I've found that "need less sleep as you get older" thing to be a damned lie. In my 20s I was fine on 4-5 hours of sleep a night, now that I'm pushing 50 I try for 8 or more, and occasionally go to bed before 10 pm.

Anything more than four hours drive time is a point when I start pricing plane tickets. Much harder to fly with pets, though, I know. My sister, on the other hand, will drive 14 hours straight rather than fly. I know there's time lost getting to the airport, going through security, and the vagaries of plane schedules. But 14 hours is well past the break-even point, I think.

Oh my goodness. A friend on FB who's also a June birthday person mentioned needing to renew his driver's license, and I commented to thank him, because I have to renew mine this year, too.

A different friend commented to tell me that because I'm a married woman, I need way more documents to get the Real ID thingie. I said that, actually, I haven't legally changed my name, so all my legal documents are the same as they've been for 48 years. He said "No, Social Security will flag it if you don't provide proof!" And I asked, "How do I prove that I *didn't* legally change my name?"

He's doubling down on the insistence that there's some kind of "proof" that I don't know about that I am required to produce at the BMV. My dude, it is literally my birth certificate and SS card, which I have in my possession, which both indicate that my name is the same as it's ever been. Back off.

(I swear I intend to legally change my name, but I'm mostly just lazy about it. And then I'll have to go re-do my drivers license, which is a pain.)

It is pretty rare for me to do the all nighter thing anymore, but it is complex enough to travel with 3 pets and I don't want to add hotels to the mix.

Yeah, that makes total sense!

Now I am beyond exhausted and do not intend to move off the couch for quite some time.

Because you're sick! Take care of you. I know if there were some way to keep from getting sick, you would do it, but there isn't, so sometimes you have to just rest.

He said "No, Social Security will flag it if you don't provide proof!" And I asked, "How do I prove that I *didn't* legally change my name?"

What a weird thing to get worked up about. Edit: For him I mean, obviously!!!

One time I had to prove I wasn't married, but that was about not leaving some benefit to my non-existent husband, I think? (And to "prove" it, it was just a notarized statement. IIRC.)

@@ to your friend, Tep

Today's afternoon meeting is assertiveness training which I have no interest in whatsoever. I don't really think my employer gets an opinion about how assertive I should be, and it's not something I care about, personally.

He said "No, Social Security will flag it if you don't provide proof!" And I asked, "How do I prove that I *didn't* legally change my name?"

What a weird thing to get worked up about. Edit: For him I mean, obviously!!!

He's SUPER insistent about it. I think I enraged him by saying "Eh, I'm not concerned about it." (He has more than enough concern for all of us.)

Huh. Kinda reminds me of when my sister got married and the county clerk or whoever it was who actually gave them the license said something about how if they got divorced my sister would have to go through a whole process to change her name back, it wasn't automatic, and my sister confused and upset because (a) why even bring up if you get divorced when you are getting a marriage license? Come on and b) she wasn't changing her name but this conversation had her scared that it would be changed for her.

Unrelatedly, today is stupid and I would like to opt out please. But instead I need someone to tell me what to have for lunch.

A burrito.

Huh. Kinda reminds me of when my sister got married and the county clerk or whoever it was who actually gave them the license said something about how if they got divorced my sister would have to go through a whole process to change her name back, it wasn't automatic, and my sister confused and upset because (a) why even bring up if you get divorced when you are getting a marriage license? Come on and b) she wasn't changing her name but this conversation had her scared that it would be changed for her.

YIKES on both those fronts!