I blocked off the entire afternoon to renew my driver’s license today, assuming it would take hours.
Last time I was able to renew online, but this time I had to come in person. Still, they have this online system where they send you your time slot. After I registered, I got a text saying to come in an hour and a half.
So an hour and fifteen minutes later, I pull into the DPS parking lot on North Lamar and walk into the office. I grab a renewal form. And I ask the woman at the desk to verify that I just need to text ‘J’ to confirm my arrival.
“What are the last four digits of your phone number?” she asks. “I’ll put you at the front of the list.”
Well, ok… not literally the front. As I sit down in the very full waiting room, I see my number on a big screen hanging from the ceiling. I am third — with an estimated wait of three minutes.
Well, ok… my estimated wait time reached five minutes at one point. But in no time at all, a voice comes over the speaker, “Number 3271 please report to booth nine.”
I feel guilty when I stand up. All those people sitting around me, there must be a hundred, and it’s already my turn.
At booth nine, Shiela has a smiling face to greet me. She takes my paperwork, gives me an eye test, takes my picture (a decent one at that), and gives me a temporary license. It takes all of something like 20 minutes.
Altogether — I kid you not — I was in and out of that place in 25 minutes.