YAY! It's all done. I got my DC Driver's license and license plates today. It wasn't too bad. The inspection station opens at 6am and I was there exactly at 6am. I was probably the 20th or 25th car waiting. I ended up waiting at the inspection station for about 45 minutes. No big deal. The actual inspection takes about 20 minutes and you can watch your car while it's getting inspected. My car passed inspection.

I then drove over to the DMV office, that took me about 20 minutes since I got lost. I ended up parking in the garage where all the Senators park! I got the DMV office before it opened at 8:15am. So, I waited outside the doors behind 15 other people. But, once I got in, I was able to fill out my forms. 5 minutes after I filled out my forms my number was called. The lady processed my forms pretty quickly and shredded my old license. She then handed me my license plates and told me where to get my license picture. There was no line to get my picture taken so two minutes later I was walking out of the DMV office with my new plates and new driver's license!

Overall, it wasn't bad. I don't want to do it again, but it didn't take as long as I feared it would.

Now my honda civic will be sporting some new tags that say the official dc motto, taxation without representation.

Tomorrow I will venture down to the DC DMV. Wish me luck! I believe I have all the necessary documentation. Hopefully my car will pass inspection. Originally I had planned on going on Wednesday but I forgot there is an awards ceremony at work that I have to attend. Maybe I will actually get an award!

In other news, I played some poker this past weekend. There were four of us playing some hold'em. We each put in $10. I was shocked at the end of the night that I ended up being the big winner. Besides hold'em we played Anaconda, which turned out to be a very amusing game. I definitely recommend everyone try out this game.

One step closer...

My car has been insured in New York so today I decided to work on getting it insured in DC. My NY insurance company was State Farm. I figured I would start with them and get a quote. Luckily for me, in our new apartmnet packet given to us by the rental managemetn company they listed some insurance companies and one of them was State Farm. I called them up and they told me they just needed some information from me to make sure I qualified for the insurance. About an hour later they called back and said they can transfer my insurance from NY to DC! My rate went up a little bit because I previously was under my parents and they had a homeowners discount and I didn't qualify for that (obviously!). The rate was still lower than the rates I checked on the Progressive website. So, I just took it.

I have to admit that it was pretty painless. Hopefully the rest will be just as painless!

Now, I'm just waiting for my social security card. My dad transferred the title to me, and now I have to get my car inspected then I will be all set to get my car registered.

The big move has happened...I'm finally living in a city, Washington DC to be exact. I'm living in an awesome apartment with a great roomate. The best part of the apartment is that we have a separate room for our foosball table!

Now that I've moved, I have to do all the beaucratic crap that is involved, get a new license, new plates and parking sticker for my neighborhood so I do not get ticketed. DC has a pretty decent DMV website. On there, I was able to figure out what I needed to do all the crap.

First thing to do is get a DC Driver's license. According to the website, the requirements to convert an out-of-state license are:

You are a resident of DC
You have no outstanding debts to the District of Columbia
You can provide the following documents:

- Proof of Social Security Number
- Proof of Current Residency
- Proof of Ability to Drive
- Proof of Identity

Looks pretty simple enough.

In order to show proof of Social Security Number a person must have the following:

Primary Sources (one required) - must be original:

* Social Security card bearing applicant's name, Social Security Number, and signature.
* Social Security Administration verification printout reflecting full name and Social Security Number.
* Letter with photo from Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) or the DC Department of Corrections indicating name and Social Security Number.

Secondary Sources (two required) - must be original:

* Payroll statement issued within the last 12 months containing name and Social Security Number.
* United States military identification card or discharge papers (DD-214).
* Unexpired health insurance card reflecting applicant's full name and Social Security Number.
* Unexpired identification card issued by government agency reflecting full name and social security number.
* IRS W-2 (wage and tax statement) issued within the last 12 months.
* Original letter or correspondence from the IRS or DC Office of Tax and Revenue referencing Social Security Number received within the last 12 months.
* Government-certified copy of Federal or State tax return filed in one of the last two tax years.

Unfortunately for me I can't find my Social Security Card. So, I look at my secondary options. My payroll stubs do not have my social security number, so that's out. My health insurance card doesn't have my social security number, so that's out. I have a W-2 form, yay! But, what the hell is a government-certified copy of Federal or State tax return? In the end, my options do not look good.

But, this is not going to stop me! I go to the social security website and see that it's pretty easy to get a duplicate card. Yesterday, I print out the form and fill it out and drive to my closest social security administration office. I waited an hour and finally my number was called and the lady verified who I really was. My proof of identity...my Maryland license.

A bit ironic isn't it, in order to get a DC license I must show proof of Social Security. In order to get a Social Security Card, I must show proof of identity which can be a license. A little circular I must say.

So, now I'm waiting two weeks to get my social security card in the mail. Don't worry, I'm sure I will have more to write about once I actually go to the DC DMV office.