I almost went to jail today!

[Cyber Wolf]

I am going to throw a wrench in this thread by relating a good cop experience I had a couple of years ago and a good DMV experience I had a few months ago.

It is the opinion of most people I know that VA state cops are schmucks, plain and simple. In all my experiences with VA state cops, I must have run into the very few who aren't (or maybe they were just having good days). Nearly 3 years ago, I moved into the DC metro area. Around here, whole sections of highway are dedicated to HOV use during peak rush hour times. I did not know this coming here. About a week after I moved, I came off an exit ramp from such a highway and encountered some police cars waiting at the bottom of the ramp, holding an HOV violator crackdown. I was pulled over because I was one person in the car coming off the HOV-2 restricted highway. Either the cop was in a good mood or my 'What did I do??' face was in top form that evening, but after checking my still out-of-town license and whatever else it is cops do when they go back to the car with it, he explained the HOV restrictions and times to me and let me go with a "Have a good evening." Wow, I certainly did, knowing I could have gotten a ticket that I wouldn't have been able to pay (to the tune of a couple of hundred dollars) but didn't. I'm sure if I had gotten a hard-ass cop, I wouldn't have had such a good evening.

And now for the DMV experience. I moved again back in late March from one area around DC to another. In VA, when you move, you have 30 days to change the address on your license. I went to the DMV to do just that, with only my old license. I brought a book AND my GBA with me because all of my other DMV experiences came with at least a 20 minute wait, usually more. There were a fair number of people there already. I went in, got my number and sat down to wait. I had just sat back and opened my book when my number was called. So I go up to the counter and meet what must have been the only really cool DMV teller in the world. While I filled out the paperwork and she did her thing on the computer, she told me a bit about the area I had moved to, told me a few shortcuts, told me where some really good chinese food was and was really jovial the whole time. So we're done with that stage and it was time for me to go wait for my license to be printed. I went to sit down and my butt hadn't even touched the seat when my name was called and my license was ready. Total time at the DMV from pulling into the lot to driving out: 10 minutes. Best DMV expereince EVER.