I spent two hours of my life sitting in a waiting room on a wooden bench surrounded by humanity in an attempt to complete a state mandated task. I am not sure what was more tiresome: a) the two hour wait or b) the wooden bench or c) incessant wasteful chatter of surrounding humanity or d) the nervousness of completing the state mandated task. Taken each individually or even two of the four in combination would have been tolerable. But to be ambushed by all four was a bit too much.

While I sat on the bench, I tried to read Tom Topor's The Codicil. The book is a page turner, but I was too nervous to do the book any justice (the nervousness comes from dealing with all state mandates). I could barely concentrate on the plot and after about three pages, I gave up. The moment I put away the book, people seem to gravitate to me asking a whole bunch of questions. Like I would know the answer. Every few minutes my answer would be "I don't know, please ask the customer service" to some poor smuck who thought that I knew the answer to his/her questions. I even looked around me for signage or an arrow pointing to my location saying "Ask ME!" (Nope, there was none) Normally, I would welcome a chat or two with folks (I am sociable), but not if folks were considering me a customer service for something I have no clue on. Come chat with me about the weather, but no one was asking me about that.  I have noticed that, if someone wants or needs (or think I have the answer) something from me, then they are very sociable with me, but otherwise it is "Who-are-u?". The wooden bench was not helping, it was simply messing with me! Perhaps, it was the nervousness dealing with state combined with the long time sitting around twiddling thumbs was pushing me to the edge.

Two hours very long hours later, I was summoned to pay my respects to a rather kindly looking lady behind an imposing desk. She asked a bunch of questions, made me read some letters and lines, identify some colors and some blinking lights, made me smile at a camera, and pay some money. The whole process took less than two minutes. So, two hour wait for a two minute job!

At the end of it all, I have a pathetic piece of paper that claims that my driver's license has been successfully renewed! I don't have to think about the state mandates on license, the wooden bench, the bustling humanity and the long boring wait for another four years and eleven months.