my home state is an idiot...

so, one of the requirements for the pennsylvania bar application is to get certified copies of driving records from every state in which the applicant has had a driver's license. and when that applicant is me, we're talking about three states -- pennsylvania, massachusetts, and mississippi.

pennsylvania was easy -- you can get your driving record online, pay $10 with a debit or credit card, and print it out. the PA bar examiners accept this "unofficial" record because it's in-state.

massachusetts was also easy. i had to wait about 20 minutes before i talked to a live person, but the woman with whom i spoke was very friendly and helpful, i could pay the $10 over the phone with my card, and i got my driving record in about three days.

however, mississippi, the magnolia state, the state of my birth, the home of my family, is a fucking asshole! not only did i call seven different phone numbers before i actually talked to someone who could help me, but i had to have a form notarized ($5), get a money order for $11 ($11 plus the $1 for the money order fee), and send them a self-addressed, stamped envelope in which they would return my driving record. only those jerks didn't actually return my driving record!!! i got home today to see my SASE returned. but inside was not MY driving record, but a notice saying that people with licenses that expired more than two years ago were no longer in the system -- my record had been deleted!!! WTF?!!?!!?!?!?

so, friends, the rumors are true -- mississippi really is the stupidest state in the union. apparently, once you go more than two years without renewing your driver's license, you are dead to mississippi.