Bringin GTA to the Queen City

4 hours and 2 DMV offices later, I now have an official NC driver’s license. It’s a well-known fact that the DMV is a close 2nd to the IRS on everyone’s governmental agency 3-letter name s-list, and thankfully, NC licenses are good for 8 years, because the transfer process was brutal compared to the typical renewal process in OH.

The first DMV office was in the middle of the ghetto. The office didn’t open until 8am, but there were at least 20 people lined up outside the door when I pulled up at 7:50. And while it’s a ton of fun to stand in line, it’s even more fun when you get to do it outside in 30 degree weather. For whatever the reason, the South Charlotte DMV missed the memo on using roped-off line areas that weave back and forth to better utilize space. It’s not like every single bank in America does this or anything…but what do I know, I’m just a damn Yankee.

The second DMV office was a little better; not as ghetto and these geniuses understood the roped-off weaving line concept. So while I still had to stand in line for 2.5hrs with people that can make any day of the week feel like a Monday, those 2.5 hrs of my life I’ll never get back were spent in above-freezing temperatures.

After waiting in line, my examiner was a former AWACS pilot and we spent the first few minutes talking about his time flying in Oklahoma (me being born in the bustling, world-famous metropolis that is Bartlesville, OK brought that story up). His story was actually pretty interesting…sucks that he went from flying multi-million dollar pieces of equipment to asking people to read tiny letters that don’t spell anything and asking people if they have problems with flashing lights, seizures or other health problems. I really hope people are honest on the seizure part. I’ve heard of older people getting a pass on the vision test, which I would much rather deal with than someone turning their car into a 100 mph steel missile b/c they seize up and slam the gas down. Toyota doesn’t need any more help making the roads more dangerous. Ford, Chevy & GM, you’re welcome! But I digress… after getting all the personal info filled out (address, insurance, etc); I took a vision test, street sign identification test and 25-question multiple choice exam. Not too bad since Gena found a bunch of previous exam questions from people online. It’s not what you know…

And now I’m an official NC driver! Watch out people, I’ve logged some serious hours on GTA. Just kidding, I’m going to be a dad. It’s not like parents, especially Starbucks-laced soccer moms, are crazy drivers :)