Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Wonders never cease!

My encounter with the NY Department of Motor Vehicles went much more favorably than expected.
I was dreading it; expecting weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Previous encounters, I guess.
Last time, as I recall, was waiting in a dinghy foul-smelling room, laden with sweat — “Please take a number, siddown, and shaddup!”
Hours of waiting, and then bow and scrape at the almighty bureaucrats that fiddle your fate.
Not this time.
Altogether about a half-hour; maybe less.
And no longer the dinghy building behind Lady Justicia.
I think that building is GONE.
The NY DMV is now in the Lady Justicia building; next to the town clerk.
As a bus-driver for Regional Transit Service, the transit-bus operator in Rochester, NY, I was required to have a Commercial-Driver-License (“CDL”), Class B.
As I recall, Class B was bus-driving, carrying passengers in a large vehicle. —A bus weighed at least nine tons. Some had a passenger capacity of 53.
My stroke ended my bus-driving October 26, 1993, so I thought I no longer needed a CDL.
I pursued that when my license renewed in 2002, but the state just renewed it as a CDL.
This time a heap of new requirements were added, so again I had no desire to renew as a CDL.
I no longer needed it.
I stepped inside, and into a line about seven deep, but moving quickly.
In about 10 minutes, I was at the “Customer Service” window, explaining I no longer needed a CDL, and could use a new mug-shot.
“Well all you have to do is fill out this form; and you’re number 38.
Wait until your number is called.”
“Ya mean I gotta send this here form to Utica?”
“No; they’ll do it right here. Utica can’t.”
It’s a gumint function — I was expecting dramatic stonewalling.
I got the form about half filled out, and they were calling for number 38.
Holy Mackerel!
SLAM-BAM; “your new license will be in the mail in 5-10 days.”
Well, not so fast, I thought to myself later. Not until that license is in my hot little hand.
I was expecting a turgid wrastling-match, much like our donnybrooks with Social Security and the Infernal Revenue Service.
“Take a number and siddown. Sit quietly with your hands folded. ... We’ll call ya back.” —They never do.
In-and-out in about a half-hour.
Wonders never cease.

• For 16&1/2 years (1977-1993) I drove transit bus for Regional Transit Service. My stroke October 26, 1993 ended that.
• “Lady Justicia” is a gold-painted wooden statue atop the Ontario County Courthouse dome in Canandaigua. “Lady Justicia” is a blindfolded lady dispensing justice from her weigh-scales. (“Canandaigua” [“cannon-DAY-gwuh”] is a small city to the east nearby where we live in Western NY. The city is also within a rural town called “Canandaigua.” The name is Indian, and means “Chosen Spot.” —It’s about 15 miles away.)
• Mail processing of DMV business is in Utica, NY.

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