Erieversible

It turns out that we don’t need to get the cars inspected under New York State rules.  At least, not yet.  According to the DMV website:

“If you are a non-resident who becomes a resident of NYS, your out-of-state inspection is valid until it expires, or for one year after the vehicle is registered in NYS, whichever comes first. After the inspection expires, you must have the vehicle inspected in NYS. If you receive an inspection extension sticker at the DMV office, destroy the sticker.”

That’s us.  But try telling that to half the DMV staff we dealt with.  Or the service manager at a Ford dealer, who got almost shirty when I declined his offer to carry out an inspection and who clearly did not believe me when I explained why I didn’t need one. At least one employee at the DMV was up to date though, and confirmed we did not need an immediate inspection.   

I suspect they change the rules so often that no-one can keep up with them.  When I applied for a NY driving license, trading in the PA one, they were initially stumped by my permanent resident card as apparently it is a new type, or at least is a type they hadn’t seen before.

Anyway, both cars are now carrying NY plates and we both have NY driving licenses.  One more task crossed off a very long list.

Does anyone read the Buffalo News?  Either everyone else does, in which case their telephone sales department continually bugs us because they are going for 100% sign up, or no-one does, in which case their telephone sales department is simply desperate.  Three times in the two weeks we have been in the house they have called to offer a special subscription rate.  Twice they have been told “No thanks”.  The third time I was less polite.

In Wegmans (Sheridan Road) on Sunday I noticed racks for UK newspapers.  Curiosity engaged, I checked out what they had, only to find the Sunday UK papers were 2 weeks old.  Now, unless there’s a specialist market for old news I suspect they weren’t going to sell too many.  Perhaps at one week old they might attract the odd purchase, but not a fortnight old.  They didn’t actually have any copies of the Sunday Times, but if they get recent copies I might just be tempted…

And finally I must mention the Clarence Bee.  I had assumed, from our time in Erie, PA, that the US didn’t have local free press, as they do in the UK.  Either no such beastie existed in Erie or they simply didn’t deliver to where we were.  Here we were surprised to find the Clarence Bee.  I’ve no idea if it is worth the paper it is printed on, as I haven’t had time to read it yet, but I will definitely get around to trying it.

Here endeth the news.

Once upon a time I enjoyed Dilbert, but it got far too…repetitive?…predictable?…or maybe I just built up an immunity?  Sorry, Scott.

Then I read User Friendly and the 10 year anniversary limited edition book of User Friendly was on my Christmas list.  The subjects are generally a bit technical, so it may not suit everybody, but Dust Puppy has to be one of the greatest cartoon strip characters or all time.

Now I am laughing my way through Pearls Before Swine (and also a good Wikipedia entry).  Again, represented by entries on my Christmas list.

Try User Friendly, but especially try Pearls Before Swine.  We all need a little more laughter, even when the economy isn’t falling apart around us.

Go on.  What’s the worst that can happen?  You may end up hating yourself for laughing at something you feel you shouldn’t find funny?  Oooooh, that’d be bad…better not look after all.