I had a to-do-list for all of the things that I needed to accomplish today. I've gotten some done, and left some for a later date. One of the things that was on my list was to get the 2009 stickers for my car tag.
First of all, I think it's dumb that in Alabama, because of your last name, you can buy a tag in August and then have to renew it in Sept of the same year..ugh. The worst part about doing this is going to the most horrible place in Bham as far as I'm concerned. There is never an optimal time to go. There is ALWAYS a line, ALWAYS rude employees angry with their jobs, and ALWAYS some sort of drama.
As for today, I went in with the notion that I would be waiting there for a while, might as well accept it right? This was something that had needed to be done for a while, so it couldn't be on the delay list. I entered the spiraling line separated by the flimsy metal dividers that have obviously been illegally leaned on as evidenced by their slant. In front of me, a foreign man who seemed to be utterly uncomfortable with people standing close to him. I kept my distance as much as possible. That was until the person behind me entered. The first thought that came through my mind when he walked into the line behind me was honestly, "Hmm I think I've taken care of that guy before!" Let me assure you, this is not really a compliment. I started to inch forward I'm sure bursting front man's huge personal bubble. We stayed in silence for a good 10 minutes. Then it happened, I knew it would. Conversation. Now I don't mind talking to strangers one bit, but sometimes you just want to complete the task without being social. I was wearing a tshirt from a race I had done last year. So the conversation started by him asking me if I did triathlons and how he was amazed by how "thick" these women were......?! Anyway, I had some mmm hmmm's and yeahs...and started to use body language to my advantage. I tried looking away, turning my shoulders and finally desperately searched through my purse for absolutely nothing. Nothing worked. He continued to tell me about his job as a paramedic and how his sister was this amazing physician who was unbelievably smart but had no sense of humor. His daughter just finished undergrad at harvard, going to med school, and getting married soon. I interjected a few courteous laughs and appropriate comments. Finally, more silence. At this point, I was completely turned with my back to him as in a normal line pattern.
A few minutes later... I WAS SAVED! The woman behind this man started to fuss about how she was a diabetic and needed to eat on her lunch break instead of wait on her dmv needs whatever they may have been. They chatted for a while. I felt such relief! She eventually decided to bail out. Dang...it was my problem again. Luckily after a few more needless back and forths, it became my turn to get my sticker. With little resistance (surprisingly), I got out of there with no issues! What a success!
Hopefully, I won't go back there for a really long time. Have a good day Mr. paramedic with smart family. Have a good day.
