Thursday, April 19, 2007

That's What They Mean By Social Security

I spent almost an hour in the local Social Security Office yesterday to get a new card for me and so I could discover C.'s (my 4 year old) number. I need her number because I realized her passport is going to expire in about 13 months and we will most likely be in India all that time and when I researched it it is a real pain to get a new passport for a minor in India.

Better to do it here and now.

The first step was getting an SS# for C. Apparently she had one at some point in her short life but beats the heck out of me where it is. Probably with her original Birth Certificate which is also missing. Nice.- Hey, we move houses - A Lot.

I, along with E., C., and G. drove to the SS office yesterday around 1PM. I was somewhat alarmed when I pulled up and saw a whole lot of cars parked in a line along makeshift parking spots by the curb.

Alarmed but still unsuspecting I hauled all 3 children out of the car (I told E. and C. to stand by the car while I got out G. from the other side but they didn't obey and followed me and E. dropped her purse in the street, bent to pick it up, thus causing C. to trip over her, fall and scrape her knee. I told C. she better not cry because had they stood and waited on the other side of the car in the first place- say it with me - this never would have happened.)

We made it inside, carseat and baby in tow, and I was now dismayed to see the place packed with people - mostly likely the owners of the line of cars. Dumb me who chose to go at the end of lunch hour. Really, how many people have a reason to go to the SS office?

Things did move along and I clung to my number - D402 - and practiced listening for it with the girls. Unfortunately, everything stopped when a women at the furthest window started talking very loudly on her cellphone.

According to her it was her 7th time there and everyone in the office gave her "attitude" and then she used a lot of foul language... blah blah blah (5 minutes later) ...and then the lady behind the counter said (with attitude) over the loud speaker. "Security!" Ah, South Jersey, USA.

She left, we got new cards ordered and I wrote down C.'s number. We came straight home.

On a good note, G. received her passport and Indian visa in the mail today. Yay!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You went WHERE? With how many children? AND an infant? I need to buy you a phone, honey, with my phone number on Speed Dial. I will gladly take your girls. I'd take you, too, but you really needed to show up there in person. Well, at least G's passport made it through! And maybe next time, E&C will stay put. NOT!