I really don't live in Chicago anymore

I ended up driving my car back to Cambridge after spending time in Cape May. My parents had been car sitting for the last year, but now that I don't live in the car-parking hell known as Brookline, I decided I could have my car in MA. This is SO much more of a process than just figuring out how to get the car up to Cambridge. For anyone who doesn't know, Mass. is known for it's ridiculous car insurance rates, taxes and inspections. After two hours of waiting at the RMV (known everywhere else in the nation as DMV) I was forced to turn over my Illinois license. This was the first big step in being reminded that I don't live in Chicago anymore.


Today was the real kicker. I took my car to be inspected before work this morning and had to pay the guy $29 to make sure everything works on my car and he had to scrape off my Chicago city stickers because that's where the Mass inspection sticker has to go (in the passenger's side bottom corner of the windshield). It was sad, and only made worse by the guy saying "Well, babe, it's good-bye Windy City and hello Taxachussetts!" He called me "babe" about 12 times during the entire transaction and had one of the thickest Boston accents I've ever heard. When I asked him how long the inspection was good for, he said "It's only good for a year. I'll be ready to take your 29 bucks again next year! Welcome to the Commonwealth!"