What a day of extremes! A dreaded event (which turned out to not be as awful as expected,) and a long-anticipated event (which met expectations!)My friend Mary needed to get her drivers licence adjusted, and I needed to get mine renewed. I had gotten one of those odious notifications – “Happy Birthday! It’s time to visit your local DVM,” similar to the ones I get at work. The work ones say, “Happy Birthday, it’s time to get your TB test and to spend hours on the computer doing tedious little modules about safety, policy, what to do if an earthquake happens, etc. updates.” Bleh!
So we went to the Drivers Licence place, and were horrified to see a room full of bored people awaiting their turn. We took a number and mine was 118. At that point they were at 43. A large sign said, “No Public Restrooms.” It didn’t look good. Mary realized that she had forgotten her book. Well, I had mine, and also parts of my morning New York Times, so we sat there, read, tried to ignore what was going on around us, particularly a compulsive talker who was sitting in front of us and engaging in conversation with anyone who would pause near her. Finally a baby sat next to her, and the baby was delighted – no doubt unlike her predecessors. But this meant that talking evolved into squeaks, games of peek-a-boo. Way worse. I was calculating that at the rate we were going, we would be there for at least four hours, but miraculously, it was less than two. I passed the vision test without my glasses, and this cheered me quite a bit. When finished, we rushed out in search of a loo, and then had a lovely lunch at a posh eatery - the Metropolitan Bar and Grill. Had I not had Mary with me, this would have been a very sad occasion, but it turned out not bad at all. In fact, the reverse – a pleasant morning. I was hoping to see my friend Janet there. She was undergoing t
he same ordeal sometime during the day, but our paths did not cross.The long anticipated event was the resumption of our choir year. This always is a wonderful reunion of friends, many not seen for several months, and a fun celebration – with a lavish dinner, and the traditional Catholic beverage flowing freely.
2 comments:
Your friend Janet and husband Ian went today - we drew numbers 205 and 206. I can't remember exactly which number was being served but it might have been 140 or so. The room was full of people and also there were people waiting outside. We didn't linger. We went off to the Elephant and Castle for lunch and then to Barnes & Noble. We'll try again next week. Am glad you were successful.
I guess the lesson here is don't drink fluids but do bring a book when heading out to that DMV office. Funny how people can settle in and look so resigned when they have to!
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