Small town living

On my day off today I needed to go to the DMV to renew my drivers license AND to get Big Ella inspected and her registration renewed.

When we lived in northern VA the thought of needing to accomplish both these tasks on the same day would have been terror-inducing.  Because northern VA is so densely populated, the DMV lines are long and I would expect to spend at least 1/2 a day trying to accomplish 2 things. 

The unpleasantness of the northern VA DMV was compounded by the fact that it must be a requirement to be completedly devoid of personality and compassion in order to work there.  When trying to register a car I'd purchased, the zombie DMV employee told me I could not get my registration and plates without the bill of sale.  I explained that I had given the bill of sale to the credit union when I'd obtained the loan, but the employee simply repeated with that vacant look on her face that I had to have the bill of sale.  Desperately trying to remain calm I told her I was not leaving without a registration and plates for my new car and asked her for a recommendation.  Only then did she suggest I call the credit union and have them fax copy of the bill of sale to the DMV.

In stark contrast, one of the many benefits of living in a small town here in DE that is not densely populated is the ease and pleasantness of visiting the DMV.  Today I was able to get Big Ella inspected, renew her registration, take an eye test, and renew my drivers license all within 40 minutes.  All of these actions were performed by living, breathing people who seemed to have an actual desire to help!

Although living in a small town sometimes means fewer choices, it also means a significantly easier, faster time at the DMV.

Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget yet too small to be their own post.

My pal Jared sent me this wacky photo.

Wed I picked up Big Ella from the garage, but also had to drop off Spouse's PT Cruiser. When it rains (and you're unemployed), it pours. Big Ella passed the safety inspection this time and I was in and out of the DMV in under 10 minutes with a 2-year renewal. The reason I left Spouse's car at the garage is because it recently developed a wicked wobble in the rear end. Turned out that 1 of the rear tires had a huge bulge (and not the good kind). We wound up having to get 2 new rear tires.

My friend Mike sent me this video. This guy's upper body strength is amazing!

Spouse didn't have the best Weight Watchers week; he gained 1/2 of lb. But he wasn't crushed by it. He knew that he over-indulged a few times and then tried to make up for it by starving himself, which doesn't work. Fortunately he kept this in context and continues to look at the bigger picture.

Here's wishing everyone a great weekend!

DMV fail

Today I drove Big Ella to the DMV for her biennial safety inspection and registration renewal. Since I drove her in 3 different Christmas parades with no issues within the last month, I wasn't expecting any problems. I cheerfully motored over to the DMV 20 minutes away and was happy there was no line for the inspection.



I was not so cheerful when the inspector informed me that Big Ella had no brake lights. Yikes!! No brake lights could be a huge problem. Big Ella failed the inspection.


I recalled having this same issue in Sept of 2009. My mechanic said it was a loose wire, which he fixed for a nominal fee. The brake lights worked during the parades a month ago because I can see them illuminate in the rear view mirror, since they are mounted up high on the fins.

So I dropped Big Ella off at the mechanics and informed him of the issue. We also discussed a few other updates the car should have since she's already at the garage. I should hear back from the mechanic by Fri, letting me know Big Ella is ready to be picked up and re-inspected. Since my severance has stopped let's hope it doesn't cost too much.

It was my own damn fault

Take a little mental trip with me, won't you?

Its Mon, Sept 28th, and I am basking in the afterglow of Big Ella's 1st car show and all the great gay car guys I met. That evening, without a care in the world, I go for my weekly personal trainer session and Rick tells me he got his car inspected and tags renewed that day.

I think to myself 'Hmmm, I wonder when my car is due for inspection and tag renewal...' I hadn't received anything in the mail about it. So after my workout I look at the sticker on my tag and see Sept 30. Yikes, I have just 2 days to get the car inspected and tags renewed! I know the DMV is going to be crazy, but it was my own damn fault for not being aware.

Normally I try to go to the DMV 1st thing in the morning because its the least busy then. I'm in and out in just a few minutes. The worst time to go is noon (lunchtime), at the end of the month, and an hour before they close. But work was busy on Tues so I was unable to go in the morning. On Wed the DMV is open from 12-8pm, and this particular Wed also just happened to be the last day of the month, so it was the only time I could go.

At 5:00 when I finish work I head to the DMV, a 1/2 hour away. The inspection line is crazy long. Literally 30-40 cars in front of me, so I know its going to be awhile. It took a full hour before my car was inspected so I didn't keep the engine running. I started it up to move up the line and turned it off again. Why would I let the engine run for an hour and waste gas?

My car fails for 2 things: a parking light that was out and emissions. Damn!

