DMV Experience Comparison: CA vs. TN

I recently moved to Clarksville, Tenn. from San Diego, Calif. which means I had to register my car and exchange my drivers license to my new state. While I expected this process to be cheaper in Tenn. it was also much faster than any experience I’ve ever had in a Calif. Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

The Clarksville County Clerk had me out in 18 minutes and cost $94 to exchange a CA car title to a TN title, and to pay registration for the 2021 year. Just my registration for Calif. would have been $244 in 2021. I brought a few necessary documents outlined on a government website, and showed up on a Wednesday without an appointment. Additionally, my boyfriend was able to drop by a couple days before we went in to ask the Clerk for guidance on how to proceed. 


The Clarksville County Clerk had me out in 18 minutes and cost $94 to exchange a CA car title to a TN title, and to pay registration for the 2021 year. Just my registration for Calif. would have been $244 in 2021.

Likewise a trip to the Driver Services Center went well without an appointment. We arrived about 8:00 AM, knowing the Center opened at 8:30 AM and bracing ourselves for typical DMV lines. The line at this particular center was about half the size of what I’ve seen at Calif. ones 45 minutes to an hour before opening. 

We were being staged before the Center opened officially. To me this aspect of the Center’s procedure seemed revolutionary and also a simple bit of genius. Two people staging where people need to go will of course make the rest of the day go quicker and verify people have required documents before they go inside. 

Map of CA

Photo provided by Google. All rights reserved.

The 20 spots for people who needed road tests were full by about 8:15 AM, which seemed the only downside. However, my personal Calif. Road Test experience many years ago involved two trips due to an appointment the DMV lost info on and overscheduled. So I can’t say that this is really even a point lost for the Clarksville Center. 

My required documents were checked and I only needed what was listed online. I believed I needed a written test, but was delighted to be informed I did not even need to take that as my Calif. license was still valid. (Dear Reader, I have never been told something by a DMV worker in Calif. which has reduced my workload in any way. I was overjoyed at the efficiency and service I received in Clarksville). 


I believed I needed a written test, but was delighted to be informed I did not even need to take that as my Calif. license was still valid.

I was in the building by 8:30 AM as the seventh person in the particular line I needed. Due to Covid-19 health protocols, my boyfriend, who did not have DMV related business, was not able to enter with me as the Center was limiting capacity as a precaution. This was understandable and expected. It was very cool that he was able to wait with me outside however.

I waited patiently inside before I was called to reaffirm answers to questions related to what typically goes on a driver’s license. I had my picture taken and presented my documents. I paid $28 and was given a temporary paper license complete with a picture. I was told that my permanent license would be mailed to me in two to three weeks. I was out and we were on the road at 9:25 AM.


I paid $28 and was given a temporary paper license complete with a picture. I was told that my permanent license would be mailed to me in two to three weeks.

I recount my experience with the Clarksville Driver Service Center with utter amazement. I knew it would cost less to register, but I am pleasantly shocked by the other differences in Tenn. I was done so much faster and helped so much more. 

Map of TN
Photo provided by Google. All rights reserved.

I’ve heard friends in Calif. recently mention experiences with the DMV during Covid-19 that lasted between 45 minutes and 2 hours. It is unclear if this has to do with necessary health protocols which have changed the experience.

In the past, I have counted myself lucky if I got out of the Calif. DMV in less than 2 hours without an appointment and in an hour with one.

GRAPES Journaling

by Sarah Hughes

Watching my social media feeds, it seems that we are all hitting some mentally turbulence as we come up on the anniversary of entering Covid-19 quarantine. 

Though I certainly have not had the easiest year in taking care of myself, I have found some solace in building a few positive habits. One of these is a mindful effort to journal how I’ve taken care of my mental state each day.

There’s a common psychology saying that GRAPES a day keeps the psychologist away, much like eating an apple a day keeps the doctor away. 

