Yesterday I went — as I think I must have gone every five years or so during my stay in Dallas — to the Department of Motor Vehicles office on Northwest Highway and Jupiter Road, in order to renew my driver’s license. The office is not pretty. The shopping strip in which it sits is half-deserted. There was a line of people. I waited my turn, went to the woman behind the desk, and gave her my license. She gave me a slip to fill out, and a little piece of paper with a number on it. It looked like the small tabs you get at a delicatessen counter. It had a number. It also said “Estimated wait: 50 minutes.”

I had violated my cardinal rule of daily life: NEVER GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT A BOOK. What was I to do? Well, I read The New York Times. That was 20 minutes. There was nothing to see, no place to walk, but I spotted a Church’s Fried Chicken stand on the other side of the desolate shopping center. I had an early, mediocre lunch. I returned to the DMV office. I waited 15 minutes more. Sixty minutes had elapsed. I looked at the screen and saw that there were still 50 numbers before mine. I did a rough calculation. I could be there for at least two more hours. Enough time to have completed a short novel.

Actually, to read anything I would have had to obey my second rule for happiness: NEVER GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT EARPLUGS. Everyone else was screaming on cell phones.

SO, I came home. I phoned two friends, both much worldlier than I. They said, “You fool: go downtown to City Hall.”

This morning I arrived at the office on Marilla Street at 8:15. I had brought, just in case, both ear plugs and the Confessions of St. Augustine (whose birthday is today). I was prepared.

I was in in and out in twenty minutes. My new license will be mailed within six weeks.

There are some lessons in the story above.

2. Another week, another study ranking our relative economic strength against other metropolitan areas nationwide. This time the Milken Institute puts us at No. 13. That’s right behind Fort Worth (yes, they dared to separate the twins) at No. 12. And neither of us even make the top five in the state of Texas. Killeen and McAllen even finish ahead of us. The rankings claim to be based on job, wage, and technology growth.

3. Joel Miller of McKinney is hungry. He hasn’t eaten all month, and doesn’t plan to eat until Thanksgiving. The pastor is facing some of the same temptations that plagued Jesus during his 40 days in the wilderness. It’s like a passage straight out of the Gospel of Luke: “One day the distinct smell of bacon struck him, despite the lack of a breakfast joint in the area, and another saw a tray full of free sandwiches paraded before his eyes.” Somebody, please, take the man some food.

Kit Chambers, Evolution’s executive VP, says the outfit has signed letters of intent to open two Dallas stores–at Travis/Knox and Lemmon/Oak Lawn–and is aiming to acquire other fueling stations in Alabama and Mississippi. In addition, says Kit (pictured), a new entity called Evolution Resources will launch soon with an ambitious plan to “repurpose existing assets to produce cellulosic ethanol.”

Guess it all makes sense. While the biofuels biz in general has had its problems, ethanol is one biofuel segment that the government seems intent on propping up.

Quick two-part question: How is a mock strike different than a real strike? Follow-up: Can you explain that again?

It certainly seems like heartening news when the country’s second-richest man is willing to continue playing his hand. But am I the only one who gets nervous when our entire economic system is likened to a poker game?

We’re all struggling to do more with less. It’s hard to keep blog populated with good content when there are other matters demanding your attention. But the last post on Common Ground, as of 9:54 this morning, was from October 25, announcing that Woodall Rodgers had just reopened. Let’s go, people. Ask Fingers of Fury to help out, if necessary. I’m sure he could throw you a few words.

The lady: 48-year-old Ernestina Mondragon.