My driver’s license expires on my birthday in three weeks and I’ve been confounded by that.
The last time I had my license renewed it was automatic and it was in NYC.
Somehow, the NYC people sent my renewal forms to Florida (where I was this summer on a project) and seem sorta willing to let me renew my NYC license while having a mailing address out of state.
The trouble is that I no longer have a “real” NYC address either.
The only thing they want from me, it seems, is a vision exam and a change of a address process, though and they are happy to just mail me a license anywhere.
On the other hand, it seems you’re supposed to get a CA license within 10 days of moving to the state.
The simplicity (and honesty) of getting a California license, however, is confounded by the fact that I’d have to take the written exam.
Somehow –– although I vaguely recall being getting a National Merit Commendation and an Ivy League degree –– I’m slightly overwhelmed with the idea of taking any kind of test again.
Don’t get me wrong –– like Rain Man, I am an excellent driver, having gone cross-country and from LA to Vancouver and back, and tons of other trips in the last two years alone –– but who can remember how many feet you’re supposed to park away from a fire hydrant?
The CA driving handbook is like 100 pages, including an “Only in San Francisco” section about cable cars etc. which I suppose would be good to know.
On the other hand, don’t they realize I have a screenplay to revise to get to the #1 actor in Hollywood this week?
Secondly, I really only want a new license photo when I’m looking my VERY best and I don’t know if now is really the time for an intense juice cleanse.
But I guess it just has to be, given that I’ve got a lot of airport arrivals and departure pick-ups in my future and unless I want to be driving illegally … I’ve got to man up and pretend to be 16 again.
FYI, if you’d like to try your luck at the computerized tutorial, CLICK HERE.
Maybe this is all because it feels like centuries since I’ve taken an actual test. [It occurs to me that the last one was for yoga school certification twelve years ago and that I got a near perfect score.]
I am comforted, though, that when I was at the DMV there was an ancient Asian man who was utterly befuddled by the system –– they call out number letter combos like A124, then C781, then X239 seemingly randomly –– until I managed to explain it to him, more or less.
Then I had to remind him when his number was called.
Then he couldn’t put it together which window to go to, until Belle and I literally deposited him in front of Window 1, for which he was quite thankful.
But if he’s out on the road –– and somehow passed the test, although he can’t find the right window at the DMV –– well, maybe I can, too.
[By the way, it’s like $65 to renew in NYC + I’d have to pay for the eye exam; in CA, the new license is $31, exam included –– DECISION MADE.]
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