Never thought I'd get this at the DMV...

[WyldWeasel]

So I go to the highway patrol appointment with the hunny's Proton, and the officer says "We don't do those, that's salvage, you have to call a special salvage number and make another appointment." I call the number and get a recording with a 'we'll get back to you'.

I have jumped through all of the DMV hoops up to this point, and have an appointment at the DMV in 2.5 hours where I was hoping to at least get the title changed over. Majorly bummed, I realize this is going to be a no-go. But I go to the DMV anyway, because I am at heart, an optimist. Also because the Missouri temporary plate expires today and I'm hoping at least to get a permit to operate until I can get another CHP appointment.

The fellow there is very curt and very hurried and while I try to see the good in everyone, I'm feeling badgered by this guy since he's not listening to me and simply ordering me around to do stuff that I don't think he'd say if he'd just listen. It doesn't help that he's the same fellow hunny blew up at last week when we tried this whole registration thing, and remembers the paperwork, so is probably expecting me to blow up at him back, so is doing a pre-emptive attitudinal strike. But despite all of this I am able to grasp a ray of hope when he says "What'd you go to the CHP for? You get your car validated here. Get these signatures and when you come back, pull your car up in the validation lane and someone will inspect it."

So, I thank him and go off and get the required signatures and return, thinking maybe I'll get the title transferred today after all. I am not such an optimist that I even remotely believe I'll get license plates, after hearing the horror story of the 18 month ordeal the prior owner of the Copper Bullet went through to get that car plates in California. I head inside and stand in line and get another number, so I can sit down and wait. Even tho I had an appointment. Even tho I've already been through the lines.

The guy sees me sitting there and says "You're back already!" And actually smiles at me. I tell him I'm parked in the validation lane and I waiting for my number to come up for a validation. "Okay, I'll go look at it," he says, stopping what he was doing and heading off to look at my car. I'm wondering if he's bi-polar, given the distasteful dourness he threw at me less than half an hour prior, but I'm not looking any gift horses in the mouth.

"It's the yellow one," I tell him, and proceed outside to wait for him.

He comes out some mysterious door that I don't see, because the first I know he's there is him saying in a loud and astonished voice "WHAT IS THIS THING? IT'S AWESOME!" He then proceeds to bounce around the car like a kid in a candy store, asking all sorts of questions about it. I mean, this guy was completely blown away, repeating, as he performed his validation inspection: "This is the coolest thing..."

Then, when we go back inside, and he's handing me the license plates I never in my life expected to get today, he offers to trade me for his PT Cruiser. I thank him very much, but refuse, and get out of there ASAP before some bureacratic demon decides that people in the DMV aren't supposed to be this happy or this helpful and yanks my plates from me.

Guess that fortune cookie was right: Enthusiastic help can come from the most unexpected places.