livin’ the easy life in wisconsin
Mike has been insisting for weeks that I finally go get my Wisconsin driver’s license. I’ve been avoiding the task because I’m still traumatized by the multiple experiences I’ve had dealing with the Maryland Department of Transportation. Each time I would go there I ended up having to leave and come back with more paperwork. This was even after calling ahead and speaking with a representative telling me everything I would need in advance. I had to get both my driver’s license and car registered there, so you can imagine my frustration after making 4 separate visits to that place. Of course, the lines were insanely long, and I usually had at least one cranky kid in tow. The one good thing about getting your car registered in that state is that it is a 2-year registration. That means in the 2 years I lived there I only had to visit the DMV those 4 times.
Today I decided it would be a good day to get my Wisconsin driver’s license. Yes, I had to bring Mimi with me, but she’s actually really well-behaved when it’s just her and I. I did as much research prior to the trip to the license office, so that I wouldn’t have to repeat my Maryland adventures. In order to ensure not being turned away I absolutely over-prepared by bringing my MD driver’s license, military i.d., birth certificate, marriage license, social security card, passport, voter registration card, the last 3 months each of my utility and mortgage bills, and proof of auto insurance. You think I’m kidding, but I really did bring a huge manila envelope with all that crammed into it. I wasn’t taking my chances this time.
Imagine my surprise when my wait was non-existent upon entering the place. The nice lady who handled my paperwork looked a little scared when I handed over all my documentation. Fortunately, she only needed my MD driver’s license, birth certificate and a current utility bill, but she commended me on my efficiency.
After about 2 minutes of her entering my information into the system it was time for the dreaded photograph. The man who was in charge of this duty was very elderly which meant he probably wasn’t concerned about making sure I looked decent in the picture (I never do anyway). And, why the hideous, blue backdrop? Out of all the colors on the color wheel, this is probably the least flattering color for me. Why can’t we choose the background color? If this were the case, then I would definitely say green is my color, preferably in a shade of light olive or celery. Better yet I don’t think it would be too unreasonable to allow driver’s license applicants to bring their own (heavily) photoshopped photos as long as the photo reasonably looked like the individual. And, no, you may not see my driver’s license picture.
All in all it’s been very easy to get situated in the fine state of Wisconsin. Voting day was a snap, buying a truck here was a breeze, purchasing this house couldn’t have been any simpler (even after the mishaps we had in getting there on time), heavy traffic is never an issue, long lines are unheard of, and no mail has (so far) gotten lost en route to our house. What more could we ask for?