I go inside the DMV and wait 45 minutes until my number is called, then hand my rejection to the clerk. I'm informed that I can only drive my car to a garage to be fixed and back to the DMV. I want to scream because my car is not in that bad of shape. I see people driving around in 20+ year old jalopies with broken tail lights and hoopdies with missing mirrors, spewing black smoke from their rusted-out mufflers. But my car fails for a parking light and emissions. How do they get away with this?

On the drive back home I think about how much it will cost to have a garage diagnose the reason(s) my car's emissions were too rich and fix it. Then I begin to think that maybe this is the time to get rid of my 15 year old car. Maybe I should just trade it in on something newer, in better condition, and is already inspected.

But then I think about taking money out of savings to pay for the newer car, or (gasp!) making payments for years and years. Neither is a happy thought. Besides, I know its 'old' but I still like my 1994 BMW 325i convertible. And for the little amount of driving I do in it since I don't commute to work, its just fine with me, so I scrap the trade-in idea.

I mention the inspection failure to Nick and he suggests that my turning off the engine while waiting an hour for the inspection is the reason it failed the emissions test. He asks me when was the last oil change, and I tell him about 5k miles ago. He suggests having the oil changed, adding a bottle of octane boost to the gasoline, and getting re-inspected while the engine is still warm.

So yesterday during my lunch break I did just that. I got the oil changed at Jiffy Lube and had them replace the burned out parking light bulb too. Then after work I poured in a bottle of the octane boost and ran her over to the DMV. There were 2 cars in front of me. I left the engine running and in 10 minutes my car was re-inspected and passed!

I still had to spend 35 minutes inside the DMV waiting for my number to be called, but at least I was waiting with confidence! I got my renewal sticker and stuck it on my tag, happy as a clam, knowing my 'old' car was safe for the next 2 years.

By the way, since the DMV does not send out renewal notices via regular mail, I have signed up for their email notification for all 3 vehicles. I do not want to have to repeat this situation again!

Crush du Jour: Sam Jaeger

Tuesday tidbits

Yesterday we had snow flurries off and on throughout the day, but none stuck to the ground. Today it was snowing when I got up at 7:45, and has been snowing all day. It is definitely sticking today, as everything is currently blanketed in white. Its our 1st real snowfall of the season, and I think its beautiful. I know you northerners (cb, Tornwordo, Jeff & Brad) are probably already sick of the 2-3 feet of snow you've had on the ground since Thanksgiving, as I'm sure sure I would be, too, if I lived there. But since we don't get snow that often, I am enjoying it today. I find it ironic to see snow at the beach.

I was a little worried about this week's weigh-in today because I knew I'd 'treated myself' too many times during the week. Last Mon I had french fries, last Tues I ate all kinds of stuff at that Inauguration potluck, and on Fri I had birthday cake (a corner piece with icing on the top and 2 sides). However, I still managed to lose 2 lbs this past week. I guess this should serve as a reminder to me that in order to be successful with a non-diet/new eating patterns/lifestyle change, you can't eliminate unhealthy foods. Instead you must limit them. I mean, I know this, but when I treat myself to something bad, I begin to fear that this splurge will undo all my efforts. But I guess its better to err on the side of caution.

Yesterday I finally got Big Ella titled and registered, but it almost didn't happen. After she had her 'physical' at the mechanic's garage, I attempted to title and register her, only to find that the original owner had not signed the title over to the dealer from whom I'd purchased her. I was issued a 30-day tag only. So I contacted the dealer to get the address of the seller, then sent the original seller the title and a letter via registered mail requesting he sign over the title and mail it back to me. All of this took 3 weeks.

So yesterday when they called my number, I presented all my paperwork along with the title, but was told that the dealer did not fully reassign the title to me. I reminded the clerk that the dealer had signed it and provided me with a bill of sale. However, she said she could not process it until it was filled out completely. So I went to the information desk to borrow a pen, and filled out the date of sale and my name, and got another number. When they called my new number I presented all my paperwork and the completely filled out title, and was then told that the dealer was not licensed in the state where the title had been issued. She explained that different states had different rules, yada yada yada, then said I would have to send the title back to the dealer, have him title the car in his state of licensure, then sign that title over to me, and mail it back to me. I could see this process taking another 3 weeks.

I rolled my eyes and sighed heavily, then said in an even, non-emotional tone "I can't believe this. Why should the dealer's state of licensure affect the signing over of the title? The whole point of having a dealer license is to not have to title cars in order to resell them." The clerk asked me to wait a moment, then picked up my paperwork and consulted with a supervisor. After at least 5 minutes, she came back and said "We're going to go ahead and title the car." I smiled and thanked her sincerely. Now Big Ella is titled and has a proper license plate, and her personalized "BIG ELLA" plate has been ordered.

