KARMA....IT'LL COME BACK AND HIT YOU ON THE HEAD.

For Dave's birthday he was given the OK (by me) to dual register his second dirt bike for on and off road use. Getting a dual registration through the DMV is almost impossible and according to many people.....just simply IMPOSSIBLE. I was determined though. I did my homework. I had ALL my paperwork filled out and signed by proper authority and had said dirt bike loaded in back of truck for inspection. Here's how my TWO hours went at the DMV today (yes...I am getting hot and shaky just having to say the letters DMV).

At 3:00 pm I walk confidently, but not smugly, into the DMV. I stand in the small "check-in" line (at our DMV that is where they ask what your purpose is, check your paperwork and if all correct, assign you a number). DMV worker #1 looks over my paperwork and hands me an application for new registration and tells me to fill out the paperwork and come straight back up to his desk when finished. No need to stand in line.

I fill out paperwork quickly and go stand at front of line which is quickly now becoming a very long line, wrapping around itself. New DMV worker #7 approaches me accusing me of cutting in line. I kindly tell him that DMV worker #1 told me to come back to this desk and he continues to accuse me of cutting in line. DMV #1 approaches and as I point to him and try to say "that guy" he looks at me like he doesn't know what I was talking about....so DMV worker #7 tells me that instead of cutting, I need to go get in the back of the line which is now about 30 people deep. Uugh. DMV worker #1 guy....."you totally knew you were lying and you made me look like a cutter to everyone in line." But that is OK....I keep my cool and wait my turn.

DMV worker #7 helps me at check in counter (I'm sure thinking cutter....the whole time). He asks what we are there for and we proceed to tell him. He mentions that we probably don't have everything that we need, but as he continues to look over our paperwork he reluctantly hands me number 196.

Dave and I sit down to wait for our number to be called and I say, "it would be just our luck and totally in DMV style for our number to be called by DMV worker #7." 10 windows with workers in it and up on the screen flashes "Number 196 to window number 7." I look to Dave and we both grimace a little.

The whole time he is again looking at our paperwork he is telling us what we need to get and I point out....."got it....here it is." He is getting furious by the minute but still staying somewhat positive with us. We watch him as he searches and reads for compliances for dual registration and then states, "that we can at least start the process today." I say, "Oh, why won't we be able to finish today?" "Well it's a process. I need to see the dirt bike. Where is it located?" he says somewhat nonchalantly. GOT YA! "It is here," I replied. DMV worker #7 says, "here in Napa?" "No HERE as in the parking lot of DMV....you need it for inspection right?" I quickly say. He winces. Got him again!

After 50 minutes of him looking through paperwork to find a non-compliance issue, he finally admits it is time to inspect the vehicle. Dave and I are quickly loosing patience with his stall tactics. But we weren't giving up. We walk out to our vehicle and meet him there. I joke with him that it is a good thing he is in casual khakis because it is quite a hike up to the back of our truck. Dave jumps up and starts showing him his two requests....VIN location and Engine # location. He starts to jump up onto the back of the truck and WHAM....he hits his head on the tool rack! Ha! I think. Karma BABY. It usually bites you in the "you know where" but this time it hit you in the head.

After inspecting our bike for over 30 minutes we are all stumped as to where the engine number is located. He tells us that he is going to have to refer us to the CHP offices for verification because he can't find it. In the meantime, I quickly call a dealership that is just a few minutes away and they say to bring it right over and they will show us where it is. I look at my watch and say to Karma....it will come back and hit you in the head worker, "it is 4:40 pm, if we can get the location can we bring it right back here for you to verify?" And he says, "sure, that would be great." I'm thinking lets just finish this with the same guy we started with today so there is no confusion and we don't have to wait for DMV worker #who knows to go through 50 minutes of paperwork to try to find the loop hole so that they can send us away empty handed.

We run to the dealership, find the engine # in record time and return to the DMV at 4:50. I walk into the DMV. Stand in the little line for check-in again and DMV worker #1 approaches me while Karma....it will come back and hit you in the head is watching me from his desk. I explain to him, while pointing to Karma...it will come back and hit you in the head worker, that he told us to come right back if we found the engine #. DMV worker #1 tells us, "I'm sorry. We don't do verifications after 4:30 pm." At that point, I walk over to Karma worker and tell him very politely that it would have been nice if he would have let us know that at 4:40pm." I then smile and tell him we will see him at 8:00 am tomorrow with all our paperwork verified with a CHP. He smirks thinking that there is no way we are going to get a verification appointment before 8:00 am tomorrow morning. Little does he know that the head of the CHP department for Napa goes to church with us!

I made a phone call at 8:15 pm and have all our paperwork verified and am going to battle with Karma guy tomorrow right after Kaia's Triathlon she is participating in at school. I can't wait.

And if they screw with me anymore, "going postal" might need to be changed to "going DMV"!

I'll will update my blog after my DMV experience tomorrow! Wish me luck. And, oh, check out the poll up there on the right!