“I am talking about the acronym “GRAPES”: Gentleness, Relaxation, Accomplishment, Pleasure, Exercise and Social,” says BurdTherapy.com. “These elements help keep us happy and content and are ways to practice healthy coping skills. Use the acronym as a way to quickly remember activities to practice self care.”

The acronym is meant to be a tool for people to take care of their mental health each day. Each letter is supposed to be a reminder to do something to feed the realms of life in a way that engages them. It is essentially breaking down the elements of happiness to be intentional about fostering happiness and care.

Picture of a journal with notes on GRAPES acronym: Gentleness - Be gentle with yourself and your expectations Relaxation - Do at least one thing relaxing Accomplishment - Do something that makes you feel good about your abilities Pleasure - Do something that brings you pleasure Exercise - Do at least 30-60 minutes of exercise that gets your heart going Social - Interact with positive people
Photo provided by Sarah Hughes. Picture of a journal with notes on GRAPES acronym. All rights reserved.

What I did with this is determined to reflect on what I’ve done for each letter each day, often noting how I performed each in a journal. Recording a quick sentence for each keeps me making rounded progress at taking care of myself and improves my mood. 

Journaling my progress at GRAPES reminds me that I am not just the A for accomplishment. I’ve realized from the exercise that I struggle with finding time to feed G and P the most. It’s hard to be mindful about treating myself with grace and being happy each day. I believe I struggle with those activities because I feel that my to do list must be completed for me to indulge in pleasurable activities or give myself approval. The exercise made me realize how weird it is that happiness and self-love aren’t daily goals for me. 

I hope that journaling how you take care of your happiness elements can also bring you more of it during our present times.


Clarksville museum offers social distanced Valentine’s day boxes

by Sarah Hughes

Looking for a way to support Clarksville culture and have a great Valentine’s day? Reserve your own themed date night in a box from the Custom House Museum and Cultural Center.


Photo provided by https://customshousemuseum.org/. All rights reserved.

As of 6:30 PM, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, The Custom House Museum and Cultural Center is taking orders for special Valentine’s treat boxes. The boxes will be available for pick up and delivery in February.

This offering is presented by the Museum Guild as a part of an event called Valentines Delivered: Date Night in a Box. The event replaces an annual winter fundraiser, Champagne & Chocolate.

Funds raised go towards artifact conservation, collections, exhibits and educational programming. It’s a gift that helps the community, and allows for easy social distancing.


  • Exterior shot of the Custom House Museum and Cultural Center. Photo by Sarah Hughes. All rights reserved.

The boxes contain assorted goodies, including a few locally manufactured items. They are perfect for sharing with a date or group of four. However, sharing is not required.

Delivery and Pickup will be Feb. 8 through 12. Orders can be placed through the museum’s website. Limited quantities are available. https://customshousemuseum.org/valentines-delivered/


  • The original spire from the top of the museum on display. It was removed from the landmark building in a tornado Jan. 22, 1999. Photo by Sarah Hughes. All rights reserved.

Honey it’s Thursday

…because honey’s sweet and we put out on Thursdays…

Letter from the Editor – February 2018

Dear Honey Readers,

After some googling and soul-searching, I decided to disable commenting on this blog. This decision has to do with a few thoughts I’ve had. One is I would rather focus on my craft of writing and learning small-time website design, than devote my limited time to sorting and approving comments. The next is most of the comments I received tended to be advertisements/bots/possibly shady snippets of software code, and not people wanting to have a real conversation or build some type of community. I was starting to worry a little too much about the shady category. I still am. Perhaps as I get better at this, I will start to add comments back in and talk about how to prevent code-insertion or identity issues in blogs. 

