update on my life
Well, I've got good news and bad news. Since I don't know which you would like to read first, I'll give you the option.
So I get a call from my mom who tells me that my car insurance expired. Apparently, I was supposed to make a payment sometime at the end of May. So I went online and got some insurance from Progressive. I then needed to get an Indiana driver's license and change the car's plates over to Indiana. I called the license bureau and found out that they were closed on Monday. Since Miriam and I were heading out to Baltimore on Wednesday (yesterday) I needed to get my license either Tuesday or Wednesday. On Tuesday I dropped Miriam off at Wal-Mart and headed over to the license bureau... the way it works here, you wait in line to talk to a lady who then puts your info into the computer. Then they call you over and they help you.
So after waiting in line, I was told that I was missing a piece of information: proof of my Indiana residence. Apparently, the info I
brought wasn't good enough because it had my mailing address, not my physical address (i can't get mail at our apartment).
I drove off, slightly annoyed. As I was driving away, I realized that our landlord was right down the street from the license bureau. So i stopped by there and had her write me a receipt for our rent. I went back to the license bureau, waited in line again, and got turned down... again. They said that they wouldn't take a receipt as proof of residence. I picked Miriam up from Wal-Mart and we headed back home.
On Tuesday, I headed back to the license bureau, this time with a paycheck (which has our physical address on it). At this point, the people there recognize me (but don't yet know me by name). They take all my information and bring my social security card back to their office to check it with their database. About 10 minutes later, they came back and told me they couldn't find a match to my SSN. I needed to go to the Social Security branch and have them verify my number.
I was told that there is never a line at the SS office, but there was when I got there. I had to wait over a half hour. I got the verification and headed back to my favorite place... the license branch.
I got back, waited in another line, and finally made it to the front counter. They doublechecked all my information (they knew it was all right already... they greeted me by name when I came in the door. They put it all in the computer and gave me the driving test.
You are allowed to miss 6 questions on the test, and 2 signs. I missed 1 question and 3 signs... so i failed. It was the most rediculous thing ever. I didn't bother studying the signs because i figured I could just look at a sign that says "Stop" and know that it means "stop". But on the test, they gave you shapes and you had to know what the shapes meant. I didn't know the difference between a diamond sign, a square sign, and a vertical rectangle sign. So, no license for me.
I've been there 4 times, spent over 2 hours in line, and have nothing to show for it.
Miriam and I drove all night to get to Baltimore this morning so that we could make the Brand New concert tonight. It was amazing (for the most part). The concert was at the Ram's Head Live. The building was really cool. There was a decent size stage at one end of the room. In the back of the room was a bar, with another bar to the side of the room. There were a few hundred people standing in the room, with another hundred or so on the balcony. Miriam and I started the concert in the mosh pit and ended up moving to the back of the room when it got a little rough.
I thought the concert was really good. There were two opening bands. UHF was pretty good. I liked their sound. Colour Revolt was another story. But they only played a few songs.
Brand New was... Brand New.
Jesse Lacey was amazing. His voice is great. He put on a good show, but I think he was almost outperformed by Vinnie Accardi. Vinnie did a great job of working the crowd as he yelled his lines to the crowd and had us sing along with him. At the end of the show he threw his guitar about 15 feet in the air, caught it, and continued playing.
Even though he was having some technical difficulties, Jesse played an amazing guitar solo in the middle of Seventy Times Seven.
The format of the set was really weird. They played about 10 songs, and abruptly finished. The crowd cheered them on for an encore. They came back out and Jesse informed the audience that this was not an encore. They continued to play 4 more songs... almost another set.
They played 3 or 4 new songs, and told the crowd that they had finished recording their album 3 days ago, and it'll be out in a few months.
Another interesting change... they had a fifth member on stage. I'm not sure who exactly he was, but Jesse told us that he had played a big role in Brand New for the past 2 years and that we would see a lot more of him in the future.
