A Writer's Notebook, Day Nine-Hundred-And-Ninety-Five

 I had a very long day, and am quite worn out.  I had a number of appointments this morning, and then Melissa and I had to go to the DMV to renew our driver's licenses.  We had appointments, and usually it is not a major problem, but today they had a major backlog, as a result of various computer problems.  It took at least an hour and a half to even get inside the building, and Florida's moist heat was not a great companion for the wait.  Much of it was under shade, fortunately, but even so, it was quite oppressive.  The thing is, they could have resolved a great deal of the problem.  To get an appointment, you provide contact information, including email.  They could certainly have contacted those with appointments, stating their were delays and asking that people wait to come until an hour or so after their scheduled time.  It was not as if the line mattered.  They only allowed people in based on when they had appointments, it was just far later than originally anticipated.  It really seemed it was hard on the staff, as much as on those waiting, and they already sent several emails to both Melissa and I in the last few days reminding us of the appointment.  I am sure it would not be that difficult to have a way to contact people in the case of delays like those today.  I know people talk about the lines at the DMV, but I've been through this process before, and it was far more efficient in the past.  I really do think it was just a problem with their systems today, and it probably would have been far less stressful for everyone, whether working there or just conducting personal business in the office, would have found it less difficult if the issue had been handled in a way that made it calmer and more comfortable.

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