However, there have been some impressive commentators who have graced this site with a quick line. Notably, a Donald Trump, who I’m pretty sure wasn’t that one, and a website for something to do with boobsigns, whatever that is (please, for your computers safety, don’t google it, I won’t be liable for whatever horror or virus results). I’m sorry to say I removed the temptation of cluttering up the comments with perplexing snippets of dubious sincerity. Though there were some comments where people didn’t seem to have a suggestion, and were just commenting to comment without saying very much. Some of these also made me wonder if those people had read my article, because the comment often seemed to not correspond to any of my content. I did sort of enjoy deleting those comments, along with what I’ll call ad-comments or mal-comments (based on adware and malware). However, I immensely appreciated all of the positive feedback and questions I received. Some of you seemed inspiringly interested in blogging. To those people, I am sorry to have cut the conversation short. I value criticism and have been especially learning to embrace it this year. I hope that the time I invest into helps to create articles and creative writing that makes up for my decision.

My problem of time limitations is partially to do with changes I’m making to do this better in the future. I’m currently taking a CSS, HTML, and XHTML class. It has been in addition to learning Javascript at home and at work, the latter of which I’ve also been spending more time at. I think I might be crazy, as it’s shapin up to be a pretty tight schedule, but somehow I know I can do it. I’ve definitely been enjoying happiness in a sort of flow state of all I’m working on. 

Since you last heard from me, it’s been a pretty weird year. In May 2017, I had some health problems that took till November to resolve, and could have been cancer. Luckily, I do not have cancer, and all is back to normal in terms of body things. Yay! (Fuck cancer). Those months weren’t all bad, although other people close to me have also been sick with illnesses of their own. I went on some epic adventures and absorbed a bunch of art scenes. I’ve been getting back to performing on stage for bellydance and other styles. I’ve been doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu since January 2017. It has been amazing! It’s a lot more mental than I thought, as well as having a great community and being a great work out. It has made me more energetic and helped my dance considerably. In August 2017, I performed at a community festival, and another performance is in the works for February.  In October, I left the North American continent for the first time to see Germany, Prague, and Italy. That was also my first real vacation since I started work at my current company. It was amazing! I’ve also been crafting somewhat regularly, but have mostly favored small projects. By August 2018, I hope to get to bigger, more involved projects like a French Court dress complete with panniers. Also, I’ve been pretty into film, catching up on a lot of American Film Institute favored movies, and cult pieces of the 1980s and 90s. I’ve seen a few friends quite a bit, and have enjoyed getting closer to them. 

I  hope to keep writing, and inspire you. If you would like to be a part of Honey It’s Thursday, feel free to comment your interest! I’ll be leaving the comments on here so you can contact me.

Thank you for reading,

Honey

Review: Aerial Revolution The Musical shows a studio that defies gravity

Aerial Revolution The Musical, a recital of the students and staff from the Linda Vista aerial dance studio Aerial Revolution, opened last night, on Friday, June 9, 2017 at 7 PM.

The Napa Street performance troupe of all ages, flew with liquid grace through the air on silks, lyra hoops, ropes, hammocks, and trapeze swings. The acts combined beautiful, informed choreography and community-rich acrobatic skill performed to popular Broadway songs.

The highlight was a partner act on lyra, set to the West Side Story Prologue song, choreographed and performed by Travis Ti and Tony Dostert. Part circus and part fight, the act had every bit of physicality of the original musical. They move in a way that brings to mind performers such as Gene Kelly, along with something else that is a little more Jason Momoa. Their performance took on a more gladiatorial feel than the 1961 musical with the hoop duo hitting some great symmetrical poses around the revolving ring.

The performance done to Phantom of The Opera [title song] featured astoundingly fast rope work. An understudy stepped in for this act due to a performer whose back was injured before the show. Watching the partnered performances in this act was a fascinating study in the silent communication dancers use with each other. Timing and body placement are more vital when swinging from a horizontal hoop chandelier. These dancers looked seamlessly elegant despite the last minute substitution. Partnered dancing is not easy and this act showed that Aerial Revolution dancers can form multiple cohesive dancing partnerships.

