been on lately?