I had the great misfortune of misplacing my wallet somewhere recently, possibly in public.  It just so happened that I not only had the normal items in it (credit cards, debit card, drivers license, etc.) I also had my social security card in it.

It just can't get worse for your long term stress level to lose your social security card.  In this day of identity theft and consumer credit fraud this small tattered card was essentially the key my identity.  I've had to fight, sometimes outrageously to protect my credit rating and now here it was laid wide open for the harvesting by any unscrupulous would be scoundrel (are there any scoundrels with scruples?  We may never truly know).  

Imagine my dismay when it dawned on me where this card was and after ripping up my apartment over the course of two days, I threw in the towel and assume the worst.  So began my task of cancelling the debit and credit cards, filling out credit freeze applications with the credit bureaus, in addition to locating money so that I might go about my daily business of driving, eating, etc...

Yesterday I aquired leave from work to take care of "the hard stuff."  Not only did I have a trip to the ever dreaded DMV, I also had to conquer new territory -- the Social Security Office.  I was ready for hours upon hours of grueling waiting, proving of who I am, documentation and more waiting.

I did a bit of research and not only is the replacement drivers license form online, so is the social security card replacement form.  Figuring I'd save myself and everyone else a bit of time I printed these out and completed them on my home computer.

So Thursday I wake up, eat a small breakfast, grab a book and leave my house around 9:19 (SS office opens at 9 a.m., boss!).  Luckily for me there is one about 10 blocks from my house.  I walk in, hit 1 for a number and go to sit down.  I see the sign that says to "Turn off your cellphone in OUR office" so before I sit I go to hit the disable ringer switch on that fancy iPhone of mine.  Before I can even finish that and sit down, I hear my number called.  What?!  Sure enough, it was my number.  I head on over there and within minutes I have documentation stating I am who I am and that my replacement SSC is in the mail.  Sweet.

As well as that went, the DMV is a well known timesink of epic proportions.  Anyone who has ever been to one knows at least one visit where entire sections of their life have been eaten whole by this bureaucratic monster.

Low and behold, #47 is my number and 45 is on the annoying beeping display on the ceiling.  This book I brought with me is proving to be more like baggage and less like shelter from the predicted storm. 

When everything is said and done I spent less than one hour ordering a replacement social security card and a replacement drivers license - including transit time!  Now I come to my blog entry's title.  I find it unreal that in a city as large as Milwaukee can provide two essential services to someone so quickly.  I might be remarkably lucky but I don't think this could have happened in other cities the size of Milwaukee.

Just one more reason why I love this town.  Go Brewers!