Often in dance, it is what a dancer does to compensate when something goes wrong that makes them a true performer. At least three subtle moments in this recital suggested to me that Aerial Revolution seems able to teach this at all levels. Their aerialists are dancers and not just circus tricks.

The performance done to Wicked’s song Defying Gravity, full of emerald green, accentuated, along with other acts such as Chicago, the choreographic thought put into dynamic level changes. It is a fitting act for aerial arts with dancers “defying gravity” themselves.

Every performer seemed fluidly and effortlessly able to sling their body around the silks or ropes hanging from the ceiling, often catching themselves with but an elbow. It’s no question that aerial leaves you built.

Also, safety appeared a concern for the studio. Younger performers had thick padded safety mats to fall onto, which they luckily didn’t appear to need. Aerialists often use knots slickly tied around their feet and a sort of hammock or knot at the waist to protect them in many of their moves. The younger performers, both the little ones and teen classes, impressed all watching with their strength and devotion to a hobby that many may not find later in life.

Don’t miss your chance to catch this recital. Final shows are Saturday, June 10 at 2 PM and 7 PM. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $18 through their website
http://aerialrevolution.com/shows/ and for $23 at the door.

Rough Draft of A Horror Story: Whiskers

 

Horror Meme by pintrest
Horror Meme by Pintrest

The following is a rough draft and the beginnings of a horror story. I’m trying to write some creepy stories for the month of October. Starting early seems to be a good way to get into the habit of it. Perhaps you’ll join me in some themed creative writing?

This turned out a little stream-of-conscious/ meditative in process. Usually I like more of an outline for where the story is going. I’ve been getting really inspired by the ideas of horror stories in which the main characters do everything right but everything tuns out horrible. We’ll see how far that prompt gets me.

Whiskers

by Sarah Hughes

She reached down and pulled the zipper on her legging tight, cinching it around her ankle. Hopefully that would keep these beastlies out. Like ticks while hiking. Only this parasite had much longer biting range and a little bit of a shock if vibrating of Frank’s body was to be an indication of anything.

Selma ran as quietly as one can. The activity was much more breathy and awkward than it was now that her ear was turned to focusing on what the monster would hear. But still, hiding in one place didn’t seem like it would work either. She didn’t know what was inside the little rusty storage rooms. Hiding inside the meat lockers outside of them just seemed like ironically asking for it. Plus, small spaces usually have the problem of suffocation.

None of that for now. She considered going back inside the restaurant. Frank always kept a shotgun behind the counter in hopes that a Hell’s Angel-looking customer would make trouble. So far the only trouble had come from a petite Tweaker who really liked the pepper shakers and napkin rings. Vigilance and chatty nearby cops had been a better approach.

Selma entered slowly, checking every which way, like the agents on Criminal Minds. Nothing. The white vinyl wrapped stools on top of the chrome tables made a clean enough forest. She walked carefully, scanning the  length of the counter, which was her only real visual blockage in here.

***

fish
Angler fish by Wired.com

It was now that Selma got a fully-lighted look of the alien’s motherfish. It should have kept the lights off. The thick tubes hung like whiskers on a hideous cat fish, warped and brown. But they had a cyberpunk edge. But this catfish was not a pretty goth. There was the feeling of slim covering every surface of the boss fish. Not quite liquid, it seemed to move with the viscosity of lugie. There was no more polite word to describe it.

The female of the species, was Angler-like in that it had grafted a male onto her body. He hung limp and dried out, like a concerning growth. It also had the tubules hanging from too many surfaces, and a few glimmered in ways that meant they could be lures. That notion seemed to make little sense here. But it had a misshapen, pudgy humanoid structure too it. There was that mix between symmetry and human-likeness that made the viewer a little on edge. But it was with absolute certainty, all monster.

Inventorless Inventions: Blow Scroll

By Sarah Hughes

Ever been scrolling click bait for what is probably the millionth time too many, yet you don’t want to stop?

