Mama Diaries

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Long Line Lamentations

Sorry about missing yesterday's post.  I guess I'm going to still be a little sporadic until I'm totally settled in my new home.  Anyway, I have been spending a ridiculous amount of time standing in lines.  I spent two hours at the tag office getting license plates.  I spent another two hours at the Drivers Motor Office getting a Georgia license.  And I spent an hour at the bank opening up new accounts.  The real winner was the Health Department.  Four hours there!  Here's how that went:

My kids and I walked into the Health Department at 9:00 AM.  Sounds like a good time, right?  Ha!  When we walked in, there was a huge line, and lots of people sitting on chairs and on the floor.

"You've got to be kidding," my daughter said.

We stood at the end of the line.  This was the line to get a number to wait in line for your turn.  We waited.  And waited.  And waited.

An hour went by in that line.

"Mom, I'm going to die here," my son said.

"No, you won't die.  It's not going to last 90 years."

He rolled his eyeballs at me.  "I'm hungry!"

"Just chill," I said.  "We'll get a hamburger when we're out of here."

The not-so-super-friendly security officer moseyed over to us and handed me a number.  "Last in line," he mumbled.

"Terrific," I said.

My son took the paper and promptly wrinkled it up.  "Let's get out of here!"

"We'll wait," I said.  "These forms need to be completed for you to go to school, so we don't have much of a choice."

We finally got a number.  And then we sat...on the floor.  There were no other seats available.

Then my daughter shrieked.  "A cockroach!"

Sure enough, there was a cockroach in that health department.

We spent the next three hours watching the cockroach.

After that most amusing experience, we attempted to go to a fast food place for a hamburger.  Guess what?  There was a long line.

"Forget it!" I said.

We went home and had ham and cheese sandwiches.  And ice cream.

24 comments:

  1. There's something really ironic about a cockroach being at the health department.

    Here's to hoping that you won't have to wait in more long lines!

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    1. I thought it was kind of funny to see a cockroach at the health department!

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  2. LOL not sure I'd trust that health department. Yuck to the lines, you got there pretty early too.

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  3. That was a really long line! And yikes! A cockroach at the Heather Department. Frightening!

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  4. Yikes, a memorable experience for all the wrong reasons! You poor thing. Better days ahead for sure.

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    1. I hope so, because I'm sure not a big fan of cockroaches! ;)

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  5. I think the ice cream was well deserved! (And you are braver than I with the roach...)

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  6. Oh man, wait in line to be able to wait in line, this place needs some order. Also I have notice fast food has stopped being fast...what has the world come to. Nice post.

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  7. Even the cockroaches have to wait...?

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  8. Big City = big lineup. Any building will do when you are a cockroach.

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  9. I hope you're all settled in now and hopefully there'll be no more queues . . .

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  10. Man, what IS IT with this time of year. It really is like people multiply. I haven't even tried to go anywhere unusual, but on the streets--people EVERYWHERE! It's like they lay around all summer, then they panic with all these things to do before school starts.

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    1. It is a little crazy. I think there has been a huge influx of people moving into the Atlanta area, and it's just out of control.

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  11. We waited six hours last year. (Florida is not that far away.) I tell you what though, the NYC DMV is by far the most ridiculous experience to date--6 visits, an hour+waiting each just get my license (because they couldn't tell me that despite the fact I'd brought in my entire life's history, I needed one more tiny piece of information). Do you know how hard it was to give up my NYC license?

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    1. I've heard stories about NYC DMV! I was chatting with a few New Yorkers while I was in line, and they actually said Georgia was crazier! Can you believe it?

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  12. I hate long queues too. In our part of the world, majority sadly do not respect it and often aims to find a way to cut the queue so we end up spending the rest of the time arguing to protect our turn, at least it keeps all of us entertained. :) In some areas, the women have priority so you can cut the queue anytime (so I always get to pay the bills while feeling bad for the men who had to wait a long time).

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  13. Moving is a pain in so many ways...including everywhere you had to go. These wonderful experiences taught your kids a valuable lesson in how to be patient and wait when you have to...even if part of it is spent watching a cockroach. ;) Life is just like that sometimes. Makes you 100X gladder to be home again!! :)

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