You Can't Get There From Here . . .

So the divorce was final last Wednesday, with the judge's final disposition last Thursday. I spent the weekend dealing with credit card companies, and it was mostly productive. I dealt with some horse people, and that was mostly non-productive. So today, copy of divorce decree in hand, I left work early to get: 1) a certified copy so that I can complete the name change, 2) my driving license name change, 3) my social security card name change. Silly me. I thought 2.5 hours would take care of it! Well. The certified copy was easy, but costly. I had to pay Clerk of Court $20.75 for 1 page, a stamp and a signature. Okay. That being done, I grumbled my way to DMV. Got in quickly, thought, "okay, my hair's not the best, but I'm here so . . . " But no! In order to get the updated driving license, I have to update the social security card. So away I go to Social Security Administration. I get in quickly, I think I'm okay. But NO! In order to get the social security card updated, I have to have proof of former and changed name. I hold out certified copy of divorce decree. They say, fine, but you have to have proof of changed name. I show them where it is on the divorce decree. They say, fine, but your birth date is not on the decree. So I ask them what is acceptable proof. They say, a certified copy of the divorce Case Information Sheet. By now, I'm really frustrated. So away I go to Clerk of Court. They can't find the file. The woman wanders around the office. She asks her colleagues. They tell me it wasn't efiled. I tell them I know, I filed directly. She gives me the number for the judge's clerk. I call. She's nice. She says, I have the file, come on up and I'll help you. The Clerk of Court says, NO, she can't help you until you pay me. So I pay, again!, but more this time. She dinks around and dinks around and calls the judge's clerk, and dinks some more. By this time, it's clear to me that I won't be able to get back across town to Social Security Administration before they close at 1600 hours. So finally I get upstairs to the judge's clerk, who certifies the appropriate copies, gives me a couple of other certified copies, and away I go. It's now 11 minutes until 1600. If I break laws, I'll get to SSA just after they close.

I will try again tomorrow. SSA first. Then, on Wednesday, I can get the updated driving license, unless there is some other snag I don't know about . . .

By the time all of this is said and done, it will have cost me about $30K to get rid of the bugger. And that's in the category of throwing good money after bad. I detest the way that society penalizes responsible women, and rewards incompetent, immature men.

As Engineer Scott said, "The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to plug up the drains."