Here is a techy, wishlist solution for when your thumbs are atrophying but you’re restless mind is so addicted to the blue light that there will be no stopping til long after bedtime. Blowing to scroll may not be so far off and may stave off carpal tunnel.

With the right inventor, smart screens could become sensitive to breathe for simple scrolling. Then if your thumbs need a break from use, as Lauren Bacall said in To Have and To Have Not, “Just put your lips together and blow.”

Amazingly, there may already be some alternatives for this. Watch this video of the Wattpad App claiming to demonstrate blow-scrolling in action: https://youtu.be/G9gwwS4FgNo

Blowser, an app by Hiroyasu Hirai, is available through iTunes. The app’s description says “It is a browser that can scroll blowing breath. Not a spelling error. Since breathe is what “Blow” ser.”

Wired features an article with a dorkier looking version of the interface attached to a PC at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas 2010 – See http://www.wired.com/2010/01/blow-zyxio-interface/. It seems logical changes have been made that have updated this to the devices at our fingertips.

Yes, you probably should put the phone or tablet down to stave off carpal tunnel but instead you want to just keep scrolling the depths of Facebook, in pursuit of that article all the way at the bottom. It may be as easy as blowing on a screen, once you pick one of the multiple options.

 

Quick Facts About Screen Time and Health:

Blue Light Consequences

Whether on television, phones or computers, screens dominate many of our everyday lives.

The modern convenience may come with a sacrifice to health, such as difficulty sleeping and carpal tunnel.

Most screens emit a great deal of blue light which can disrupt the sleep cycle.

According to the National Institutes of Health, “Not only does light reset the human circadian rhythm, but the same blue light that has the strongest impact on dinoflagellates [unicellular protists or photosynthetic matter] has equal power to reset our own clocks—although most visible wavelengths can reset the clock, the blues do the job with the greatest efficiency.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2831986/

Screens on computers, tablets, televisions and cellphones have a great deal of blue light, which has the shortest wavelength in the visible color spectrum of light. Blue is the color that is scattered most efficiently by molecules in the atmosphere.

The Scientific American describes tech devices as light emitters, which have “a higher concentration of blue light than natural light—and blue light affects levels of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin more than any other wavelength.”

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/q-a-why-is-blue-light-before-bedtime-bad-for-sleep/

Carpal Tunnel

Carpal Tunnel can cause permanent nerve damage and can eventually prevent the ability to grasp. It is a repetitive stress injury, often found in office settings.

According to https://medlineplus.gov/carpaltunnelsyndrome.html, “The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway of ligament and bones at the base of your hand. It contains nerve and tendons. Sometimes, thickening from irritated tendons or other swelling narrows the tunnel and causes the nerve to be compressed. Symptoms usually start gradually.”

Medline Plus also says, “Women are three times more likely to have carpal tunnel syndrome than men.”

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration summarizes good keyboarding habits as putting the keyboard directly in front of you, keeping shoulders relaxed with elbows close to the body and keeping wrists straight and in-line with the forearms.

Inventorless Invention Beat: Netflix Choose For Me

By Sarah Hughes

Every once in awhile divine inspiration falls, but sometimes it is wildly disappointing as sometimes ideas exceed the dreamers ability to realize them.

Like da Vinci’s flying contraptions, here are some ideas that are before their time. Perhaps somewhere someone out there has the ability, talent and resources to make them a reality. Hopefully sooner than later – having some of these things like the Netflix Pick For Me Wheel would make life easier right now – mostly by enabling the ability to do nothing.

Drawing of plane wing
Leonardo da Vinci’s designs for a flying machine. Public domain from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_inventions_of_Leonardo_da_Vinci#/media/File:Leonardo_Design_for_a_Flying_Machine,_c._1488.jpg

Do you also have a great idea that will never be? Put it in the ether — er — internet so maybe someone, somewhere will get inspired to make it for you and take all your credit. Though a paycheck or a dedication would be nice. Reply in the comments or send an article to publish to honeyitsthursday@gmail.com!

