ohh good grief.

Today, I got home early and mentally prepared myself before heading off to the saddest place on earth (essentially the anti-disneyland). I sat in my room, said a little prayer, picked up my papers, and trudged the 4 blocks over to the Davis DMV. You see, I received a letter in the mail saying that my license was going to expire on my birthday this year. Since I had opted to mail in my renewal last time, I have no choice but to go and face the sheer circus-side-show that is the DMV line (apparently you can only opt out once).

Did you ever grow up watching Charlie Brown? Charlie would always try to kick the football, and Lucy would always persuade him that she would hold it for him, only to pull it away at the last minute when he winds up to kick so he’ll fall flat on his butt. Then, the next time he’ll go kick the football, Lucy will do the same thing. And the next, and the next. Each time, she manages to persuade him that this time it’ll be different.

Every time I go to the DMV, I keep telling myself that this time will be better. This time I’ll make an appointment and that will make the wait much less awful and I’ll be in and out in a jiffy. I keep telling myself that I’ll be able to submit my form and not have to pull a number and wait in one of those orange plastic chairs that only 145,626,345 butts have been on previously (I don’t imagine the happy people at the DMV are wiping these down with purell daily). And so with semi-confidence…I make an appointment using their online system, trying to assuage that lump in my throat that, hey, I made an appointment this time so everything’s gravy.

This time was no different. Of course they couldn’t find my appointment. Of course I had my confirmation number and of course they said oops they must’ve not synced with their system. Of course I had to pull a ticket. Of course I had to sit on the diseased orange seat. Of course the change of address needs to be in blue pen. Of course it ended up taking an hour and a half.


To get a new driver’s license.


Even though I look the same as I did the last time.


And my eye color is still the same.


And my ethnicity didn’t change since the last time.


**sigh**


I believe the words I’m looking for are: oohh good grief.