My hellacious day at the DMV

So today I decided to get my license renewed, as it expires at the end of the month. At about noon I went to the DMV in Lodi, where there was a LONGGGG line out the door. The police officer (yes, police officer) outside informed me that it would be a two and a half hour wait to renew my license. I thought to myself, “No way I’m wasting my day on that line” and left, figuring I’ll try another DMV in the county.

This brought me to Oakland. I arrive at the agency, only to see that it’s closed for renovation. Gee, great. There was a note on the window that suggested trying Wyckoff.

So I went to the DMV in Wyckoff (which was right across the street from my first post-college job), and again there was a line out the door. And a police officer (yes, a police officer). He said that the wait would be about an hour, maybe an hour and a half. So I get on line and I begin texting friends to see if there are any other good DMV’s in the area. As I’m waiting, I find the line moving moderately quickly, so I decide to wait it out.

Well, part of me wishes I hadn’t. In the end, the entire process took a full two hours. There was a line to get into the building. Then a line to get a number so that you could be called onto the line to actually get your license renewed. This experience was so excruciating that the old lady on line behind me said, with all the sincerity in the world, that she wanted to die.

And for the love of God – why do they need to know if I’m paying child support in order to renew my driver’s license????