lastminute
Today was all errands and depositing money in bank accounts and telling friends goodbye. I'm packed. Ravi is packing.
We leave at 8:30 am tomorrow morning. 4 (HOPEFULLY) hour drive to Houston (I-10, I am BEGGING you, PLEASE DO NOT BE CLOSED like you are EVERY time I try to go to Houston. Give me this one time.) Direct flight, Houston to London, takes off at 4:30 pm.
I haven't posted much about the preparations for this trip, out of stress and superstition. The one dark cloud that was hanging over my head was the passport. Those of you who follow me on Twitter know about this, but what happened was:
When I applied for my passport on 2/28, I asked to expedite it, since I was leaving in a month. I was repeatedly reassured that the passport would be in on time, so I didn't expedite it.
Fast forward 2 weeks (3/14). Went to travel.state.gov to check the status of my passport. It wasn't in the system. I got a little nervous, put my email address in to be emailed when the passport was shipped. Waited 4 more days (3/18), checked again and the passport still wasn't in the system. I decided to call. After waiting 23 minutes on hold ("we are having higher than normal volumes of traffic. We appreciate your patience") I got some total cunt on the phone who basically asked me why I was calling her (because I leave in 10 days and don't have a passport?), told me that she "didn't understand" why I hadn't expedited the passport to begin with, told me that it was in the system but she couldn't tell me when it would be done and I need not bother asking (which, yes, might be true, but there are nicer ways of expressing that). I called back on Friday (3/20) and got someone slightly nicer but who also insisted that I had to expedite the passport, even though it was already being processed (expediting is supposed to speed up the time in which the passport is expedited). I asked her if she was sure it was even being taken care of (it STILL wasn't showing in the online system) and she "guessed" so. GUESSED. Feeling hopeless, I paid $60 and was told that I would be called when the passport was ready so I could drive down to New Orleans to pick it up.
The following Tuesday (3/24), the passport still wasn't showing in the online system and I've got 4 days left to get this thing. I call again in a total state of panic and as soon as someone answered, I just said "Look. I am leaving the country in FOUR DAYS. I applied for my passport a month ago, I have asked to be emailed, called, NOTIFIED when the passport was ready. I have paid to have the passport expedited. AND I HAVE HEARD NOTHING SO I REALLY NEED YOU TO TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON. The very nice lady then told me that my passport had been printed yesterday (3/23) and had gone out that morning. I received it on Wednesday (3/25). On Friday (3/27), I received an email telling me that my passport had been completed and was being mailed.
To say I am somewhat disgusted with this whole situation would be putting it nicely. A big "WTF" and a slew of obscenities to you, State Department. I know you're busy, but HONESTLY.
For those interested, here's a light itinerary (w/ time zone notes!):
-Drive to Houston on morning of 3/29. Catch flight after Ravi gets profiled by the TSA and I have my luggage searched because Ravi insists on packing his tripod in my suitcase.
-Have cocktails on place. Sleep?
-Land in London @ 7:30 am (2:30 am US Time) on 3/30
-*Hopefully* check in to hotel (doubtful at that early time) and wander the city. Out hotel was built in the 18th century! Pro: Awesome old building! Con: awesome old building.
-Leave London for Amsterdam on 4/2. Take flight at 3:40 pm (10:40 am US Time)
-Land in Amsterdam @ 5:50 pm (11:50 am US Time)
-Stay with some lady we found on a hostel website. She had awesome reviews and apparently makes an amazing breakfast. We're camping on her futon.
-Leave Amsterdam for Paris on 4/5. Catch bus at 9:00 am (3 am US Time)
-Arrive in Paris @ 4:30 pm (10:30 am US time)
-Eat at adorable cafe (or roadside stand) and catch train to our apartment in the suburbs (staying in the fantastic guesthouse of a couple we found on craigslist.)
-Have ourselves dragged kicking and screaming into Charles de Gaulle on 4/9 to catch our flight home at 9:25 am(3:25 am US Time)
-Sleep?
So right now, I'm about to finish uploading music and NPR podcasts (shutup.) to my mp3 player and help Ravi finish packing. Then I'm going to shave my legs and go to sleep for 4 or 5 hours before waking up to wash my dishes, take out my garbage and flat iron my hair. Then, off we go!
<3
p.s. resist all urges to call me. Rav and I got an international phone plan for the trip but it is 99 cents per minute and that makes me want to barf. However, we paid an extra $10 (yay prorating!) to use our data plan overseas, so I will have email via blackberry the whole time I'm there. So shoot me some emails and I will try to update as much as I can!
