Tuesday, November 29, 2011

And I Thought California's DMV Was Slow. . . . .

Well, I got my driver's license yesterday.  Still pretty grumpy about that.

I tried to get it over lunch but the guy said there was a 3 hour wait, so I picked up the forms I needed and came back after work (he said that their slowest time is right before they close at 5).  I showed up at 4:20 PM and still had to wait over an hour.  I was pretty upset by that.  At that point they should have paid me or waived their stupid licensing fee.

At least the lady at the counter was nice.  When she saw my old license she mentioned she was going to California for the holidays and remarked how much she was looking forward to it.

They confiscate your old driver's license and give you a piece of paper that says they have it now.  Kind of depressing.  I don't know why they don't just hole-punch and return it like other states do.

So.  I guess in two weeks I'll receive it in the mail, although with my luck it will get lost or whatever.  I've been having kind of spotty service with the USPS here, although the mail carrier seems nice whenever I see him.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

The Car, The Dog, and The Law

I am not having a good track record with the po-lice today.

First of all I get pulled over for speeding on my way to my 2nd work site today.  OK, yes, I was speeding, but so was pretty much everyone else.  Going the speed limit on that road would force you to be going at least 10-15 mph slower than the flow of traffic.  At least he wasn't a huge jerk about my not having a TX driver's license yet, and didn't cite me for that.  He did give me a citation for the speeding though, which I suspect is going to cost me.

Secondly, I was taking a walk with the dog this afternoon, when some dude wearing civilian clothes in the complex courtyard flashes his badge at me and asks how long I had been out walking my dog and if I heard a gunshot recently.  Why Officer, I have been out here for around 20 minutes and no, I did not hear a gun shot recently.  "Well I did and I already called for back up" he says as he storms off.

Walking away, I realize I did hear something that could have vaguely been mistaken for a gunshot: some dude was beating a couch cushion into dust-less submission on his balcony.  It didn't sound like a gun shot to me at the time even though it made both me and the dog look around.  I have heard gun shots in the neighborhood before and this didn't sound like it.  Hmm.

Do I go back and point out to this cop with an attitude/power-trip/disadvantaged-height-complex that he just may have mis-heard what he thought was a gun shot?

No.  No I do not.  I've had more than my yearly dose of talking to the police, and I really don't want to talk to them no more.

Why You Should Never Talk To The Police

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Detour Review: Sushi Sake

Who would have thought there would be a good sushi restaurant in this land-locked town?

Anyway, I've been to this place twice, and the food is fantastic.  It's very Japanese without being kitschish.  The greeters, waitresses and chefs are friendly and accommodating.  I chatted up the sushi chef at the bar once, and watched him put together two matching Nama-chirashi boxes.  Absolutely beautiful!

I recommend getting the Spanish Mackerel sashimi.  They bring it out tossed in a light dressing; after you gobble that up they will ask if you want the rest of it (the skeleton, fins, and remaining meat on the fish, which until this point is a garnish) deep fat fried - say yes.  It's fantastic, and about as Japanese as you can get.

One new thing I tried here was sea urchin sushi.  Its fatty butteryness is a new favorite.

I've heard from several other people that this is the best sushi restaurant in town, so I'm glad I didn't have to look far and wide for my sushi fix.  They have tempura, teriyaki, and other standard Japanese fare if you don't like raw fish.

Sushi-Sake Japanese Restaurant
2150 N Collins Blvd
Richardson, TX 75080
(972) 470-0722

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Driver's License Application

Yes, I know I said this was a 3-step process.  I've been busy, and as I'm not wild about being in Texas I'm kind of in denial about getting my driver's license here.

Anyway, I glanced at the website today.  It looks like I'll need:
Passport
Social Security Card (crap, where did I put that?)
Texas car registration, proof of insurance
Driver's License Fee of $25 (they say you can pay with a credit card although I'd just bring cash - I've heard that they can be particular about personal checks also)

If you have a valid out-of-state license you bring your current license in (I think they take it from you, which is another reason why I'm reluctant to bring it in) and then all you need to do is pass a vision exam.  No written or driving exam required.

Then just fill out the form and present all that to a DPS office.  Yeah.  I'm gonna get right on that.  :(