I ended up in a traffic jam near the DMV office in Van Nuys. At this point, it seemed ridiculous for me not to go in. I had two choices, sit in traffic or take care of the important business at the DMV. It seemed someone from above was gently directing me to pull into the DMV parking lot. There was yet another sign. It was 4:45 p.m., right before closing.
This went right along with my past strategy of getting there late so they take care of my paperwork quickly. My thinking on this topic is that employees want to go home and by arriving late they may expedite my requests.
I was still hesitant. Maybe I could wait a few more days and avoid the grueling drill.
Finally, I made the decision to use my time wisely. My experiment of going in and leaving early worked. Well, somewhat. And the service I received was in fact very good and courteous. I passed the eyesight test (I was proud) and got an extension to come back and take the written exam. The DMV employee had second thoughts about giving me the standard 60 day extension. She looked at me and said: “Procrastinator, right? Maybe I should give you only 10 days.”
I think she was joking.
I also had an opportunity to get a new picture taken. I asked the photo attendant to make me look good. He promised he was the right man for the job. But he did complain about my lack of a smile in the photo. But he should have known from my last name I wouldn’t be smiling in a photo taken for my driver’s license. Armenian roots mean that the driver’s license photos of all men belonging to our background will look like we are all wanted by the Interpol. If we are wrongly captured for a crime, our driver’s license photo will tell a different story.
