That is a great question, as what have we indeed become? My life has taken a turn with the passing of my XYL of 57 years. The last several years, because of her illness, have been pretty much stay at home. But now I would like to travel a bit to see the kids or maybe visit places that are on my list.
No! The Collins Museum in Cedar Rapids is not on the list -- been there and done that. Another No is Dayton and FDIM which likewise been there and done that -- what a rip off! Newington is another NO -- saw the orb and have no other desire to do so again.
I used to like to drive but now even a 300-mile trip to San Francisco sounds like a short airplane trip and that is a problem come this May. To fly in May, you either need a passport or Real ID. This is where the fun begins. There is over a month's waiting list to get either a passport or Real ID.
I managed to schedule a passport appointment in a month from now -- but the only available location is 100 miles away. Other locations only book a 4-week period, and they are full up. My passport expired in February 2025 -- so you have to start from square one. The USPS is the agent for passports and so you pay $130 for the passport and the USPS charges you $35 just to process the paperwork. If Elon gets his way and privatizes the Postal Service -- watch that fee go to $100.
But the real kicker is the DMV who provides the Real ID. They make it sound so simple -- all you need is a birth certificate and two utility bills that have your name and address. The DMV process has you submit the three documents via email as a pre-approval and then and only then they schedule an appointment that is about 5 weeks from now.
Now my birth certificate has a middle name, that of my paternal grandfather's name. It is an Italian thing. I hate that middle name and never use it, but it is on my certificate. My utility bills only have my 1st and last name. My submission to the DMV has been rejected several times because my utility bills lack the middle name. Now in a weird stroke of luck my driver's license has the middle name and so does my marriage certificate and DD214. I am hoping to substitute these documents in lieu of the utility bills. But there may be a situation where I will not get a Real ID and so the passport is key and while 100 miles is a far piece for a 15-minute appointment it may be the only game in town.
What have we become where something as simple as filling out a form involves hours of emailing and driving 100 miles?
The only thing that has brought a smile on my face these last couple of days is a fantasy that the Tesla stock tanks which may cause the board to dump Teflon Elon, and he goes to work for the USPS in the passport office.
Them that know can make it go.
73's
Pete N6QW
Got to have a picture or no one reads the blog!
