"Juliet: What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet"
Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)
Okay, so my situation is a little bit different. I'm not a star crossed lover entangled in a family feud, but I am trying to change my name and this quote came to mind. Yesterday morning, Jonathan and I decided to head over to the Social Security office to legally change my last name to my married name. So, we woke up early and drove to the other side of Arlington to get it done.
However, when we got there I realized that I forgot my passport, which I needed to prove my residency and that I was Alison R Baird. So, we left our fully paid 2hr meter (to whoever took over that meter: you are welcome) and drove back home to get my passport.
Thirty minutes later, we returned and got back in line. This time I actually got to speak with someone and she started the paperwork for me. However, towards the end of the paperwork I heard a faint "Uh oh," and the woman politely excused herself to talk with her manager. I stood there for a couple minutes thinking through the worst case scenarios. She returned to tell me that my marriage license would change my last name and possibly my middle name, but it cannot change my first name. I looked at her curiously and said that I was not trying to change my first name. At this point in time she pointed out that my social security card has my name printed as "Allison R Baird" and that all my other documents spell my name as "Alison R Baird."
WHAAAAT?!?! It took a closer look at my social security card and she was absolutely correct. How have I gone almost 24 years without realizing this mistake? How have I used this card to get a driver's license, apply for a passport, and open bank accounts without (A) noticing this myself and (B) no one else noticing and telling me?
The woman informed me that this was not uncommon (another whole issue that we won't delve into today...) and that I would need my birth certificate to correct the spelling of my first name. I, of coarse, did not have it with me as it was at my parents house. (Oh, don't you love the transition from college into adulthood??) I tried in vain to get them to use my passport and my driver's license because I obviously had to use my birth certificate to get them, but they refused and told me that they couldn't use documents from other agencies. I was getting a little frustrated at this point so I torted back: "Well then, why can you use the documents from other agencies to prove my identity?" They told me that that would seem logical that I could use them for both situations, but it doesn't work that way.
Anyways, Jonathan and I had to decide if I would put this off and take a half-day off of school to get my birth certificate and finish the paperwork or if we would drive 45 minutes to my parents house to get it and return that day? We were feeling productive, so we went with option B. We drove out, said a quick hello to my mom, picked up my birth certificate, and headed back.
By yesterday afternoon, we returned to SSA and my name has now been changed. It was another lovely government agency experience to log into the books. Oh well, it is a new year and I have a new name.... I am now Alison Rose Hansen. Happy New Year!!
Jonathan giving a salute to the one "L" that we were trying to delete from my first name. I know he was showing it backwards, but he was driving on 495, so we're just going to ignore that...
