Facing my fears

So I did it this morning. I faced my fears, and I feel stronger for it.

I got out of bed early to change my name at the Social Security office in Yreka.

I guess if we're getting technical, I got out of bed, took a shower, got dressed, dropped off a job application, and THEN went to the Social Security office. But whatever. I made it there by the time the doors opened at 9 am and I was the ONLY person in there! RIGHT!? I was SO excited. I even had time to joke around with the security guard about my out-of-state plates. It literally took the gal behind the counter 5 minutes to change my name and give me the proper paperwork to get me by until my real Social Security card arrives. How awesome is that?

Well, since it only took 5 minutes and I had allotted a full hour before work to get this done, I decided to try my hand at the DMV. I mean, if I was lucky at the Social Security office, who knows how lucky I could be at the DMV?

THERE WAS NO LINE. There was 1 person being helped ahead of me, and I managed to get the one clerk in there who knew my dad and was so incredibly nice. I should have prefaced this post with a story about the dreadful reputation of the Yreka DMV. It is a general rule of thumb that your experience with be regretted and unpleasant. Mine was NOT.

10 minutes (and $25 later) I was good to go with a new temporary license until mine arrives in the mail and a new photo! I was definitely not prepared for the new photo since this was an impromptu trip to the DMV, but anything has to be better than my current picture...taken when I was 15. The picture that has kept me from getting into bars because as one bouncer put it "It doesn't look fake, but I just don't believe you are as old as you say you are with that picture." Nice.

I still had 30 minutes to kill when I got out of the DMV office so I decided to try my luck at yet another government institution...the Post Office. I should have quit while I was ahead, but 2 out of 3 ain't bad, right?

Laura Burket-Bray Singleton (booyah!): 2 California bureaucracy: 1