After my eye exam I stopped for a quick lunch at the food court in the Westlake mall. After the revelation that my glasses were probably too strong and faced with what may be several weeks acclimating to new contact lenses, I decided that instead of going back to work I should head down the street to get my driver's license renewed today.
The downtown office of the Department of Licensing is usually much more relaxed than other offices because it doesn't offer any of written or driving tests. Still, it was a little more crowded than the last time I visited. And much more automated. I looked around for the forms I needed to fill out but found none.
I punched the ticket machine to get my place in line and sat down to wait for the thirty minutes or so until I was called. After I was finally called, the process itself went very smoothly. I had my address updated, took the vision test, and waited for my photograph to be taken. The first take of the photo was bad, much worse than even your typical license photo. The examiner asked if I wanted the picture retaken, which of course I did. The second take was much better, although I really can't stand seeing pictures of myself.
My new license was printed out on a little card of paper. I have to wait for the actual version to arrive in the mail in the next few weeks. And with that, my visit to the licensing office was over. I won't have to return for another five years, hopefully ten if I can get the online renewal done next time.
