Bowl in a china shop: Lost license leads to bad weekend, early BMV trip

Maybe there is something to that whole Friday the 13th myth.

I lost my driver's license last Friday, and I'm wondering if it's just a coincidence. Let me explain.

During the middle of last week, I got an e-mail from a former roommate of mine from when I lived in the dorms my freshman year. She wanted to see if I would go with her and some friends to Scotty's Brewhouse to have a drink.

I put my driver's license and BSU I.D. in my front jeans pocket. Why? Because I hate carrying a purse. I hate lugging something like that around, so I just pocket everything.

For the next couple hours, I sipped my lone beer. Around 12:30 I decided to go home.

Once I got home, I went to dump my pockets on the dresser, when I noticed something was missing: my driver's license.

Immediately I panicked, mentally trying to retrace my steps, trying to remember where this thing could possibly be.

I called Scotty's - no answer. I got online and talked to my best friend, who's from New York. He was no help, giving me the standard parental lecture about how I should have never lost it in the first place.

I gave up and went to sleep.

Monday morning I got up early (after hitting "snooze" five or six times) to drive to replace my license. I remembered all of the information people have to take in now, and I was ready. I had my birth certificate, social security card, bank statement, two pieces of mail, etc. If you don't have all of these items with you, the always super friendly license branch employees will send you home until you can come up with the materials they want.

As I was being waited on, I saw a couple in their 40s standing in line to get a number. When the receptionist asked the woman if she had all the aforementioned materials, she looked like someone on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" who doesn't know the answer to the $250,000 question: perplexed, face twisted, etc.

Luckily the wait was only about a half-hour and I was out of there and on my way to class. Unfortunately I was out $14.

What makes me most angry about this is my driver's license was with my BSU I.D., but I somehow managed to lose one and not the other.

Maybe this happened just because it was Friday 13th, or maybe the moon was full. Maybe it was the little gremlin that steals socks from the drier.

Losing your driver's license is a pain. Try to avoid it if you can. It's no fun getting up early to go have it replaced and answer questions such as "Have you ever been convicted of a felony in this state or any other state?"

But don't worry. If this happens to you, know you can still drive even when you've lost your license. If you lose it on a weekend, you're covered until you can get to the branch Monday morning. Just have all the needed materials and you should be all right.

Be sure to go early. Get there when the branch opens (usually around 8 a.m.). The earlier you get there, the less time you'll have to wait.

I guess I shouldn't complain. It could have been worse.

I could have lost my car.