Overall, it was a good show, and well worth the trip... but now I need sleep.
So I get a call from my mom who tells me that my car insurance expired. Apparently, I was supposed to make a payment sometime at the end of May. So I went online and got some insurance from Progressive. I then needed to get an Indiana driver's license and change the car's plates over to Indiana. I called the license bureau and found out that they were closed on Monday. Since Miriam and I were heading out to Baltimore on Wednesday (yesterday) I needed to get my license either Tuesday or Wednesday. On Tuesday I dropped Miriam off at Wal-Mart and headed over to the license bureau... the way it works here, you wait in line to talk to a lady who then puts your info into the computer. Then they call you over and they help you.
So after waiting in line, I was told that I was missing a piece of information: proof of my Indiana residence. Apparently, the info I
brought wasn't good enough because it had my mailing address, not my physical address (i can't get mail at our apartment).
I drove off, slightly annoyed. As I was driving away, I realized that our landlord was right down the street from the license bureau. So i stopped by there and had her write me a receipt for our rent. I went back to the license bureau, waited in line again, and got turned down... again. They said that they wouldn't take a receipt as proof of residence. I picked Miriam up from Wal-Mart and we headed back home.
On Tuesday, I headed back to the license bureau, this time with a paycheck (which has our physical address on it). At this point, the people there recognize me (but don't yet know me by name). They take all my information and bring my social security card back to their office to check it with their database. About 10 minutes later, they came back and told me they couldn't find a match to my SSN. I needed to go to the Social Security branch and have them verify my number.
I was told that there is never a line at the SS office, but there was when I got there. I had to wait over a half hour. I got the verification and headed back to my favorite place... the license branch.
I got back, waited in another line, and finally made it to the front counter. They doublechecked all my information (they knew it was all right already... they greeted me by name when I came in the door. They put it all in the computer and gave me the driving test.
You are allowed to miss 6 questions on the test, and 2 signs. I missed 1 question and 3 signs... so i failed. It was the most rediculous thing ever. I didn't bother studying the signs because i figured I could just look at a sign that says "Stop" and know that it means "stop". But on the test, they gave you shapes and you had to know what the shapes meant. I didn't know the difference between a diamond sign, a square sign, and a vertical rectangle sign. So, no license for me.
I've been there 4 times, spent over 2 hours in line, and have nothing to show for it.
Miriam and I drove all night to get to Baltimore this morning so that we could make the Brand New concert tonight. It was amazing (for the most part). The concert was at the Ram's Head Live. The building was really cool. There was a decent size stage at one end of the room. In the back of the room was a bar, with another bar to the side of the room. There were a few hundred people standing in the room, with another hundred or so on the balcony. Miriam and I started the concert in the mosh pit and ended up moving to the back of the room when it got a little rough.
I thought the concert was really good. There were two opening bands. UHF was pretty good. I liked their sound. Colour Revolt was another story. But they only played a few songs.
Brand New was... Brand New.
Jesse Lacey was amazing. His voice is great. He put on a good show, but I think he was almost outperformed by Vinnie Accardi. Vinnie did a great job of working the crowd as he yelled his lines to the crowd and had us sing along with him. At the end of the show he threw his guitar about 15 feet in the air, caught it, and continued playing.
Even though he was having some technical difficulties, Jesse played an amazing guitar solo in the middle of Seventy Times Seven.
The format of the set was really weird. They played about 10 songs, and abruptly finished. The crowd cheered them on for an encore. They came back out and Jesse informed the audience that this was not an encore. They continued to play 4 more songs... almost another set.
They played 3 or 4 new songs, and told the crowd that they had finished recording their album 3 days ago, and it'll be out in a few months.
Another interesting change... they had a fifth member on stage. I'm not sure who exactly he was, but Jesse told us that he had played a big role in Brand New for the past 2 years and that we would see a lot more of him in the future.
Overall, it was a good show, and well worth the trip... but now I need sleep.