Procrastination and Patience

I've always been heavy in the procrastination department, and quite light in the patience area.... but gradually learning my lessons in both. Oh, it's hard to teach old dogs new tricks!

Yesterday was our 'every six week's appointment' @ the VA hospital for gerald, (my ex-husband). I always have a talk with myself on the way to pick him up.......'now just remember, frances, this is going to be whatever it's going to be, it's the VA hospital after all'. 'You won't find a parking spot quickly, radiology won't call gerald's name until at least thirty or forty minutes after his scheduled appointment'....and then there is the possibility his blood work will not 'be up to par', and they may cancel his procedure.....this usually happens after we have been sitting around for at least three hours.......or, an emergency situation could pop up at any given moment, pushing his procedure back another couple of hours. So yesterday his appointment was scheduled @9:30. It is usually @8:00, but gerald moved it up in case we encountered bad weather. So great, this will give me time to run by the DMV & renew my EXPIRED drivers license! I needed to get that taken care of so I could replace my EXPIRED license plate. Both were supposed to be renewed by January 31. The DMV in my area opened at 7AM.......I arrive @ 7:30 (that gives me at least an hour to take care of business). I open the door & see about 80 people sitting & standing in line. Good God, this many people @this time of day? The sign inside the door reads: If you want to re-test....go to the re-test line, If you want a driving test, go to the drive line, all others, take a number. So, I walk past four people in front of me waiting to see the lady @the desk & reach for a number. 'excuse me, you can't take a number, you have to get back in line' says the lady. 'Oh, sorry...I thought the sign said'.......'no ma'am, get back in line'. So I did as I was told, & didn't even get huffy. It's my turn. 'I need your birth certificate & drivers license'. No problem, & she does the paper work & hands me my number...190. I take my seat & look up as a buzzer goes off & see the illuminated sign showing the next number in line: 153! I sit there until 8:10 & the new number flashing is now 161. Never mind, I'll just to come back later this afternoon. The lady takes my number back & tells me to keep my paper work & bring it back with me.

I pick gerald up @9:00 & we head for the hospital, drop him @the door & start my adventure to find a place to park. Had a lucky day, it only took about ten or fifteen minutes of inching my way thru the maze of automobiles to find a spot. We wait our normal thirty, forty minutes to have his blood drawn, go to the second floor to check in. The check in lady announces 'Mr. King is here.....Oh, okay.....sorry, Mr. King, there has been an emergency, it will be a couple of hours before we can get to you, or you can re-schedule'. 'No, I don't want to re-schedule', says gerald. So, okay, we have a couple hours to kill, it's around eleven, we'll run some errands....... I still have not lost my cool. We go by the antique shop and he places all the pocket watches he brought along earlier, we drive over to his bank & take care of business there. We've killed an hour and a half, time to go back to the hospital. They are ready and waiting on him. His surgical procedure takes an hour and a half, so I call my bff, Katy (who works across the street), we meet & spend an hour together 'catching up', laughing hysterically @ ourselves. It's now time to pick up 'woozy gerald', and drop by the super market for his list of items, take him home & visit for awhile. By the time I head for home, it's around 5:30. He thanks me again for taking him to these appointments. It is not a problem, and we always enjoy each other's company, and 'remembering our good times', and discussing current events.

So, I did quite well yesterday, no pissy moments at all. This morning I get up @5:30 so I have plenty of time to get to the DMV early. I arrive shortly after seven, show my paper work from yesterday. I get my number...249...look @the screen & it shows 230 is next in line. How can so many people be in front of me this early? 'Well, ma'am, they start lining up outside by 5:30 every morning'.......'Oh'. At 8:35 my number is called. I have all my documents out & step up to the counter. 'Mrs. King, you are a speeder!' says the Officer as he swivels the computer monitor my direction. 'Yes, I know I am', says I....'you have a full page of citations, in fact, you have a page & a half documented here', he says without even a smile. 'No way!, I know I speed, but I've only received four citations since moving back to Oklahoma in 2004'........'well, it's all here, and it also says your drivers license is suspended'. 'SUSPENDED? You cannot be serious, what on earth for, why didn't I receive notification'? 'I have no idea ma'am, but you're driving on an expired, suspended license, I can't help you....here's the number to the Department of Public Safety...you'll have to clear it up with them'. 'Okay, thanks........but I still don't understand a page & a half of documentation....I did not receive any tickets from 1987 thru 2003'.......'well, ma'am, these records go back to 1974'..........well, that explains that part! So I tuck my tail between my legs & go home. 'Hello, DPS'? 'Yes, how can I help you'? 'This is fran'.....'I need your DL#'...'It's blah, blah & blah blah blah & why is my license suspended'? 'Because you didn't pay a ticket on time, you have been suspended since April, 2008, we sent you a letter'. 'I never received a letter, and I went before the Judge & everything was paid & cleared'! 'No ma'am, everything was not cleared, you need to send us a money order for $50.00 to re-instate your drivers license'. I stayed calm and polite, but thought 'well shit, there's another procrastinating fifty damn dollars! I sent off my money order, so with luck on my side, & Friday the 13th gone, I will be able to re-instate my drivers license & get to the Tag Agency before my thirty day grace period expires on my license plate! Progress report: Procrastination: D Patience: A+