DMV...

As you might know I'm preparing for the Bar Exam. In addition to filling out an excessively long personal certification packet (including credit report information, to which I say, here's $30 just go order my credit report yourself!) I am now in the process of sending in all my goofy supporting materials. Among the required items are driving abstracts covering the last seven years of my driving history. To be honest this is the biggest reason why I didn't take this exam 8 years ago when I took NY-- I didn't want to have to go through the rigmarole of getting this! Fine. To get my NJ abstract I had to apply online for an identification number which was then mailed to me so I could apply online for the abstract. For NY, one has to call the "out-of-state" number (unless you happen to have handy your old driver's license number, among other information off of your old driver's license, which was most likely taken from you by the state where you have a license now, in which case you can order your abstract on the internet or by mail) 1-518-473-5595. For whatever reason, this number worked for the Husband, but I've been trying to call it since Tuesday. All it does is ring busy, unless of course it's after 4pm in which case it rings through to a message informing you that the office is closed. Yesterday (day three) I finally called the Manhattan DMV to see if they could get me in touch with some other person in Albany (they couldn't) but if I wanted to go to the DMV in Herald Square I could theoretically pick up the abstract in person. Yeah, okay. Today I called the number again. Same thing, busy signal. Over and over again. So I called 411 and asked for the main number for the DMV in Albany. They connected me to the insurance and traffic violations division which disconnected me after a few go rounds with the automated menus, including my not pressing any buttons and pretending not to have a touchtone phone in a vain attempt to be put through to a live person (or as live as anyone at the DMV can be). I noticed that the exchange on the phone number that 411 had given me was one number off of the exchange I had been calling, so I tried calling 1-518-474-5595. This gave me "a non-working number at the State of New York" and gave me a phone number for Directory Services at the State of New York. I called these people and plead my case. They connected me to the DMV's Division of Certified Records. The woman there, after much cajoling and her sounding like she wasn't surprised by the whole "phone off the hook" trick she put me through to another division. After hearing a long automated menu about insurance issues and car title documentation I finally reached Ron. Ron sounded like he was shocked that someone actually got through. He took down my information (after having to give him the first three letters of my first name and the first five letters of my last name, because obviously the rest of the letters are immaterial)and supposedly I'll be receiving both a fax and a hard copy by mail. Sure I will.