I lost my driver’s license a couple of weeks ago. A stomach bug is keeping me away from the office today, so I thought I would invest my afternoon in getting a new license. (I don’t want to get my co-workers sick, but I’m not so concerned with everyone here.)
I entered the Department of Public Safety office in Carrollton at 12:45 and was issued Ticket 078. I have no idea when I will be helped, because the big screen says Tickets 431, 211, 054, and 512 are currently being served. I’d estimate there are 75 people with me in this lobby. Good times.
1:12 p.m.: A message on the big screen clarifies the disparity in ticket numbers; they’re based on the type of service requested, not on arrival time. If I had simply needed a duplicate license, I’d have been given a ticket numbered in the 200s. But the woman I spoke with when I arrived pointed out that my lost license was up for renewal. And renewals get ticket numbers between 001 and 199. How this new information affects my wait time is still a mystery.
1:34 p.m.: The woman sitting next to me just had her ticket, No. 217, called. She leapt up like she’d won the lottery.
1:45 p.m.: Renewals are being called every five minutes or so, with the most recent being Ticket 061. At this rate, I should be called at about 3:15. If I can get out of here before the first pitch of the Rangers game, I’ll be ecstatic.
1:57 p.m.: The guy who claimed the empty seat next to me smells like he’s smoked a couple of packs in his day — perhaps even this day. Time to find a new place to sit.
2:05 p.m.: A man just walked in and asked a woman (presumably his wife), “You still sittin’ here?” When she answered in the obvious affirmative, he asked, “You in danger of passing out from low blood sugar again?” Her response: “No, I’m good.”
2:35 p.m.: My number’s been called. Score!
2:38 p.m.: I have a new temporary license in my hands. Although a warning on the DPS website prompted me to bring my birth certificate, my passport, my Social Security card, and my marriage license, I was not asked to produce any of these documents.
