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Passport Whoas

March 20th, 2007 at 07:51 pm

I am officially overwhelmed - Yeesh.

This week hasn't started off so hot. YEsterday was just BRUTAL at work. Today is noon and I haven't gotten much done. I am spent. It's only Tuesday.

I really wanted to go to a festival thing this weekend in the Bay but just too exhausted and feel too broke. I am perpetually short $200 and will shore it up with my May overtime bonus, but in the meantime all the gas, lunch out, plus $15 just seems like a bad idea.

Then again I Am wondering if a drive and an adventure will life my spirits. Get the hell out of here for a day - LOL. My friend said she couldn't go and just changed her mind, so I am thinking about it. Will be fun if I don't have ro drag the kids alone. I wanted to take the kids and give dh a break, but where does that leave me, just more stressed... But if she goes she can share gas. It is just $15. IT ain't gonna make or break me. Our gas bill is nil this month because we have been too busy to leave the house except for work.

Anyway, going ona cruise in June (can not get here fast enough!!!) and I like to do things way early. So I printed out my passport renewal thing like in December - it is sitting under a stack in my office at work. For whatever reason I had this urge out of nowhere to dig it out and get it taken care of. We leave in like 12 weeks. I plan way too much for everything, so just probably the fear of cutting it close at 12 weeks. I know the passport office - slow as molasses. So this weekend my mom calls me and asks if I sent it in yet - tells me all over the news the passport offices are all backed up - takes 10 weeks to renew instead of the usual 4. OMG! Ironic it was nagging at me and I had grabbed it so I told dh that was it - would get it out in the mail Monday.

Only 1 thing lies between me and my completed passport application - photos. I had considered just doing it myself but reading all the fine print I Was a little wary. Which is smart because my dad just told me yesterday his friend is a professional photographer of sorts and had his passport photos rejected twice. Yikes! I was reading fine print about it being able to withstand 200+ degrees and I just had no clue what kind of photo papaer we had - if it was resilient enough. But dh, trying to be helpful, gives me an add for free passport photos at Rite Aid. Sounds dandy except the ad comes to our house but is not valid anywhere in the city as far as I Can tell. Whatever. $7.99 then - sounds good to me. I remember paying much more last time.

So yesterday during my BUSY crazy day I run out at lunch to Rite Aid - nearest one like 20 minutes away. & they don't have the right equipment. Bah. I was an idiot - should have had them call - but they sent me to another one close by. Go in and they didn't have the right paper. I Was just so pissed.

So I planned to leave work super early to get to the one by our house before it closed. Didn't make it. Wasted enough time yesterday as is. Work got in the way.

So today I will try Walgreens. Wish me luck. I did call and the photo department said call in an hour - they were busy. LOL. Oy vey. Why do I get the feeling Walgreens ain't any better. I think last time I went to a 1-hour photo place and spent $15-$20. Like 12 years ago. Um yeah, money WELL spent. I just don't have TIME for this crap. Trying Walgreens, if it fails will hit Rite Aid by my house. If that fails, I don't know. I will go pay more to get this taken care of - for sure.

Well wish me luck I can get it out in the mail today.

I got my passport in 1995 it looks like when I went to Europe. I was 18! Funny, I thought I remembered going in 1997 or so. But not sure why I got my passport any sooner. Hmmmm. Actually reminds me I was to go with a friend before who flaked on me and I was pissed because I was young and free - she wanted to postpone - I couldn't take 2 months off work the following year - I had an apartment. I wonder if I had gotten it then in hopes of the trip that never materialized. But another opportunity had arisen and I did get to go to Spain, France & Italy a year or 2 later.

This time we're just going to So Cal with a brieft stint in MExico, but the thought of being in another country without a passport doesn't appeal to me even if it is only MExico and a passport is not rquired for a cruise. Figured I'd just renew it while it is easy.

Well, easier. LOL. Not so easy all the same. Bah.

I am glad I still have 12 weeks or so - for sure.

Actually I think the 10-week thing is for new passports. Hopefully renewals go a little bit faster. I don't want it to arrive a few days before my trip - I will be freakig out...

But yeah - if you need a passport - get it NOW.

ETA: Walgreens was awesome - Got it. Phew. I couldn't make it to the post office though - LOL - that is another issue. Hopefully tonight...



4 Responses to “Passport Whoas”

  1. zetta Says:
    1174424107

    The post office now does passport photos -- try www.usps.com to find a branch near you that does them. I believe at some of them you can even make an appointment.

  2. miclason Says:
    1174434642

    you cannot renew passports via mail in ES...you have to go to a passport office...only 3 in the country...but, once you're there, it takes 30 minutes to get your passport, from the moment you first turn in your paperwork until the moment you get out of there with a brand new passport...and they take the pictures!

  3. baselle Says:
    1174448710

    Good luck! I've been hearing horror stories that everything's running late. Check to see if you are near one of those 12 sites that will do/renew a passport for you in person.

  4. monkeymama Says:
    1174458444

    30 minutes is nice. Hehe.

    I don't want to deal with it - the backlog and lines are horrid I hear. will pop it in the mail tomorrow though - woohoo. Actually I am pretty sure I would have to go to San francisco to do that - had a friend who had to renew in person for some reason - that is a hell of a bad 90-mile trip - hehe. But if I was closer to the deadline - yes indeed...

    I heard about the post office but wasn't sure if that was true. Interesting.

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