The frightening thing about my new driver's license picture is that Jackie claims I look better than I did on the past two. The lady at the Ohio BMV told me to smile so I did but even that didn't make it a whole lot better. Granted, these kind of photos are on par with police mug shots. Nobody ever says, "Let me show you the picture on my driver's license."

On the old one I had a ghastly pallor. Now I look like I've been dunked in boiling water. If I saw someone who looked like this coming toward me in a dark alley I'd hightail it in the other direction. It does explain why little kids stare in shocked disbelief when I enter a room. On his worst days, Jack the Ripper looked better than this.

The annoying thing is that when I went out to the car and showed it to Jackie she said, "Oh, you look much better." Than what? I wondered.

My new license is good for four more years. It does not come with a guarantee that I'm good for four more years. I said, "This is my last driver's license."

Jackie said, "You don't know that."

True, I don't. Nor do I know for sure that the sun will set in the west this evening but I'd say both things are a pretty safe bet.
So here it is, one o'clock, and I haven't got a lick of work done today. After taking a look at my new photo I decided not to start any major projects and I'm going to wrap up the stuff I've been working on as quickly as possible. It's hard to believe anyone could disagree with that way of thinking. On the other hand, I've outlived three sell-by dates so I guess you never know.

If I am back at the BMV in 2013 it will be interesting to see what my new photo looks like. By then they may have a new camera. Recession or not, they're due for one. Or maybe it's just me.

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