Netflix Choose For Me

Have you ever been sitting in front of the TV staring at Netflix trying to pick a movie getting frustrated that you have no idea what to watch? Maybe you’re trying to pick a movie with someone and you can’t decide what to watch together.

If you’re tired of debating over mindless entertainment, this invention will get you to the watching part faster, though you and Netflix will probably have to try to figure out how to get it to work.

There would be an icon that looks something like a game show wheel, which you would click and it would pick a movie for you, presumably at random with some sort of algorithm…bleh math word. All you would have to do is enter an audience rating, a number of stars other Netflix users have given it, a language preference, and/ or a genre. The genres could be based on the more specific sub genres Netflix generates, or the more basic ones like Drama or Horror. You could mix them for absolute ridiculousness. Perhaps you would be able to have it choose based on similarity to a movie you’ve watched recently. Each option could be toggled on and off.

Like the idea of a recommendation, the wheel would be customized to you, except it would pull up one movie based on some specifications. It would then either play immediately, or give you a chance to veto it, depending on what you indicate in the settings menu that’s under either “Your Account” or the Choose For Me Wheel. You would never be stuck wasting time trying to find something to watch on Netflix again.

Netflix envelope ballots
Netflix’s DVD program is holding a contest. Just answer the inside of their envelope and follow the instructions to compete for a prize and vote for your favorite DVD, or actors. Photo by Sarah Hughes. All rights reserved.

Maybe you would end up seeing more movies now that your indecisiveness is removed, hypothetically allowing you to give a well-versed opinion on Netflix’s on-going contest that allows you to vote for favorites.

Letter from the editor

Dear Honey Readers,

You may have noticed we took May off to travel and work on other projects! We’re back and we hope your as excited as us for what we have coming up in the next few months. Here at Honey It’s Thursday, the month of June and July, we will be focusing on Technology and it’ll be wiring!

Creative work will be taking on a futuristic theme and using technology as a partner to literature, as in “Once Upon A Steve” by writer Sarah Hughes.

Please see our special upcoming series “Inventions I Would Make If I Knew How” in which our writers will be pitching ideas for technological improvements amateurs such as themselves would like. Some are simple added features – others are full blown wacky inventions. One thing is certain – if you see them on the shelf or in the app store – it won’t be because of our building them. Though hopefully we will inspire them along the way to existence, as some would be really nice to have.

We look forward to finding pieces of tech and/ or gadgetry to review. What makes your life easier? Have you been eyeing a cool gadget or app? Let us know your ideas in the comments!

plant growing
Plant Nanny is a delightful animated app that reminds you to drink water along with a digital plant. Photo by Sarah Hughes. All rights reserved.

Also, our ears are a listening harder than the NSA (National Security Agency) for tech news related to privacy and development. Well, our listening harder is debatable, but we would love to discuss it and share opinions with you.

In light of the election, there may be some political pieces. Right now we’re leaning towards playing with view point and seeing if we can give a non-partisan opinion on political climate. We figure you can get your news and obnoxious online fights somewhere else.

pattern pieces
What will this be for LOJ? Photo by Sarah Hughes. All rights reserved.

After we run out of things to say for the technology theme, we will be moving on to talking about sewing, costuming and events like Labyrinth of Jareth (Aug. 5-6, 2016) and Wasteland Weekend (Sept. 22-25, 2016). During our break we did a ton of work on bellydancing clothes, fairy dresses and interior design pieces. Now, we can’t wait to show them off!

skirt pattern for sewing
Crafting a pattern piece for a specialty design. Photo by Sarah Hughes. All rights reserved.

If you would like to be a part of any of the above ideas, feel free to comment your interest! Know any tech you want written about? Have an interesting political or tech-news related idea? Want more of something we have planned? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks for reading,

Honey