Ponderings

It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a pondering post.  I’ve pondered a lot – I always do as my mind never really lets me sleep.  So here goes

I REALLY, REALLY hate not having wifi at home.  I can only do posts or review while at work and my inner worker bee is really bothered that I do.  Mind you I only do it when I’ve nothing else to do, like now, but still since I’m a magnet for guilt, I’m feeling it.  That’s one of the main reasons I haven’t been posting as much as I’d like to.

I went to RWA in Denver a few weeks ago.  I plan to do a long post but in the meantime have things ever changed since when I first started going.  The biggest change is the number of books I bring back with me.  When I first started going I would ship 4 or boxes home with me not to mention the books I could fit into my luggage.  This year I brought home 11 and that seemed like a lot.  I never thought this would happen, I thought I’d be one of the last to do this, but I read almost exclusively on my IPad now.

Getting to Denver was a treat and half!!!!!  NOT.  Before I start this rather long explanation, I’ve taken procrastination to a whole new level.  So keeping that in mind, the Sunday before I planned to leave the city (the following Monday) I thought I better double check to make sure my passport was still current.

Much to my horror it expired April 2017 which left me a week to get a new one.  No problem I thought, they don’t take as long to get as they used to.

Monday: I went to CAA to get my picture taken.  It’s in the same mall as the passport place.  When I showed them my CAA card so I could get the pictures for free, my CAA card had expired June 2017.  So in order to get free pictures which probably cost $5 or so, I paid $120 to renew my CAA + membership.  Pictures taken I headed over to the passport place.

Passport guy told me since it had been expired over a year I would have to start all over again with forms and everything.  He gave them to me and then I headed to work (which is also very close thank heavens)

I filled out the forms including having someone as a guarantor and headed home at the end of my shift (8:00 pm so passport office closed)

Tuesday: Headed to passport place with everything I needed – or so I thought.  After waiting about 2 hours I finally went to desk to see how much longer it would be and was told they called my number a long time ago but I didn’t show up at window. Somehow I got numbers wrong.  I finally went to teller to get everything going but was told that my guarantor didn’t sign picture, a requirement.  I quickly headed to work (which is also very close thank heavens).  By this time it’s around 3 and passport place locks up at 4.  My guarantor left at 2 that day.  My job share partner printed off new forms and I went up and down 3 rows at work trying to get someone to be my guarantor but no one had the passport with them and they needed it for passport number.  Finally my job share partner – who we shall call Krista – said she’d do it in the evening and bring everything in the next morning.  As the passport place was closed by this time that worked.

Wednesday: got up nice and early and headed to work to pick up all my paperwork (which is close to passport place thank heavens) and then headed to passport place.  Everything was good – or so I thought.  When I got to teller window, they wanted to see my health card as additional ID. I have an old version which doesn’t have photo on it so they asked for my drivers license.  When I showed it to them, it turns out it had – you guessed it – expired in 2017 so they couldn’t use it.  I asked what I should do and they said to get it renewed at drivers license place (not at all near passport place).  As one can imagine, I’m becoming more and more frantic.  I’m leaving Monday and it’s now Wednesday before.  After a lengthy drive I got to drivers license place and when I said I needed my license renewed she asked if it have been over a year.  Not 100% with it by now I said yes at which time she replied I’d have to start all over again including road test.  Breakdown begins.

Then there is the good news/bad news.  Good news, my license hadn’t expired that long ago so I didn’t have to start from scratch.  Bad news, my license was suspended.  Turns out I had an outstanding ticket for driving with expired license plates.  I remember when it happened and I drove right away to the drivers license place to pay it off but they said I couldn’t as it wasn’t overdue and nowhere on the ticket could I find where to send a check to pay for it.  I tried, I really did.  But I couldn’t find out and just kind of forgot about it.  So I paid the suspended license and for a new license.  And if things weren’t already bad enough, it was the year I had to have my picture takes.  I don’t even want to think about what I look like once I get my license in the mail. Shudder.  I was stressed, almost in tears and probably looking like shit, no makeup and bad hair day.

But still I got it done and headed back to the passport place (not at all near the license place)  But finally I had all my ducks in order and everything I needed.  Of course I had to pay extra to get my passport expedideted and fast tracked.  They told me it would be ready by noon on Friday. 

Thursday: A day of waiting

Friday: I went over on my lunch (which is very close to work thank goodness and thankfully it was there.  I was all set to leave on Monday.  Or so I thought……

That turned out to be a long more than a pondering didn’t’ it?  It’s more like a short story and not only that but it’s too be continued as there were still some bumps in the road.

 

'til later