Well, I met my first rude person today in PA and you might guess it was a "public servant." Why do public servants so often forget who they are? Someone who is supposed to help the public, i.e., moi?
The guy today at the driver's license bureau first crabbed at me for "almost" missing my number. The amount of time they give you to get up to the desk before calling the next number is shorter than a New York minute.(You have to take a number in order to be served.) Then he asked me if my middle name was really "Jones" in a mocking way. I explained that I used my maiden name as my middle. He said, "People have started doing that recently and it's wrong." I replied that I had been doing it for thirty-seven years. Seems that he thinks it's illegal to use my maiden name as my middle without going to court. Funny, but the IRS likes my maiden name just fine (it's on my Social Security card) and so does the Passport Agency. And of course, he had both my social security card and my passport in front of him because you have to present umpteen jillion pieces of ID in order to get a license. Then he mumbled that it would eventually catch up with me. At this point, I could die before that happens. (I didn't explain that I can't use my real middle name because my initials would be SAD and that's just sad.) If I hesitated for an instant in all the instructions he was giving me, he acted like I had the IQ of a kumquat. Altogether a nice fellow. The other guy who took my picture was the soul of affability. A couple of nice surprises though. You don't have to take a written test! Just a one-line eye test. And when I was getting my picture made I was able to register to vote and to register as an organ donor instantly. How cool is that?
The temporary license looks and feels just like a real one down to the holographic plastic laminating material. I asked the photo guy about that. He said, "Oh, your real license will be just like that except that it won't have the word 'temporary' on it." In the thirty minute wait in between the rude guy and the photo guy they could have checked my Texas records online. (And probably did.) Why not give me the real one right then?
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2 comments:
With the temporary stamp across it, your new license looks like one for a kid who is underage! We used to have licenses with "Under 18" or "Under 21" stamped across them. And thank goodness the actual agencies don't restrict names in the US, no matter what cranky employees think. Just imagine all the amazing names we'd miss out on with a restricted name list!
Too bad there can't be a middle ground though. I've had kids come through my classroom and their names were almost child abuse they were so awful. I particularly disliked the ones that had French accent marks on the wrong letter.
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