Learner’s Mind

marcus — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 05:00:20 +0000

I had to overcome a number of bureaucratic obstacles before setting off on this adventure, the most gnarly and long-lodged of which was the reinstatement of my driver’s license. I drove a dusty old barn-red GMC Sierra across the Oregon state line in the summer of 2005 just before settling in at the youth hostel on Hawthorne and scoping for my first Portland apartment. My girlfriend and I at the time soon fell into desperate financial disrepair and the the liquidation of the truck went down within the first few months.

I didn’t realize at the time that I wouldn’t drive again legally for another 8 years. At the time I was under the impression that I was still licensed to drive. The Oregon DMV coldly disavailed me of this pretension during my first visit there. I waited forever with a number in my hand. And the lady at the counter said, “sir, you’re going to have to work this out with Georgia.”

FUCK GEORGIA, has been my thing. For like, 8 actual years. The majority of my 20s, not legally able to drive. And I’m such a good driver too! Like technically. I relish every chance to help a friend parallel park into a squirrelly space.

Well, no more. If I want to tow an RV trailer from my home state of Alabama clear across country, I’m going to man up and work this out with Georgia. So I did. I faxed a form, and sent a copy to this and that officially address, provisioned and mailed a succession of money orders.

Then on the day before flying out to Alabama I hit the DMV on north Interstate and sweated hard bullets through a 38 question computerized written test. If I had incorrectly answered as few as 8 questions, I would have been beyond fucked, as flunkies are forced to wait a week before retesting and I was flying out tomorrow.

Whatever. I passed. It’s just a learner’s permit but somehow that feels about right.

Oregon – Shadow Cruisin'

Learner’s Mind