Today I faced up to something I really needed to do. And it turned out to go much better than I'd expected. I went to DMV.
First, I don't usually go that "far" out of my comfort zone. I am almost always within a 2 mile radius of my home. But, it was closer to 10 miles away. Traffic was blessedly moving smoothly. Second, I didn't see a single police officer along the way, coming or going. Third, I had an appointment which meant I didn't have to sit there interminably, waiting. Fourth, I got a really nice, patient lady with whom to work. Fifth, I was advised I needed to pay a penalty for renewing late (I couldn't get an appointment in time and the DMV website does not disclose anywhere that on Saturdays you can walk-in.) I held my breath about the penalty--it was $10 and I exhaled. Sixth, I needed information about how to renew my car registration. The lady with whom I worked was a fountain of inffo and gave me the answer to my questions. Seventh, eventually I want to get the "real ID". I didn't even attempt to do that this year because I couldn't even figure out how. Another blow for the functionality of their website......... She gave me just what I needed--even wrote it all down. Eighth, I use supplemental oxygen pretty much 24/7. I do not have a portable oxygen source, so I was concerned about being gone from home so long. I was also concerned about the "hike" from the parking lot to the entrance. And, I did not know I would have to stand in line for 10-15 minutes to gain entrance to the building. As one gentleman in line put it "I scheduled an appointment so I could stand in line".
About the drivers license. I attempted to get an appointment before i was due to renew. I couldn't get an appointment for 5 weeks. There is no mention of a penalty and there is even a statement that one can renew up to 364 days late. In that the penalty is not mentioned, that would imply to me that there is no penalty. Obviously I need to have a talk with whomever maintains that website. I could have come there today with just enough cash as I thought I needed and no debit or credit card and walked away mighty angry at wasting my time over that $10 penalty.
About the real ID: I got married when I was in college. Literally, we researched to find the closest state that would allow us to get married without parental signatures. We booked a flight home from Nashville, TN to Orlando, FL via the state in which we got married and told our parents we had a layover in that state en route. it was only later it came out we'd done the deed. In order to get a real ID, you need a paper trail for every name change. Well, it's been more than 50 years. I couldn't begin to tell you exactly where we got married and I can promise you in 9 moves over the years, I have no idea where that marriage license is. The lady with whom I met gave me a way to get it done anyway.
About the registration renewal. In December 2019, I had a lapse in my insurance coverage for a 6 day period. I can show proof it was only 6 days. And, it was cured before my registration renewal due date. I tried over and over and over through the website to renew. All I ever got from the website was an error message telling me to try again later. Like any reasonably sane person, I interpreted that to mean there was a problem with DMV's website. I continued to try and finally it occurred to me that maybe my problem had something to do with that 6 day lapse. I found a phone number on the website for questions about insurance. When I called it, I was told that my problem was indeed the lapse in coverage and there would be a HUGE penalty. I envisioned something like $600-$900 in penalties, plus the problems of how to get it fixed. Recently I have been very concerned about getting stopped by a police officer and ticketed for not having a current registration. But, still I could not find out from their website what I would need to fix the problem. Today I found out that what I need is just a current smog test, proof of current insurance, and a return trip to the DMV. I also found out the amount of the penalty--it IS a large penalty but far less that I'd been led to believe. In fact, if I take into consideration that if I'd been in compliance since then, it would have cost me $50 more than the penalty amount. So essentially I get the problem fixed and I save $50. And I no longer have to pray for police officers to be temporarily blind if they happen to pull up behind me at a stop sign! Praise be! That will also reduce my stress level when I have to drive 1.5 miles to pick up my groceries.
I had a tough time making it back to my car. I'd been off the oxygen for several hours by then. however, the Lord brought me through that too. And I will feel so much better when I get it all put together as it should be. It helps to know how...........
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