August 26th

Feeling much better again today after a nice evening in Hartford yesterday. Must tell story about that but first should relay my dmv experience. SO I go there with L on THursday, I have everything I was told by this man on the dmv phone line to take + anything else I had that was official. Stand in the first queue (who does one write that?) to get my state id card which I need to register the car. I am given a list of things I need, almost none of which the dmv guy had told me about. But we're getting there. Only then the man behind the couner says: I need a second form of identificaiton, your passport is not enough. Oh fine says me, here is my driver's license. NO good says he. How about my Dutch residence permit, I use that as id in Europe. "NO we don';t accept that says he". What do you want from me then? By this time I am red in the face and L confirms I have gone blotchy, as I always do. WEll, a college registration card ("but I am not registered here"), a marriage certificate ("I'm not married - haven't been asked"), a divorce certificate (nope, not divorced yet either) or a birth certificate (shit, thinks me, that's in Utrecht - at least I hope it is). And you need to have it translated by a recognized translator. IN the mean time we can already run you through immigration, that should speed things up. Run me throug immigration?? DO they think I am going to put my car outside the uconn building and blow it up or something?? By this time L was completely exploding so I had to be extremely nice to this dmv guy to make up for her accusing questions (and there's a sign hanging there that they dont accept abusive language - I know why they've had to hang that one up!!). Anyway, why do I tell this story? BEcause yesterday evening I went out to a restaurant. IN the car I was saying: I am dying for a drink, it's been a long week with the dmv. I get to the restaurant and am asked to show my id. I had taken my driver's license along. They stare at it and ask whether i have any other form of identification. I pull out my residence permit (by this time this is starting to feel like a familiar situation). THe waitress takes both off to the manager who returns to the head of the table and tells all 12 of us (i quote): Federal law forbids us to serve alcohol to persons who dont either have a US driver's license, state identification card or passport with them. I was flabbergasted. So the waiter comes back to me and asks what I would like instead of the glass of chardonnay I had ordered. I felt like walking out of the restaurant (as did T who is Isreali and had the same problem) but we were all so hungry by then. LUckily i did manage to get alcohol in the other 2 bars we went to. This country does not cease to amaze me! Today I am having a nice and peaceful day - was going to do some work reading but am not sure I'll get round to that... THis evening L, her friends and I are going out for dinner and to the movies. So nice she just asks me along. I like her so should get on well with her friends. Oh yes and I have already been out with B. who had me using doggy bags for him twice, as if he had heard me saying I hated collecting dog shit. We are getting very close :-))) Enough for now.