Publicly noted

I learned of my appointment as a Notary Public by piece of advertising mail that arrived the day before my official notification showed up. The advertising, along with the three additional pieces that have arrived in the past week, offers cool-looking seals that will emboss the paper, ledgers for recording items that I've notarized, and various signs, cards, and letterhead stationery to indicate that I'm the real deal. It's nice of them to be so eager to help.
There is no public listing of notaries public in the state (raising the question of how I got on the advertisers' lists). The state's website suggests places where you might to find one hanging around.
The application process has been much more rigorous since 2003. Governor Romney signed an executive order that gave more guidance to notaries public about their duties and how those duties should be performed. (A copy of the executive order is here, in Word 2003 format(!).)
I applied in late May, having obtained signatures from three references and one attorney and detailing my past deeds and misdeeds. The advertisement arrived on July 6, the date of my appointment; my official notice arrived on the 7th.
To complete the process, I needed to pay $60 and take the oath of office. I could take the oath at the state office building in Boston, which I did.
The trek into the city is becoming less of a big deal. Thirty years ago, I wouldn't drive through the Summit. Now, I can find my way into and out of the city, getting lost creatively and finding my way again. I parked in a garage a couple of blocks from the State House and made my way to the office tower.
Lifers in state bureaucracies are a grim bunch. I was in the office for maybe 20 minutes and saw one worker smile and that only because there was a mother with her child at the counter. The person at the counter took my check and stapled it to a form (making it all the more difficult when it came time to deposit the check at the bank, I'm sure). She then directed me to a large bound volume where I was to print and sign my name and enter various dates and other information. A copy of the oath, complete with the "I, (name), do solemnly swear", fill-in-the-blank sections, was printed on a card. I read the oath, including the appropriate words as needed. The clerk nodded and handed me a manila envelope with my certificate and other documents.
When I got home, there was an piece of advertising in the mail. The seller has an Earthlink email address.