Progress!
Well, I did it, and I am now the owner of an 80GB iPod. My first iPod ever. That's how I do. I see something kinda neat, then wait until the 528th generation and dig in. With the help of my beloved friend, Asshole Jon, I got all of my ish onto it and can now go off to Semester at Sea and not have to worry about going into music withdrawal.
Biggest relief of the day/week/month:
I went to the Japanese consulate today in Manhattan. I had my passport, my photo, my green card, the bank statements I got printed out and stamped at PNC yesterday (statements cost $7 per month, but some woman did it for free because I said I'd send her a postcard and she really, really loves postcards), and the letter from Adam from Semester at Sea in place of the actual ticket they required for application. One of the reasons I was worried was because they stressed that the statements had to be originals, but I explained "I don't get paper statements; I get them emailed to me," (lie) "so I went to the bank and had them print them out and stamp it and the woman gave me her business card and.." so on. The guy accepted that. No problem. Awesome!
Everything looked as thought it was going well. The dude was really, really nice. A lot nicer than the girl I'd gone to last month. Definitely. He even looked nice, which doesn't technically make sense, but I believe you know what I mean. I was waiting for my number to be called and thinking oh man... oh man please let me get the kind-looking guy and I did. He was being very helpful and I believe he could tell I was nervous as hell about not getting my Japanese visa. But no, no, everything was going along well. Then we snagged on what I'd been telling everyone I was afraid we'd snag on: the money in (or not in) my account. Japan is crazy enough to care not only if you have already paid for your travel to and from the country, but how you've been doing, financially, here in the States. They want to know you've got a good buffer of dollars, so you won't go over there and, I don't know, poor up the country.
Well I apparently didn't have enough money. He, very politely, said "I will accept this, but, you see, we want the statements to make sure you've been living in the States..... comfortably." He then asked what my mother does for a living (even though it was on my application), where she worked, and if she claimed me as a dependent. He said when I come back to pick up my passport, I have to bring her statements to prove that she's rich, and my birth certificate to prove that we're related.
Hopefully that means I'll be all good, and all I have to do is bring that ish and they'll hand me my passport with the visa printed on it.
Damn. Colbert laid a nice one on the State of the Union mouth-flappery last night on the tax cuts proposed for people who can't afford private health care. It included the words "Most people who can't afford health care are the people who make too little money to pay taxes, so giving them a break on the taxes they don't owe anyway..." It would have taken NPR like three sentences to say just that.
Dude, none of you gave me feedback on my Safari dilemma. shame. on. you.
It's okay though. I had excellent falafel in the City today.