The package of mail from the states that I’ve been anxiously waiting for arrived today. I now have the last of the paperwork I need to continue with my permanent residence application, my Square reader, so I can accept credit card payments, and the sealed letter from the Illinois DMV so I can get my Ontario drivers license.

We drive to the nearest driving center with the sealed letter in hand. It was an ordeal just getting the letter sent; IL required a self-addressed stamped envelope with a money order to pay the paperwork handling fee. Included in what we send them was a Driving Record Abstract Request Form. Basically, a copy of my drivers record to show when I was first licensed and any tickets/accidents/etc on my record. Pretty straightforward stuff, you would think.

The very nice lady opened the letter and scanned it for the information she needed. My heart sunk when she looked back up and shook her head. Illinois, as it turns out, listed the date I was originally licensed as July, 2009, when I last renewed my license, not July 1992 as I was expecting. Because Illinois showed I was licensed less than two years, no license for me (without having to retake all the tests).

When we started this little adventure, I called the Illinois DMV to try to get them to fax the paperwork. No go; it’s against their policy unless requested by another state’s DMV, on their letterhead, and Ontario has a policy against that. My choices were given as visit a DMV office in Illinois or mail the requested form, which I did. Tomorrow, I get to start the phone calls all over again to try straightening this out. One day, we’ll be able to get a car again, but not today.

While we were in town, I stopped by the used book stores. There’s this article on NPR about The Stars My Destination that was mentioned on Twitter yesterday, which reminded me that I’ve meant to read it. I picked up that and The Demolished Man, both by Alfred Bester, Ten Thousand Light-Years from Home, a short story collection by James Tiptree, Jr., and a prize that I will cherish forever — a first edition UK printing, hard cover with a dustcover jacket, of one of my favorite novels, Weaveworld by Clive Barker, for $2.00.

That almost makes up for the pain of being from the state of corn, corruption and unbalanced budgets.