Bleah

Spent a week at the DMV yesterday (and today). Mm, I love the smell of overwhelming powerlessness in the shadow of faceless bureaucracy. This was a direct result of my birthday, (Touché, Birthday. You win again.) and the car's registration finally expiring.

For those of you not in NY, count yourselves lucky. This place is sick with aforementioned bureaucracy. To get the car registered here, I need a NY driver's license -- nothing else will do. This despite the fact that I was able to keep my VT driver's license in Ohio, even though I had the car registered there. Whatever. I'll get the new license.

However, to get my new driver's license, I need to have my old (still valid) license, PLUS: a birth certificate, a social security card AND two OTHER forms of ID (only one can be a credit card). WTF? Is this a magic driver's license? Does this driver's license give me secret access to heretofore uknown places? Is this why I always have to stand behind the stupid red ropes on Chrystie Street? It's easier to get a goddamn passport. Which I have. Which counted (luckily) for the birth certificate (which, I have no idea where that even is) and the two other forms of ID, but NOT for the SSN card (though the number's right on there). ugh. Then it cost forty fucking five fucking dollars.

THEN I get to register the car. Only I can't, because the car is in both my and Karen's name. And so we need both signatures to transfer the title. In original ink. So the faxed forms I have from her won't work. Again: wtf? Plus we need a picture of Karen's NYC license. Luckily, she's more on the ball than I am, because if she had an out of state license, it would be no dice.

Seriously, it would almost be easier (and cheaper) to drive back to fucking OH and renew the registration in Hamilton. It would certainly take less time.