So Nathan and I are buying a car. Today, probably, but that is beside this post's point (I'll let you know when it happens, because believe me, it will be a big deal at our house and I will be thrilled). This post is about what I've learned about Massachusetts--what this lovely Commonwealth (it distinguishes itself as a "commonwealth," not a "state") does well and what it doesn't.
Okay, there are a lot of problems with MA. First of all, has no one here heard of street signs? A sign that says "Brighton -->" does not help me. I need to know what street I'm turning on, not which suburb I'm headed towards. It's like people here drive instinctively, not by directions. It is also as if they are rather unfriendly towards anyone trying to get around for the first time, since you really just need to know the area in order to get around very well. Also, I know that this has to do with the fact that Boston is really old, but what is it with the street names changing every mile or two? That is confusing. So all of this means that Lauren literally gets lost the first time she drives anywhere, no matter how wonderful
Google Maps is.
Also, we found out that auto insurance here is basically socialized. Besides my relative intolerance of anything socialized (I'm a fan of the free market), this annoys me because none of the major insurance companies operate in MA. I don't have any problem with going with a small business, but it is a little disconcerting to go with a company you have never heard of before, based on a couple of lukewarm personal referrals from friends.
But this morning I discovered something that Massachusetts does well. No, not just well. Very well. Get ready to be shocked: it is the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
Now, my previous associations of the RMV (or DPS, as it was in Houston) are this: the lines are ridiculously long, everything looks worn and unwelcoming, the employees look tired and are unenthused and slow, the forms are confusing, everything moves inefficiently, and on top of that, everyone is sweating. :) But this morning I went to get my Texas license converted to a Massachusetts license. I know, I know, this is three years late, but I figured I might as well wait until my TX license expired, which it did a couple of weeks ago on my birthday. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised at my Mass RMV experience.
First of all, you had to go to a customer service person first to get the correct form, and then she checked it to make sure you filled everything out before she would give you a number. I know this sounds like an extra step, but it's actually quite nice, because there is no confusion about which form to fill out, and you don't wait in line for an hour just to get to a window to find out that you filled out the wrong form or are missing a piece of documentation. I am sure that this one lady saves people a lot of time and frustration.
Secondly, they had an awesome system of telling you where to go next. They had about 15 windows, and they had a system that would call your number and tell you which window to go to. No guessing which person you're supposed to walk up to while every employee avoids making eye contact with you. And there were little signs above each window with the number to be helped there, so you knew exactly where to go.
Thirdly, the employees were alert and nice! I think they might actually have liked their jobs!
Plus, the lady told me my picture was good. And it WAS! How often does that happen?
Bless my administrative heart, right? I know it's kind of funny that I was so impressed with organization, but hey, it made my life easier this morning.
(By the way, if you live in Boston, go to the Watertown RMV. Apparently it's better than a lot of the other ones, which accounts for my good experience.)
Hello all!
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Arbonne Opens in the UK
