Good lord, how difficult do people need to be?

This is a complaint about bureaucracy. You may skip it if you like.

Last week I went to the DMV to get a CA license and register my car.

The guy told me I needed my birth certificate to get a license. So I went home, because I had to wait for my mom to mail me my birth certificate.

Monday I went back to the DMV. Told the same story. Had my birth certificate. And the woman at the ‘start here’ counter was rude, talked over me, didn’t listen to me. Told me I needed my marriage license to prove my name change. Even though I checked on the website and it didn’t say anything about it. Even though the 1st guy who told me I needed my birth certificate didn’t say anything about it.

Went home and got it. Came back the same morning.

Totally different person working the ‘start here’ desk and when I showed her my filled-out forms she said, “Oh good, you have your old CA ID number.”

Turned me over to another girl who was very nice, not at all rude, very helpful. But not once did she ask to see my birth certificate or marriage license. Are you kidding me?

I still have some things to do for my registration (smog check, VIN verification and weigh station), but I have a temp 30 day registration until that’s done.

To finish my license, I just had to take such-and-such form over to the other desk and get my pic taken, thumb print and signature. The girl helping me there was …. fine. Not rude, but …. that’s about the best I can say.

She handed me a written driving test to take! what? ! No warning? Just, here, take this test with questions on it like, “which surface freezes first when it’s cold? a: bridge; b: tunnel; c: intersection”

And you know all those questions are set up as trick questions.

So. Big sigh. I did my best. No point in arguing, although I know Andrew didn’t have to take one when he got his license a few months ago. The top of the form said I could miss only 3 to pass.

I missed 4. Out of 18. Not so good.

So she (very nicely) just asked me to answer an extra question (#19) and gave me my license.

I am never moving to another state again – mostly because I don’t ever want to have to deal with this again.

The worst part is, I’m not even done. I still have to go back.

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