It's always an enjoyable task … NOT ... because it always involves waiting in a very long line … getting a really bad photo taken … and then paying an extremely large amount of money for the pleasure. It doesn't seem to matter what time of the day you decide to go either … there is always a long line … personally I have a theory that the authorities hire a rent a crowd to make themselves appear popular.
Anyhoo, last week it was time to renew my licence … and I very nearly forgot all about it … which could have been catastrophic. I may have been involved in an accident, or been booked for speeding, or committed some other traffic infraction … and I most certainly would have needed a current driver's licence. Fortunately I didn't … I wasn't … I wasn't … and I didn't … but hey I could have!
As it turned out I managed to recall my impending expiry with 24 hours to spare and I made my way off to the relevant authorities at pace. It was there that I discovered a brand new, cutting edge modification has been made to the licence photo procedure … you are no longer allowed to smile. Best that we all look like criminals in mug shots … in order to keep the police on their toes.
So as I received my new licence it suddenly occurred to me that I could get a little blogging mileage out of this. I would get out all my old photo licences and scan them into the computer. Then I could create a clever collage to show my progression throughout the years … changing hairstyles … wrinkle development … etc, etc. I could then post them on here … and we could all have a jolly good laugh at my expense.
Of course what I didn't take into account was that I wouldn't be able to find my old photo licences and that I would turn the house upside down in a fruitless and increasingly anxious search. During which I would become entirely frustrated because I know … I just know ... I have kept them hoarded away somewhere … but I'll be blowed if I know where that somewhere is.
In the end I only managed to find the three most recent … which showed how I have boringly kept almost the exact same hairstyle for the last ten years … and defeated the entire purpose altogether.
But I'm forcing you to look at them anyway … cause I didn't go to all that bother for nothing!!
Drum roll please …
I give you Jo, circa 2004 …
Jo, circa 2009 …
And last … and entirely least … Jo, circa 2014…
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| DO NOT SMILE!!! |
Now that was worth it … wasn't it.
In other equally unexciting news, Master 14 was given some homework by his English teacher to redesign the Australian Coat of Arms.
So I came up with … I mean HE came up with this one …
So much better than the original … I'm sure you'd agree ;0)
G'day Mate!
PS. I just noticed this is my 500th post … YAY ME!!!
Woohoo! Happy 500h post! I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed looking at your licence photos and thank you for going to such lengths to find them!! ;-D I only have one license with a mug shot on, my NZ one, they didn't have them in the UK, may have now of course. Anyhoo when I applied for the licence I totally forgot that it would need a photo! I had gone to be with wet hair the night before and looked liked I had been dragged through a hedge backwards, and too top it all off I chose this day to not put any makeup on! I have to live with that now until I have to renew it! Sigh! You haven't changed at all... xxxn Love son's Coat of Arms deffo much better than the original :D
ReplyDeleteI was so aware I'd have to put up with this photo for 5 years that I even put mascara on … it's got to be a big occasion for me to put mascara on ;0)
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PS Typo corrections...500h = 500th: 'be with wet hair' = bed with wet hair: too top it all off = to top it all off.
ReplyDeleteAnd I had me glasses on! My English teacher would be horrified, although not altogether surprised :D
tee hee
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Happy 5ooth Jo! You look adorable in all the pics, and you even look cute not smiling. We aren't allowed to smile in ours either and if you wear glasses those have to come off. Some brilliant person also decided it would be best to cut off everyone's neck and make the photo a disembodied floating head that is scowling blindly. Yeah, that's what I normally look like!
ReplyDeleteOh now that just sounds disturbing ;0)
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Well done on remembering to renew your licence Jo. Potential disaster averted smartly. You look the same as 10 years ago to me, except you are less smiley, but that's what you were told to do so therefore you look the same as 10 years ago. Hope the English teacher is impressed with the homework xx
ReplyDeleteI'm still waiting … oops HE'S still waiting for the results ;0)
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You've hardly changed!
ReplyDeleteLove the redesign of the Aussie coat of arms. x
HA … it has a certain je ne sais quoi don't you think ;0)
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You have to do this every five years?? Ours last 10 years so you should see me photo!! I have the lads high school ID cards, now there's a good laugh, for me not so much for them!! Congrats on your 500th post, how are you celebrating, and will there be any smiling???
ReplyDeleteLot's of smiling :0)
DeleteI have the boys IDS too … as long as I can find them … that should be good for another post ;0)
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What is the purpose of making us all look as sullen as for these licence photos?
ReplyDeleteCoat of Arms is good, just needs a cloud of blowflies hovering somewhere . . . xx
Blowflies would have been the perfect addition … oh well too late now.
DeleteYep … don't quite understand why we all have to look like we're sucking on lemons ;0)
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You actually improve as the years go by instead of the other way around. Love your redesign of the Coat of Arms. Happy 500!! Look forward to 500 more...love reading your blog!
ReplyDeleteOh thank you Carla … I'm blushing :0)
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You haven't changed a bit, Jo - apart from the non-smiling!
ReplyDeleteLove the coat of arms. xxx
Luckily the photos aren't exactly high definition ;0)
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Happy 500th post! congratulations! and what's with authorities insisting on a 'no smile?' Dave's driving license photo really is quite terrifying, bearded men really should smile! you haven't changed at all, and the re-design of the coat of arms is awesome x x x
ReplyDeleteI guess if the beard and moustache are bushy enough you can't really tell if they are smiling or not ;0)
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We should completely swap the coat of arms for yours - clearly yours is infinitely better. (I thought the hills hoist a particularly great touch!) And congrats on your 500th post!
ReplyDeleteJust so quintessentially Australian … don't you think ;0)
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Happy 500 years old! Oh sorry, that's the post not you;-)
ReplyDeleteI think the no smile is for photo id like with passports.
We used to say if we really looked like our passport photos we'd be too ill to travel!
Love the coat of arms :-) you/he redesigned! XO JJ
PS mr artist was rapt by your comment on his photo. He had stars in his eyes when I showed him.
Yes we couldn't smile on our passports either … as soon as someone tells me "You can't smile" … I simply CANNOT not smile ;0)
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Congratulations on your 50 th post...love popping in and leaving with a giggle......so what is that with the no smiling!!!!!! I guess they love being surrounded by un happy looking and feeling people hence the continual lines. Xxx
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there has been a government study done on it somewhere ;0)
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Gosh do you have to renew your licence every five years? What a con and way to make money!
ReplyDeleteFunny you say about the not being allowed to smile as I was looking at my previous passport photos the other day and you must have been allowed to smile in those at one stage as well....now I look well like a criminal...which reminds me when NZ first changed to photo ID licence my Dad when posing for his photo asked for the number placard....the person taking the photo looked confused and asked Dad what he meant...Dad said, "The card like the criminals hold up for their mug shots!" Ha ha, I could just imagine it. Dad
That's funny … next time I might wear a placard around my neck as a necklace :0)
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