8:06 p.m. | 2002-08-25 I Said I Might Do Some Memorable Birthday Entries. The Operative Word Would Be �Might�. Maybe I will, maybe I won�t. I can be fickle that way. What comes to mind, instead, is my very first experience of purchasing alcohol. I didn�t even attempt to buy any alcoholic beverage prior to my 21st birthday because, well, I looked like I was 10. When you wear girl�s-size 4 shoes, it can be hard to look like an adult � especially if your shoes have Strawberry Shortcake�s insignia on them. (I still wear size 4 shoes. Fortunately for me, young girls now dress like adults and/or hookers, so I have an easier time finding shoes. By the way, I go for the adult shoes instead of the �hooker� shoes. I have enough problems walking as it is; I don�t need to add 6-inch heels to that whole thing.) Anyway, I purchased my first 6-pack of beer when I was 21. At, uh, the grocery store along with hamburger, chicken, fruits, veggies, shampoo, etc. I was just doing the regular grocery shopping. (I went shopping after work so I was wearing a suit and preparing to write a check.) Everything was going smoothly until the cashier put her hands on that 6-pack. Everything stopped. With a scowl on her face, she demanded to see my ID. I produced it. That, apparently, was not enough. Now, I have to tell you that I was 17 when they snapped that photo but only 4 years had passed. I think that it looked like me, however, she didn�t think so. She asked me to sign a blank piece of paper so she could check my signature. Now, I was getting a little uncomfortable. There was quite a line of people behind me and they were now all sighing loudly. And the 6-pack was in the middle of my items; there were still things that needed to be rung up. (Back in the day, they had to ring things up. No scanners back then.) So I signed the blank piece of paper. She proclaimed, rather loudly, that my signature didn�t match my license. Well, no shit, Sherlock. When I was 17, I didn�t have a �signature� because I didn�t sign stuff. By 21, I had been working for several years and signed a bunch of stuff hence I had a �signature�. With a flare and all. She actually made me sign my name repeatedly until it matched my driver�s license exactly. It took some doing. The people behind me started to resemble a mob gone mad. I was very embarrassed, uncomfortable and slightly scared of the patrons behind me. For christ�s sake, I was just grocery shopping. Finally, I got my signature �right� and she rang up the 6-pack and the rest of my groceries. I hightailed it outta the store, and rushed to my car to avoid any surly consumers. After that, and throughout my 20�s, I carried my passport along with my driver�s license. Smart move as, invariably, I was regularly asked to produce a secondary ID. And, for a few years, I also had to carry my birth certificate around. It�s cool now though. your thoughts? seed flower