AAAAAAAUUUUGH

I don’t like NJ. I’ve never been a fan of NJ, even when I lived there. Or maybe ESPECIALLY when I lived there. By far, the WORST things about New Jersey are all related to driving - the DMV, the interstates, the traffic, the auto insurance rates, etc. But OH MY GOD, this has to beat all.

Tuesday, I went to the Indiana BMV to get my drivers license and to register to vote. Well, primarily, to register to vote, since Indiana is a decision state and I’m excited about casting my vote here where it will really matter. So, anyway… after waiting in line, I had to take a written test since I’m coming from another state. 50 questions. Pretty quick but then I had to wait for the same person who was helping me before (instead of getting back in line). SIX people were helped while I waited for her to help some jerk with 18 forms to fill out. Finally, she’s free. 49 answers right. Everything looks good. Oh. Wait. The State of NJ says I can’t have my license. NEW JERSEY? I haven’t lived there for almost two decades! They tell me to wait. They’ll call. Oh, too bad, NJ is closed now. They gave me the number for the DMV (now renamed the MVC?) in Trenton.

Wednesday, I called Trenton. They wouldn’t tell me anything unless I could tell them the address that was on my license when I left NJ. Hmmm… ten minutes later after searching my paper files, Google Desktop saved me. I gave the lady my old address. She told me I have an unpaid parking ticket in Hoboken from 1989. OK, no problem. I’ll pay it. Nope! All this fabulous technology, but can I give her a credit card number and take care of it? Ohhh nooooo, of course not! I have to call the Hoboken Court for the details, mail Hoboken a check, get the receipt (by mail), MAIL the receipt BACK to Trenton with a $100 reinstatement fee, and then they will MAIL something to me that I can take to the BMV in Indiana to get my license. This whole process will take weeks. Meanwhile, I never had any idea this ticket existed AND I’ve had licenses in three other states since 1989 without it ever coming up.

Oh, and when I called Hoboken… she said the parking ticket would cost $14.

Here’s hoping I can register to vote.

I’m on the phone on hold listening to muzak and the much too frequent recorded interruption. It says “…all agents are currently helping other guest at this time. If you’ll hold one moment, the first available agent will assist you as soon as possible…”

Ugh. I have noticed the “currently / at this time” combination a lot lately. What is that all about? Could “currently” ever NOT be at this time???

Of course, then the recording says “…we will expedite your call in just a few moments…” And yet I have been on hold for fourteen minutes and counting.

Actually… I just hung up. My call must not be as important to them as their recording claimed or they would have answered it or, at least, given me something more enjoyable to listen to!

Why did I not choose an easier breed to fall in love with and start a rescue for?? It’s bad enough that a majority of dogs (mixed and purebreds) that come into shelters and rescue are under-socialized and under-trained, but combine that with the Shiba Inu tendency to be dog aggressive (a lot) if they aren’t super socialized as puppies and… OY! SHIBAS!

Our need to play musical foster dogs never seems to end… it seems like someone is always trying to give us another otherwise-perfect-but-very-dog-aggressive Shiba. <sigh>

Fat people meandering along on the sidewalk bother me.

Umbrellas in my face really bother me.

But, FAT PEOPLE WITH UMBRELLAS???

AUGH!

Edit after the fact: I’m not talking about any and every overweight person and I shouldn’t have written the post the way I did, but since I don’t normally believe in editing or deleting my posts… I’m clarifying. What bothers me is when anyone, of any size, is inconsiderate on the sidewalk. It happens to be that there are a number of people that walk slowly in the middle of the sidewalk on my way to work many days and they make it very hard for the 100s of other people trying to move faster and more efficiently around them. They happen to mostly be large. It also really bothers me when people are inconsiderate with their umbrellas; I’m tall and you have no idea how many umbrella spokes to the face I have to dodge when it is raining. THIS PARTICULAR MORNING, a person, who happened to be quite large and carrying an umbrella was walking the wrong way through a crowd - completely oblivious - and smacking everyone with their freaking umbrella. I’m sorry if my post was inconsiderate, prejudiced or inflammatory.

Periodically, on my way to work, I see a woman walking two older dogs, I think one is a Yorkie and the other, a Maltese. I don’t know how often I pass her - maybe not so often - but periodically for over 3 1/2 years is enough to have a sense of recognition. I hadn’t seen her for quite awhile actually and then a week or two ago, I passed her and she only had one dog. I thought “oh. oh no.”

This morning, I saw her again. I was already running a few minutes late for work, but there she was, walking one cute little old dog (the Yorkie) I walked up to her and explained that I see her walking her dogs every now and again and I noticed she only had one with her that last couple times I saw her. I asked “Did he… ?”

She said yes, he was killed by a cab just a block from where we were standing. She was waiting at the corner for the pedestrian light about 6 months ago and a cab turned the corner cutting really close in front of her. He killed one dog and sent her and the other dog to the ER and the vet. We talked for a few more minutes about how she was dealing with it, her remaining dog, etc. I told her I was really sorry and then I went to work.

I’ve had close calls with cabs myself. They don’t see dogs that are low to the ground and they cut SO CLOSE to pedestrians. I saw a cab run over a woman’s foot one day outside the Port Authority! There is one intersection near my apartment where the cabs just WHIP around the corner and Snickers has almost been hit twice as we’ve started to cross the street and had a cab cut in front of us.

Walking dogs in the city can be a real challenge with the traffic, the crowds, people pulling out of parking garages without looking, construction sites, electrified grates, etc.

This woman seemed like such a nice lady and her remaining dog was so sweet and well-behaved. I just feel terrible that that happened to them.

…99% of the time you call for takeout in the city, whoever answers the phone has to run get the only person (or one of very few people anyway) who actually speaks English to take your order.

Why did they answer the phone? Did they think it might be someone who (1) called the takeout place for something OTHER than placing an order and/or (2) also happened to speak chinese/spanish/etc. ?

AUGH!!!! The phrase is "I couldn’t care less," not, as SO MANY people say "I could care less." Do people not think about what things they say mean?

(Sorry. Pet peeve just aggravated. Needed to vent.)

Who goes to someone else’s city and kicks their dog??? Apparently, American tourists do.
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