I've decided to be a good wife and change my name. Sort of...I'm making my last name my middle name and then adding on the hubby's last name. Anyway, I finally went on-line yesterday and got the form from the Social Security web site. I filled it out and went there this morning since oddly there's a social security office close to my house.

By appearances alone the Social Security "office", if that's what you want to call it - it was in a semi-strip mall area, had to be the saddest, most pathetic place on earth. It was smaller by far than the DMV but had just as many, or maybe more, people packed in waiting to be called from line to line. Everyone there just had this look of defeat on their faces.

I went up to the extremely large women dressed as, I guess, officers of some sort. The social security police perhaps? Anyway, I told them why I was there and they printed out a little receipt type thing with a number printed on it and told me to wait until I was called. Okay, sounds easy enough. Then I had the brilliant idea to ask about how long it might take. The heavier of the two Social Security Police replied, "oh, about two hours or so". TWO HOURS? two fucking hours? for me to drop off a piece of paper, show them my i.d. and my marriage certificate? TWO HOURS? No wonder people go postal at these types of places and now the look of defeat on all of the patron's faces made perfect sense. My optimism had now changed to defeat itself. I asked if I could leave and come back and she said, "oh sure". But in all honesty there was no way I was going to make it back. I guess I have to try again by maybe standing outside before they open one day. Man, I can tell this is gonna be a fun one!