Still Getting Moved (Attempting to tie up hundreds of loose ends)

Swan on Lake St. Clair, by me

070920, 4:28 PM I am walking down St. Clair Drive toward St. Clair Lake while Graham has his theory lesson. It's pretty warm, maybe 80, the sun is shining from a cloudless sky, a small breeze blows in off the lake, the crickets are singing. Graham slept most of the way in the car. I drove him here, a half hour here, an hour wait, and a half hour home again, because Biker Buddy is at work.

There are sunflowers flowering, but I can't photograph them because they're in someone's yard. Cicadas are singing, not as many or as loud as August, but still here. Squirrels running this way and that with acorns, cars and trucks rumbling by, the stink of exhaust.

At home, I am trying to settle in and complete my move

I spent over an hour today trying to straighten out what's become an ordeal of car registration and insurance. I'd also worked on it yesterday and several other days. I'd received a threatening letter saying that my insurance in NY on my car had been cancelled and that I needed to show proof of insurance within ten days or my license and registration would be suspended.

It said I could do it on-line, but when I tried, I could not. I didn't have on my insurance form the number they required to complete the transaction on-line to I tried calling them yesterday and then again today. I was on hold on a long distance call for almost half an hour before I even got to talk to anyone.

I have to say this: the woman I spoke to was kind, sympathetic, and helpful, but she couldn't help me. New York State requires NYS insurance. My Michigan insurance doesn't qualify. But my New York insurance company does not insure in Michigan.

I need to get the car registered in Michigan (and fast--because the letter says they will suspend the license and registration in ten days.

But in order to register in Michigan, I need my NY state registration and the title to the car. I had the title to the car in hand one of the times I was bringing boxes to Michigan from NY and I placed it at the top of one of those boxes and clearly labeled it, "Contains Title to Car".

Of course, I brought hundreds of other boxes and have not been able to unpack anything because Biker Budduy's house is full of his stuff, Piano Boy's stuff and Past Lady's stuff. There is no room for me.

So the boxes, hundreds of them sit in piles all over the house. Still packed. And Biker Buddy carefully recorded the contents of the first 2/3 of the boxes or more, but we've both read over the lists and can't find the box labeled "Car title." on the list and we can't find the actual box either.

I didn't take care of it right away because Biker Buddy told me, "If you need something, tell me, and I'll find it." Foolishly, I believed him. I looked in all the places I could think of. I didn't want to spend the money for a new title when I KNEW I'd packed the old one. But where? I wanted to keep looking, but time is running out.

So finally, today, I waited well over an hour on the phone altogether ordering a new title. That's done, but I'm not out of the woods yet. When it comes, I still have to get the car registered in Michigan and THEN, I have to call or send NY proof of that registration because if I don't, they'll suspend my NY license and since Michigan reciprocates, I won't be able to drive. So it's not over yet.

At least I'll have a little break from it while I am waiting for the title to arrive.

I had a similar hassle trying to get my Michigan driver's license.

And it's been a huge hassle trying to get my address changed on everything and so far, I am striking out more often than I'm succeeding. I call the number of someplace where I need to change my address and I don't get a real person, I get a menu, and the menu options go on and on and none of them seem right. I spent over an hour on the phone listening to menus and speaking to no one trying to change my address with GM and FAILED. So I have to start over sometime after I recover from the ordeal of it. I HATE automated menus on phones. It's so un-user friendly, so unfriendly and unhelpful.

So, in addition to the car registration, I have to revisit the GM thing and I have a folder with about ten or 15 other places I still need to call. And each one now takes an hour or more. They don't provide you with an address you can simply send an address form to. They don't give you a person you can speak to' you have to fight your way through endless menus and then people look at you like you have three heads when you say you haven't yet managed to get all your addresses changed. But no one volunteers to HELP.

Well one, person did, I won't mention any names. He said he'd call for me to that one place, GM, but he never did. I can't really complain, because there are zillions of things I should be doing but amn't. OH, He says he did call and couldn't find his way through the menus. Sorry.

I know, I know, amn't is not a proper contraction, but why not. I am NOT. Amn't.

Thursday, September 27, 2007 I finally got my title and am waiting in the Secretary of state office for a turn to hopefully get my car registered in Michigan. Then I will have to deregister in NY or I will lose my license. In both places.

I also have to change my Tracfone cell phone so it has a local Michigan # and not a NY number. And close my bank accounts in NY and move them here, did I say that? I can't believe what a continuing ordeal this is.

The name-change thing may be biting me. I had to return something to Adobe (another huge hassle) and I had to fax various things and some had one name (Taitt) and some had the other (Stebbins), so I am waiting to find out if that will turn into an ordeal or not.

Late breaking news: I finally have my plates and registration. They have to be attached and distributed and I have to surrender my NY plates etc, or I'll lose both licenses, but I'm one small step closer. YAY!

September 29, 2007 And I finally sent off the info to NY State to prevent them, hopefully, from suspending my driver's license. And I just activated a new credit card with my correct name and address. This has taken several tries as the first card they sent had my new last name spelled wrong and there were several problems before that. I still have cards with the wrong name and/or address. Lots more still to do.

October 20, 2007, it’s a month from when I started writing about this, and it’s STILL not settled! I got a second notice from NY threatening to suspend my driver’s license because of suspended NY insurance. I’d already sent in the proofs and received a receipt for them, and had to do that all over again. The envelope with the new copies of the proofs is sitting in the door slot waiting for the mailman to take it away. IF it isn’t settled and they revoke my NY driver’s license, I will also lose my Michigan license and will not be able to drive. BUT THEY SENT A RECEIPT! What’s with that? I feel as if I am just treading water and making no progress here, a YEAR after I moved, but actually sinking rather than swimming.