Legal!

I went to the DMV yesterday, and I am officially legal to drive around California now;) Technically, I was perfectly legal before; my IL Driver's License was still completely valid. But, it feels nice to know I'll be getting my California license in a few weeks.

I do need to say something about what I've learned from the experience:

1. Make an appointment. I'm not kidding. I was in and out in under 2 hours. People who hadn't made appointments had been sitting there when I arrrived, and some were still sitting there when I left.

2. Study the goddamned Rules of the Road book. Seriously. When I took the written test, everyone, with the exception of one other person ahead of me, failed the test. Everyone. It is not hard, people. I only got one question wrong, because I READ THE BOOK.

3. Don't overdo it on makeup and hair before you take your picture, or the DMV ladies behind the glass will roll their eyes and laugh at you. There was a girl before me who looked like she was going straight to a club after she left the DMV, and I could tell the women were not impressed. She also tried to give them a glamour shot, tilting her head and smiling in a "come hither" kinda way. To which the state employee, who had been sitting in her chair for probably six hours and was done with girls like this, snapped, "Look straight at the camera, lips together." She took two more shots before she was satisfied that the girl was following directions.

4. Follow directions. One kid was failed for checking his cell phone while he was waiting in line to have his test graded, since there are signs saying "no electronic devices" posted everywhere. The guy behind the window busted him, and made him take the test again.

All in all, I had a pretty smooth time of it, and I'm on to the next step: buying a car.

Dum, da dum dummmmmm.