NC DMV

At the DMV in New Bern, it takes a half hour for you to get your customer service queue ticket, which may or may not be issued in the order in which people actually arrived and huddled or sat.

Then it takes 2 to 3 hours before you can meet with a DMV representative.  More than one person said, "I feel like I've won the lottery!" when his or her number was finally called. (Can you imagine being an antsy 16-year-old waiting to take your driving test for that long?)

Time passed.

Tim and I had all our documentation to get a North Carolina driver's license -- Social Security card, passport, Mass. license, birth certificate, proof of car insurance, proof of residency. We breezed through the vision and traffic sign identification quizzes.  However, we hadn't realized we also needed to take a multiple-choice test on traffic laws, violation consequences, and safe driving practices. 

Tim passed. 

I did not.

Which meant going back to the DMV the next day (after giving the manual a read-through), waiting a half hour for a "ticket," and then waiting, again. I did have two good novels with me, though.

One woman came in and perkily inquired about the process.  "Well, I'll just wait here a few minutes and see how it goes," she said.  "A few minutes?" someone chuckled.  Indeed, after more than a few minutes, the newcomer said, "Well, this is just a waste of my time. I might as well be picking my nose"--and ducked out the door.  "Jest don't flick it at us," came from the back of the room.

This time, however, I sped through the test and missed nary a question.  I am now a licensed NC driver.  Next step is registering the cars, since you have to have a driver's license to do that -- but the temporary paper one won't do, we need to wait until the plastic one with the photo comes in the mail.

Last night, we went to the community theater comedy  production of "Noises Off."  Admirable energy and craft.

Today, someone I'd phoned about doing some upholstery called me "Miss Jeanne."  I think I'm in the South!