Skip to header Skip to main content Skip to footer
Helpful Village logo
Add me to your mailing list
Youtube channel Instagram page Facebook page
Header image for Pasadena Village showing nearby mountains and the logo of the Pasadena Village
Villager Log-in
Donate

Blog archive

November 2024

Event of Remembrance
11/22/2024

Phishing Scams: What You Need to Know
11/22/2024

Pupusas Family Style: Another Adventurous Dining Winner
11/22/2024

Celebrating the Holidays
11/21/2024

Genealogy Group: Discovering Our Pasts
11/21/2024

Nathan Wolford – From Tragedy to Ministry
11/21/2024

Pasadena Village Board of Directors: A Brief Overview
11/21/2024

President's Message
11/21/2024

The Day of the Dead (Dia de muertos)/ Mexican Culture/Community
11/21/2024

Vintage Celebration: Aging Like a Fine Wine
11/21/2024

Review of Racism in Our Local Past
11/20/2024

Creative Juices Flow in The Village
11/19/2024

Checking In by Ed Rinderle
11/15/2024

Eagle Poem by Joy Harjo
11/15/2024

I Shall Forget You Presently, My Dear (Sonnet IV) by Edna St. Vincent Millay
11/15/2024

Pictures From Brueghel by William Carlos Williams
11/15/2024

October 2024

ARBORIST WALK: NOT FOR TREE HUGGERS ONLY!
10/29/2024

Bill Wishner: Visual Hunter
10/29/2024

Can a Village Group Fix Our Healthcare System?
10/29/2024

Community Board Directors Strengthen Village Board
10/29/2024

Connecting with Village Connections: The A, B, C, & D’s of Medicare @ 65+
10/29/2024

Grief is a Journey: Two Paths Taken
10/29/2024

Message from the President
10/29/2024

Promoting Informed & Involved Voters
10/29/2024

What Will Be Your Legacy?
10/29/2024

1619, Approaching the Election...
10/27/2024

Beyond and Within the Village - A Star is Born
10/17/2024

Happiness by Priscilla Leonard
10/11/2024

Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden
10/11/2024

Unpainted Door by Louise Gluck
10/11/2024

In the Evening by Billy Collins
10/10/2024

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver
10/10/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024

September 2024

August 2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024

First Anniversary
08/19/2024

Alexandra Leaving by Leonard Cohen
08/16/2024

Muse des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden
08/16/2024

The God Abandons Antony by Constantinos P. Cavafy
08/16/2024

Ch – Ch – Ch –Changes
08/15/2024

Cultural Activities Team offers an ‘embarrassment of riches’
08/15/2024

Engaging in Pasadena Village
08/15/2024

Future Housing Options
08/15/2024

Message from the President
08/15/2024

There Are Authors Among Us
08/15/2024

Villagers Welcome New Members at the Tournament Park Picnic
08/15/2024

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas
08/14/2024

A narrow Fellow in the Grass by Emily Dickinson
08/13/2024

Haikus
08/13/2024

One Art by Elizabeth Bishop
08/13/2024

Poem 20 by Pablo Neruda
08/13/2024

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
08/13/2024

Trees by Joyce Kilmer
08/13/2024

July 2024

June 2024

May 2024

Emergency Preparedness: Are You Ready?
05/28/2024

Farewell from the 2023/24 Social Work Interns
05/28/2024

Gina on the Horizon
05/28/2024

Mark Your Calendars for the Healthy Aging Research California Virtual Summit
05/28/2024

Meet Our New Development Associate
05/28/2024

Putting the Strategic Plan into Practice
05/28/2024

Washington Park: Pasadena’s Rediscovered Gem
05/28/2024

Introducing Civil Rights Discussions
05/22/2024

Rumor of Humor #2416
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024

Rumor of Humor #2418
05/14/2024

Springtime Visitors
05/07/2024

Freezing for a Good Cause – Credit, That Is
05/02/2024

No Discussion Meeting on May 3rd
05/02/2024

An Apparently Normal Person Author Presentation and Book-signing
05/01/2024

Flintridge Center: Pasadena Village’s Neighbor That Changes Lives
05/01/2024

Pasadena Celebrates Older Americans Month 2024
05/01/2024

The 2024 Pasadena Village Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
05/01/2024

Woman of the Year: Katy Townsend
05/01/2024

April 2024

March 2024

February 2024

January 2024

RENEWING MY DRIVER’S LICENSE

By Susan Kujawa
Posted: 12/07/2023
Tags: dmv, driver's license renewal, pasadena village

I have never been a fan of visiting the DMV to renew my driver's license.  But this year, I was hearing complaints from some of my friends about questions on the “Knowledge Test”, and my anxiety mounted.  But it helped to realize that I didn't have to face the DMV until next year – or so I thought.

A few weeks later, I received in the mail a notice that I was due to renew my license THIS Year!  I was shocked!  

My main fear was not with the knowledge test, but with the vision test.  I have several problems with my vision that makes passing the test a challenge.  At first I tried to avoid thinking about the tests, but I soon realized that my visit was inevitable. So I went on line and made an appointment.

Lunch with a friend eased my concerns over the knowledge test.  She told me that she had just renewed her license by signing up for “e-learning” on the DMV website.  E-learning allowed her to take the written test on her computer at home. She could even use the Driver’s handbook during the test!  

Encouraged by my friend, I returned to the DMV website.  I struggled a bit trying to navigate the various options presented by the website.  But I persisted, and eventually I got to the place where the computer gave me a list of options on how to take the knowledge test. I clicked on “e-learning” and the site immediately sent me to the e-learning link.

The e-learning site consisted of seven sections to read, each section followed by a 3 or 4 question quiz.  I found the information presented, including bits of animation, to be clear, helpful, and relevant.  After taking each quiz, the site flagged which questions I missed.  I had the driver’s manual at my side to use whenever I needed it.  I ended up with a perfect score of 100%!!!

Now I had only to face the DMV's eye chart!

On my appointment day I checked in and a clerk soon called me to a window.  I knew right away that I couldn’t read the letters on that chart.  The clerk suggested I try their machine, but the results were even worse.  

So the clerk gave me a form to take to my ophthalmologist.  I went the next day.  She tested my vision rigorously, then wrote me a prescription and filled out the form.  I immediately ordered new glasses, knowing that it would take several weeks before I received them.  

On the very next day I went back to the DMV.  I  presented my doctor’s form and my prior day’s receipt to the clerk.  The clerk read the form, then printed out an interim license.  She told me the permanent license would arrive within 3 weeks.  It came just a week later, and it's good for FIVE years!!  So now I can drive again, even though it will be a few more weeks until I actually have my new glasses.

The requirement to pass a vision test in order to drive a car is vital.  When we are on the roads, we have the right to expect that the drivers of all of the cars have adequate vision and knowledge of the rules of the road.  I have thought quite a bit about my responsibility to make sure that I am competent to drive. The optometrist certified that my vision, with proper correction, meets the DMV requirements.  And I think my vision is good enough to drive, especially in familiar areas.  But I am also acutely aware that I am probably not going to be driving for many more years.  I need to prepare myself for that eventuality by learning how to use public transportation, Dial-a-Ride, and driving services such as Uber.  I am also comforted by knowing that I can count on Pasadena Village as part of my transportation support team.

Blogs Topics Posts about this Topic