Martha Stewart blogs her trip to the DMV

I adore Martha Stewart, and I love that she wrote a blog post about her visit to the DMV to get her driver's license. She titled it "A Fun Trip To The DMV." She took a bunch of photos of the office, including the above photo of vending machines that sell ball point pens for 25 cents.

Just 2 days before, I had flown to Maine and there was a window of opportunity between returning home and immediately packing my bags for an expedition to Iceland. I was informed that the computers at the DMV were down, so I escaped into nearby Katonah for a much-needed pedicure and manicure. When I arrived at the DMV at 3:30, the lines were empty and the service was fast and friendly. I was allowed to pay the $42.50 charge by credit card. They seized my old CT license – for reasons, unexplained. My new license is good for 5 years because I am from another state – another reason unexplained. I was told that after the 5 years, when I renew, it will be good for 8 years.

A Fun Trip To The DMV (The Martha Blog)

• [odejoy]

  ghh!! Mrth Stwrt !!!
  PK PK PK LL VR TH LYNG, SLF_RGHTS BTCH < --vlntrly dsmvwlld--> !!!

  Cn’t srsly blv nybdy cn lk hr !! M srprsd Mrk!!

  Bt, whtvr.

• [Mark Frauenfelder]

  @ 17 kenmce

  Because I liked it.

• [Anonymous]

  @#11 JG:

  Martha, Martha, Martha that sentence just needs to be reknit/refinished/refried, it should read:

  “I am so happy that BoingBoing picked-up my story.”

  A split infinitive is not a ‘good thing’.

  Pedantic response: ‘picked’ is conjugated, so it’s not an infinitive, and therefore cannot be a split infinitive.

• [Takuan]

  the true wonder is how we can spin wonderfulness wherever we find it – or wish to find it

• [rollermonkey]

  Her blog about giving donkey’s haircuts was much more amusing.

• [Jerry Kindall]

  There is a superfluous comma in this sentence — for reasons, unexplained

• [Enochrewt]

  The language nerds have scared Martha away!

• [subhan]

  I think this my signify the moment when blogging officially jumped the shark.

• [Martha Stewart]

  Thank you everyone for taking a look at my DMV experience. I am so happy that BoingBoing picked my story up! Be sure to check back daily for lots more…

  Martha

  http://blogs1.marthastewart.com/martha

• [Anonymous]

  I’ve been to the CT DMV several times for work. The building looks like an old mental hospital (it probably was) set back in this beautiful historic Connecticut town.

  The people there aren’t very friendly and you kind of end up in one giant room to renew things, which totally reminds me of a open ward hospital (think of any hospital scenes from WWII movies where no one has a private room).

  But the pen vending machines are my favorite. I was even planning on my next trip to take a pic and send it to BoingBoing, I found them so wonderful. Guess Martha beat me to it in here new home in New York.

• [Mitch Wagner]

  People often use the DMV and Post Office as poster children for government inefficiency. But in fact whenever I’ve had to go to either, the service has been fast and friendly and the experience was almost pleasant.

• [Enochrewt]

  From those pen vending machines I can already tell you that the CT DMVs are a thousand times cooler than the ones in Colorado.

  I don’t wait in the line at the DMV (it’s usually a 2 hour or more wait here) I just charge to the counter on the pretense of asking questions before I “wait in line” then they just do whatever I need done and that’s that. I’ve never been told to wait in the line, and I’m really surprised that I haven’t gotten my ass kicked for it.

  I’ve always liked Martha Stewart, but I couldn’t explain why. Maybe I just respect people that really enjoy ironing clothes.

• [JG]

  “I am so happy that BoingBoing picked my story up”

  Martha, Martha, Martha that sentence just needs to be reknit/refinished/refried, it should read:

  “I am so happy that BoingBoing picked-up my story.”

  A split infinitive is not a ‘good thing’.

  Love ya babe!

  ###

• [JG]

  #14 It is, it can be, it was and it shouldn’t be….

  ###

• [oscar]

  Shoutouts to Perez Hilton and Cute Overload? Too funny!

• [adamlcox]

  All of a sudden, I have an immense amount of respect for Martha Stewart. How strange. My wife will be pleased, I suspect.

• [jkiniston]

  I just spent some time this morning at the local MVD.

  I showed up at the local office right as they opened at 8AM and had a short wait (10 minutes roughly) before my number was called.

  My goal was to get a moped registered and get a plate for it, Unfortunately this did not go as smoothly as I had hoped.

  It took a staff of four and a hour and a half to get the computers to give me a plate.

  We went through three plates in that time; A classic Arizona red number plate with white letters that the clerk messed up on and ended up voiding the plate, A modern alpha-numeric plate with a MP Designation that the computer claimed was the incorrect length, and finally another classic red numberplate that they were able to push through.

  My plate is good until October 31st of 2009 as all Moped plates in Arizona renew on October 31st.

  I was unhappy with the length of time it took but understanding as a moped is a unusual vehicle where I live and the staff was quite professional and apologetic for the time it took.

• [mecredis]

  Interesting that Martha references Katonah.

  She tried to trademark the town’s name in 2007:

  http://iplj.net/blog/2008/02/26/nobody-owns-katonah-martha-stewart%E2%80%99s-attempt-to-trademark-the-name-of-her-westchester-village/

  In January of 2007, it became public that Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSO) intended to trademark “Katonah” to be used for a line of furniture, paints, and other home furnishings. Katonah is the name of a tony Westchester County hamlet of the Town of Bedford located about 40 miles north of New York City. Martha Stewart, the founder of MSO, has owned and lived in a 153-acre estate in Katonah since 2000.”

  She ended up settling with the historical society.

• [Alan]

  That was so pedestrian, it was cool! And she’s right; what can you buy for $.25 nowadays?

• [kenmce]

  And this is worthy of Boing Boing how?

  • [Antinous]

    Scroll bar – ur doing it rong.

• [hassan-i-sabbah]

  Any stock advice Martha?

• [arkizzle]

  Antinous, I expect you to give Martha a summary warning over her sig link..

  Go on, I dare ya :)

  • [Antinous]

    Subject’s privilege. Already covered the other day in another post.

• [Takuan]

  Martha my dear though I spend my days in conversation
  Please
  Remember me Martha my love
  Don’t forget me Martha my dear

  Hold your head up you silly girl look what you’ve done
  When you find yourself in the thick of it
  Help yourself to a bit of what is all around you
  Silly Girl.

  Take a good look around you
  Take a good look you’re bound to see
  That you and me were meant to be for each other
  Silly girl.

  Hold your hand out you silly girl see what you’ve done
  When you find yourself in the thick of it
  Help yourself to a bit of what is all around you
  Silly girl.

  Martha my dear you have always been my inspiration
  Please
  Be good to me Martha my love
  Don’t forget me Martha my dear.

• [Takuan]

  make friends with the biggest one on the cell block

• [Vidiot]

  Odd: the DMV office in Midtown Manhattan that I visited had huge signs all over the place stating that photography there was prohibited.

• [Takuan]

  is that to prevent photos of counter gorgons being used for terror?

• [arkizzle]

  Oh, I missed that, but presumed as much..
  I just wanted to see you stepping to Martha Stewart is all :)

• [Antinous]

  She might be tougher than me. I wonder if she needs a moderator.