it's official, i'm an illinoisian

chicagoan sounds better.

time from walking into the IL dmv to having a driver license in hand: 1 hour 30 minutes.
time it's taken CA dmv to mail my driving record to me: 30 days and still counting!

almost two months ago, my wallet was lost and i needed a new license. since i wasn't going back to california for awhile, i decided i'd go ahead and get my illinois license. well, they need a copy of my driving record from california, else i had to take the road test. i call up a number in sacramento, surprisingly a guy actually picked up the phone. guy says, "you have to mail in a form with a check for $5. you're looking at mid-september, and no there is no other way," with a bit of dismay in his voice. uhm hello? didn't i just call california? can't you just email it to me in pdf format? my friend from portland called OR dmv. it was faxed to her in 3 days, free of charge.
i called them yesterday to check the status of my request. the lady on the other end said with the same tone of dismay and frustration, "the chances of you getting your record are zero to none. i'm one of the people who process these. i'm working on 8/26, yours came in 8/29." uhm? hello? didn't i just call california? the red tape and bureacracy is so ridiculous the employees aren't even trying to fake it anymore. maybe i should write a letter the the secretary of state in california.