Yesterday was my brother's birthday. Because this is no longer the land of the free and home of the brave but the residence of those who submit to bureaucratic paranoia, we (mostly he) spent the better half of the day downloading forms, copying documents and expediting them back to Connecticut because, even though he has never been out of this country in his life (excepting one three hour lunch trip to Nogales as a preteen) and even though he has lived in this same town for going-on thirty years, and has renewed his driver's license a number of times during that period, he must now present a certified copy of his birth certificate in order to renew it this time. Between the copying costs and the postage, he's spending close to $60 (never mind the time wasted not celebrating his birthday) just to qualify for the renewal.
We made up for it with a birthday dinner of broiled lobster in drawn butter, shrimp and scallops sauteed with sweet red peppers in a bacon/garlic butter sauce over pasta and corn on the cob accompanied by a very fruity, spicy Gewurztraminer and chocolate cake for dessert. You can erase an awful lot of frustration with a meal like that.
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