A Good Day at the DMV

I managed to go into the DMV today and get ahold of a California Driver License, all in about half an hour. Not only that, but every single staff member I came into contact with (a total of five) was pleasant and friendly. Am I in some sort of alternate dimension? The procurement of a CA Driver License is notable, however, because the written test they make you take is actually not completely easy. You have to get 30/36 correct to pass, and some of the questions are obscure and oddly worded. For example, do you know what specific kind of vehicle is the only one required to come to a complete stop before a rail crossing? The answer is: a truck carrying Haz-mats. Somewhat obvious, you might say, especially since it's multiple choice, but you know, that's easily the sort of question that could be a trick, and I would probably never in my life have been aware of that traffic rule had I not seen it on the test. Anyway, it was a tense ten minutes, but I ended up only missing two. Further proof that I'm the best driver in California. Naturally.

Another interesting item from the DMV (a nasty, horrible building over on Colorado Ave.) was a sign posted on the computer monitor at the photograph station. It said, "Please do not turn monitor, it may result in electrical failure." And I couldn't help but wonder on what kind of scale this electrical failure would occur. It made me want to turn the monitor, in fact, but I decided against it after the photo woman got upset at the way I put my thumb on the thumb-print machine. After that I really didn't want to upset her further by causing electrical failure.

I've been tipped off about this band called Los Amigos Invisibles, who are Venezuelan and reportedly quite good. However, I'm taking a big leap here in linking to them, because I haven't actually heard them yet. But they're playing at Coachella this year, and I'm very much hoping to make it there and check them out.

I'm not normally a fan of celebrity gossip-type items. They tend to make me feel kind of ill in fact, as much as I might regard them with a certain degree of fascination initially. However, this particular website, gofugyourself.com, had me thoroughly entertained for a good half-hour last night. Something about the writing, and the way the writer addresses the celebrity directly, I guess. Hilarious....

Etihad Airways. It's branded "the national airline of the United Arab Emirates" but has mostly been overshadowed by the Dubai-based Emirates Airlines (Etihad flies out of Abu Dhabi.) Emirates has a lot of hype around it because it ordered about seven thousand planes within the past year and has created a mega-hub in Dubai which is ever-expanding, and they have seemingly endless cash to throw around to fund this continuous meteoric rise. Which is especially impressive considering, as far as I'm aware, that the city of Dubai didn't even exist forty years ago. But anyway, back to Etihad--they just took delivery of a new 777-300ER, and I've seen some photos of the seating in that plane, and I must say they look like they're onto something. The business class seats look especially great. While those aisle seats might be a little too exposed to the aisle, the window seats look perfect--nicely tucked away, with a lot of privacy, and, very importantly, a clear channel through which to access the aisle. I hereby declare this the way forward in airline seating. Now to actually try the seats out (may have to wait a while on that one.) And if you're looking for more cabin pictures, take a look at the economy class seats. 10.4-inch screens!

Still haven't had enough airplanes? Why not take a look at the tail of a Frontier Airlines aircraft. They put cute wild animals on their tails. Doesn't it just make you want to route via Denver on your next transcon?

In closing, I have to confess that I went to see "The Pink Panther" and found it hilarious. I was laughing pretty much the entire time in fact. I must have been in just the right mood for it or something, but watching Steve Martin talk in that strange and garbled French accent for two hours was great. It was also funny to see how Kevin Kline didn't even make an effort at the accent. Half the time he sounded British. I like that approach. It was very funny. But the worst part of it all is that at home later that night, I actually went onto the iTunes music store and purchased that Beyonce song, "Check On It" or whatever it's called. Sure, it was at the urging of my roommate and her son who wanted to hear it, but I also had some inexplicable desire for the song. How's that for cross-marketing in action? The pop star acts in a movie, people come to see the movie, then buy the pop star's song later on. As I clicked "buy song" I could just picture Steve Martin and Beyonce Knowles exchanging at that moment a brief high-five over glasses of champagne.