A Year Later

Monday, February 5, 2001

Last week I decided to check the stats on this site to see if anyone was reading. Much to my surprise, I had about 360 hits last week alone. I'm glad to know you're reading this and enjoy it.

Actually, I thought about this site for the first time in a long time when I went to get my lisence back. I was expecting a big ordeal, as dealing with the Dept. of Motor Vehicles is never a walk in the park. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Since I wrote in this journal last, I have relocated back to my home town, found an excellent job as a Webmaster / Network Adminitrator, and my wife and kids are doing great. I had to enroll in a treatment program as part of my sentence, and two treatment facilities in the area, after interviewing my to assess my drinking patterns, told me they wouldn't treat me because I didn't have a drinking problem. They went on to say that if I was in their center to fulfill this legal requirement I would be keeping someone with a REAL problem from getting the treatment they needed. Finally I fount a treatment facility that would take me, but I made sure to send copies of my assessment from the other two centers along to the probation officer to insure that they knew how much bullshot this whole process was.

So I went to treatment. I watched a bunch of videos, wrote up a little report about them, and discussed them with a councelor. I also went to about 75 AA meetings, which I can't say I minded too much. I found the AA meetings to be quite facinating really. The thing that killed me was not having a lisence. I had a restricted lisence, which allowed me to drive to work, meetings, treatment, and school. That was it. Finally January 20 was here again, a year after my court date, and I was ready to drive again.

I got to the testing center at 7:00 AM, half an hour before they opened. I immediately saw the note on the door telling me that I had to have cash or money order - NO PERSONAL CHECKS. So I drove home and got cash.

Once I got back there, they were open, and I got in line, took a number, went to the counter, and found out that I needed an SR-22 form from my insurance and a Notarized certificate from the treatment facility. I got back in the car, went to the treatment place, got a cartificate notatized, and in the meantime had an SR-22 faxed from Geico to the DMV. It was after lunch before I got back in there again. I took my eyetest, paid a $156.00 reinstatement fee, and then a $53.00 lisence fee, and they printed out my lisence. I had them use the same picture I have had on my lisence since 1996. As long as they have that picture in the computer, I will continue to use it. My hair is long and scruffy and I have a cheesy grin on my face that I can't possibly reproduce. It's too funny. I'll keep that photo until I'm 98.

So that's that. I did my time, I did treatment, AA meetings, went without a car for a year, and now, FINALLY, it's all over. I still hear from Dave, my bunkmate in the work release center. He sends me an instant message every once in a while. He keeps wanting to get together and have a beer when I'm in Nashville. I'm not opposed to that idea...

...I'm jut going to make sure I take a cab home.