We leave at 8:30 am tomorrow morning. 4 (HOPEFULLY) hour drive to Houston (I-10, I am BEGGING you, PLEASE DO NOT BE CLOSED like you are EVERY time I try to go to Houston. Give me this one time.) Direct flight, Houston to London, takes off at 4:30 pm.
I haven't posted much about the preparations for this trip, out of stress and superstition. The one dark cloud that was hanging over my head was the passport. Those of you who follow me on Twitter know about this, but what happened was:
When I applied for my passport on 2/28, I asked to expedite it, since I was leaving in a month. I was repeatedly reassured that the passport would be in on time, so I didn't expedite it.
Fast forward 2 weeks (3/14). Went to travel.state.gov to check the status of my passport. It wasn't in the system. I got a little nervous, put my email address in to be emailed when the passport was shipped. Waited 4 more days (3/18), checked again and the passport still wasn't in the system. I decided to call. After waiting 23 minutes on hold ("we are having higher than normal volumes of traffic. We appreciate your patience") I got some total cunt on the phone who basically asked me why I was calling her (because I leave in 10 days and don't have a passport?), told me that she "didn't understand" why I hadn't expedited the passport to begin with, told me that it was in the system but she couldn't tell me when it would be done and I need not bother asking (which, yes, might be true, but there are nicer ways of expressing that). I called back on Friday (3/20) and got someone slightly nicer but who also insisted that I had to expedite the passport, even though it was already being processed (expediting is supposed to speed up the time in which the passport is expedited). I asked her if she was sure it was even being taken care of (it STILL wasn't showing in the online system) and she "guessed" so. GUESSED. Feeling hopeless, I paid $60 and was told that I would be called when the passport was ready so I could drive down to New Orleans to pick it up.
The following Tuesday (3/24), the passport still wasn't showing in the online system and I've got 4 days left to get this thing. I call again in a total state of panic and as soon as someone answered, I just said "Look. I am leaving the country in FOUR DAYS. I applied for my passport a month ago, I have asked to be emailed, called, NOTIFIED when the passport was ready. I have paid to have the passport expedited. AND I HAVE HEARD NOTHING SO I REALLY NEED YOU TO TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON. The very nice lady then told me that my passport had been printed yesterday (3/23) and had gone out that morning. I received it on Wednesday (3/25). On Friday (3/27), I received an email telling me that my passport had been completed and was being mailed.
To say I am somewhat disgusted with this whole situation would be putting it nicely. A big "WTF" and a slew of obscenities to you, State Department. I know you're busy, but HONESTLY.
For those interested, here's a light itinerary (w/ time zone notes!):
-Drive to Houston on morning of 3/29. Catch flight after Ravi gets profiled by the TSA and I have my luggage searched because Ravi insists on packing his tripod in my suitcase.
-Have cocktails on place. Sleep?
-Land in London @ 7:30 am (2:30 am US Time) on 3/30
-*Hopefully* check in to hotel (doubtful at that early time) and wander the city. Out hotel was built in the 18th century! Pro: Awesome old building! Con: awesome old building.
-Leave London for Amsterdam on 4/2. Take flight at 3:40 pm (10:40 am US Time)
-Land in Amsterdam @ 5:50 pm (11:50 am US Time)
-Stay with some lady we found on a hostel website. She had awesome reviews and apparently makes an amazing breakfast. We're camping on her futon.
-Leave Amsterdam for Paris on 4/5. Catch bus at 9:00 am (3 am US Time)
-Arrive in Paris @ 4:30 pm (10:30 am US time)
-Eat at adorable cafe (or roadside stand) and catch train to our apartment in the suburbs (staying in the fantastic guesthouse of a couple we found on craigslist.)
-Have ourselves dragged kicking and screaming into Charles de Gaulle on 4/9 to catch our flight home at 9:25 am(3:25 am US Time)
-Sleep?
So right now, I'm about to finish uploading music and NPR podcasts (shutup.) to my mp3 player and help Ravi finish packing. Then I'm going to shave my legs and go to sleep for 4 or 5 hours before waking up to wash my dishes, take out my garbage and flat iron my hair. Then, off we go!
<3
p.s. resist all urges to call me. Rav and I got an international phone plan for the trip but it is 99 cents per minute and that makes me want to barf. However, we paid an extra $10 (yay prorating!) to use our data plan overseas, so I will have email via blackberry the whole time I'm there. So shoot me some emails and I will try to update as much as I can!