I cleaned out my wallet today, and sandwiched between my REI card and my Safeway card, I found this ancient gem:
The back of the (laminated!) card says it was issued in Rolla, Missouri. That was my college town– I got the card in fall 1990. Yes, thirty years ago. And that means it’s been in my wallet that long. I never thought of myself as a hoarder, but sheesh.
One memory about this card: in 1995 I traveled to Toronto for a physics conference, where I presented a paper about the optical properties of atomic energy transitions. I got to the conference without any problems, but when I was returning home I was stopped at the airport customs desk by a large, gruff woman. She asked me for a passport (which I didn’t have) and then said it would be okay to present a valid U.S. driver’s license (which I also didn’t have). I protested that I’d been allowed into Canada without any issues or ID, but she said sternly “Well, this isn’t Canada. We don’t let just anyone into the United States.”
I dug through my wallet and pulled out my Selective Service card. Surely that would prove I’m a U.S. citizen, since they’re only issued to citizens? Nope. Finally, in a bit of desperation, I showed her my Blockbuster Video card from Rolla, Missouri. If that didn’t prove I was an American, I was out of ideas and apparently doomed to live out my days in Canada.
Fortunately she let me through, and I was able to return to the United States. Whew! Thanks, Blockbuster!