I forced myself to ride into Glendale and visit the License Bureau and find out what they did with my license. I needed it last month or the month before for that big western fiesta which came and went without my presence. There is another big event in downtown Glendale running this month and half the next called "Glendale Glitters," where they light up the downtown area with one-and-a-half gazillion lights. Of course, they only turn them on at night and even with all those lights you're hard put to read anything in the light generated by those tiny litle things. So, it isn't a very good place to set up a table and sell books. But, anyway, I arrived at the License office and joined in at the end of a line of 15 or 20 others waiting patiently, most were paying their water bills or something. My turn at the window came and by then I realized I was in the wrong line. "You have to go that window over there where that other line is, sir."
I was going to protest loudly and vehemently, because a sign that read "Water Payments and Tax Licensing form a Line Here" directed me to that window. However, I used my better judgement and said, "I must've got in the wrong line," and moved my bod to the other line. I finally reached the correct window and explained my dilemma to the young lady, and she said, "Do you have some identification?" I handed her my driver's license, and she looked at a computer screen and punched in my name. "You haven't received your license?" "No, ma'am, they told me it was mailed on the 17th, but it hasn't arrived yet." "Just a minute, I'll get you a copy." She went to a filing cabinet, pulled out a piece of paper, and returned. "Here is your license," she said, real sweet like. Nothing to do, but tell her thanks and leave, but I never received any explanation of why it wasn't mailed, or, if it was, where they mailed it. Outside, I took a good look at the license, and it read "Issued: October 16, 2010." I said to myself, "Today is NOVEMBER 29TH, what the Hell happened?" I just shook my head and walked down the sidewalk muttering, "Another bureaucratic screw-up. It must be the new trickle down efficiency theory at work."
Reminds me of the last time my drivers license was up for renewal. There was more than line-waiting involved.
ReplyDeleteThe computer revealed that I was a scofflaw, having not paid a $40 parking fine in Rhode Island sometime in the early 1990s. My memory is not great, but I don't think I was even in the country then, let alone Rhode Island.
Before California would renew my expiring license, I had to pay the fine (scofflaw or not), which was a complex maneuver from over 3000 miles away and required more waiting while the days on my old license dwindled down to a precious few.
I finally was able to return to the DMV for more line waiting to get my new license the day the old one expired.
I'm glad you got it, Oscar. But I can imagine what a pain in the arse that was.
ReplyDeleteRon,what a rip-off! Glad to see you just made it. Common sense doesn't reign in bureaucratic offices.
ReplyDeleteDavid, thanks. Today I recieved the tax forms from Glendale showing the period 10-10 to 11-20 to pay my taxes, a period for which I didn't have their license and couldn't sell anything. See above, common sense is lost on a bureaucrat.