Bright Side

What can help you change things when you wake up after a bad day? I thought a good way to start would be with apple pancakes. I had downloaded a great recipe from Smitten Kitchen, but then got lazy and just made regular pancakes from a mix I had, and simply added some thinly sliced and diced apples with cinnamon. Totally heavenly.

I don't know why we had to tempt fate, but today is the day we decided to go get our Pennsylvania drivers licenses. This place is crazy. In order to get a permit to park in our neighborhood, we needed Pennsylvania state IDs and a car with Pennsylvania plates. Getting tickets for parking sucks, as does moving the car all day, so we went out on our journey. In order to get our licenses, get a license plate for our car, and get the permit to park, we have to go to three separate places. First up, the DMV, which wants birth certificates, social security cards, and two different items that prove you live here. I thought we'd be there forever, and there were so many people there, but we got out within an hour, so that was good. They don't take appointments, so you just have to show up and get a number. The number system is complicated and dumb, so you have to listen to the constant drone of the number call, but we did it without incident and I got to keep my California license (which now has a hole in it, but whatevs). Just a tip for future tourists: Philadelphians everywhere hate their jobs! I think they don't want you to come into their store or eat at their restaurant, because you are pretty much a non entity. I expect it at the DMV, though. No humor, no interest in being anything more than a robot. Also, they don't call it the DMV here, it's a PennDot (department of transportation) and there are different kinds of PennDots. Is it confusing? Only always.

After this we ate lunch at the Reading Terminal Market, which is always cool (and cheap), and then steeled ourselves for the next place, to get the license plate. We were so close! We remembered the proof of insurance, the current registration card, a pencil scraping of the VIN to prove we have an actual car, but forgot the pink slip. Damns. So that's on tomorrow's to-do list because we could not deal with anymore bureaucracy today.

It started to rain, but we got home before the worst of it and I took a nap. In order to salvage the day, we went to the corner store to get some 7ups for cocktails. I picked up a couple of other items as well. The holy trinity: Mint Milanos, Vodka 7-up, and Martha Stewart's Halloween magazine!

P.S. why don't they make mini mint Milanos anymore? They were the best things ever and I can never find them. Seriously, does anyone know if they still make them?

Here's hoping this pick-me-up carries me through the rest of the week! Also, I updated the Sweet Lady Shop blog. Go check it out!