Last week I took part in one of our annual mandated days of semi-lost productivity here in Pennsylvania. And because we have several vehicles in our family I get to take part in another one later this week.
No, as much as I would have liked my day of semi-lost productivity to have been a snow day, it wasn’t.
It was time for the annual vehicle inspection on one of our cars. A day where I drop my car off in the morning, and then don’t get to use it all day while someone looks at it to ensure it complies with all the items on Pennsylvania’s inspection list for passenger cars and light trucks. A list that takes up an entire 15 pages in Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s Publication 45. 15 pages!
As a youth growing up in Pennsylvania the advent of your 16th birthday was a momentous occasion because it meant you could get your learner’s permit and legally begin driving a car. No more pedaling your lime-green Raleigh Chopper with the highly-padded banana seat, center-console gear shift, 16-inch front wheel and 20 inch knobby-tire rear wheel whenever you wanted to go somewhere to hang out with your friends.