This evening Spouse & I are meeting up with some new female friends. A year ago when I was doing some research for an article I never wrote I interviewed Deb. We sort of 'connected' from the beginning and both thought it would be fun to hang out sometime with our spouses, but we lost touch. Recently we reconnected via email and made plans to meet for an early bird dinner special this evening at a newer restaurant that Spouse & I have not tried yet. I think we'll have a nice time and am hoping this leads to a new friendship for the 4 of us.

Crush du Jour: James Charlton

Long day

Wow, today was a long day.

Yesterday we finally received the lien release letter I requested 2 weeks ago and which was supposed to take just 3-5 days. I had to call again about it, and when I got off the phone and checked the mail, it had arrived. Rather than mail the letters and the duplicate title forms to the VA DMV, we decided to take the next day off and drive to the VA DMV and handle it in person. Who knows how long it would take for the forms to arrive, get processed, and for the titles to be mailed back to us.

So Spouse & I called our offices to let them know we were taking the day off and then hit the road at 7:45 this morning. It was a chilly and foggy morning, but the sun finally burned through the fog and it turned out to be a beautiful day. We arrived at the DMV at 10:30, waited an hour and 15 minutes for our number to be called, and shortly thereafter walked out of the DMV with all 3 titles in hand. Success!

Since it was almost lunch time we decided to stop in at our fave Mexican restaurant Cantina Mexicana (aka: The Taco House). We arrived just before the noon lunch rush. On Spouse's way to the restroom he saw Gloria who came out of the kitchen to say hello and give him a hug. Then she came to our table and gave me the same greeting. She thanked me sincerely for the article that appeared in the Del Ray Sun newspaper (see blog entry on ) and said she'd received several calls and in-person patrons who were happy to learn from my article that Cantina Mexicana was actually The Taco House. We had a delicious lunch consisting of their awesome chicken quesadilla appetizer followed by Tres Colores (3 different colored enchiladas with 3 different fillings) and a California burrito. YUM!!! When it was time for the check we were told our meal was "on the house". We thanked them profusely and told them we'd see them in 3 weeks, since we have plans to meet friends there on our next weekend back in DC.

We left at about 1:30 and headed back to DE. We decided we would go directly to the car dealership to sign and drop off the 2 titles for the cars we traded in, and pick up the license plate for our CRV. They had been 'holding' the plate until we gave them the titles. Unfortunately that meant we had to drive around for 2 weeks with expired temporary tags until the whole title mess was finally resolved.

Prior to our deciding to take the day off, Spouse & I had decided we'd go to Dover on Tues evening to use a store coupon that expired on Fri. So after an hour back at home, we got back in the car and drove to Dover to do our shopping. We had a coupon for 15% off our entire purchase, and we a gift card (housewarming gift) for $100. We only spent a little over $50. this time, which is fine. The gift card can be used anywhere so we'll just hang onto it. We got 2 sets of chocolate brown towels for our bathroom, a set of 500 thread count queen sheets for our bed (or a guest bed), a 5-piece set of bathroom accessories (soap dish, liquid soap dispenser, toothbrush holder, drinking cup) in ivory with a brown starfish on them, and 3 one pound bags of flavored coffee. I think we did really well!

When we left the store it was almost 8:00 so we headed toward home and thought about what to do about dinner. We decided to eat at the Milford Diner. Spouse had heard from colleagues that the food was good and very reasonably priced, which rings not 1 but 2 bells in our heads. Neither of us was starving, but knew we'd need to eat something so the diner seemed right on point. Since I learned from the waitress that they had coconut cream pie, I decided on a fried egg sandwich (with mayo & cheese) so I'd have room left for the pie. I was surprised to see fried egg sandwiches on the menu - that's such a 'diner' thing. I hadn't had one in a bazillion years but as I ate mine I was pleasantly reminded of my childhood when my family would sometimes have fried egg sandwiches for lunch on a Sat or Sun. It really took me back. And the pie was no disappointment either. We enjoyed our dinner at the diner, and got home just before 10:00, a few minutes ago. Its been a long day, but a good one.


Work out update - session 3: I did pretty well with my breathing so I wasn't yawning like a bored temp, but I got a little nauseous at the very end of my work out. I'd finished my ab work and felt really hot and flushed. I was sweating like a whore in church, and just laid on the floor for a few minutes, waiting to feel normal again. Rick says my blood pressure may have spiked from all the exercises. Not sure if there's anything I can do to prevent this from happening again, or if it will stop happening by itself as I continue to exercise regularly.


Drag Queen name of the day: Ima Freeloader