I must be the most unphotogenic person in the world.  Ugh.  Sheesh, I don't look good in pictures.  I don't look that great in real life, but it seems to be amplified in photographs about 100%.  LOL.  However, I did not let that stop me!  I needed a passport photo, and so I got one.  Well, two.  You need two when you send in your application.  Twice the ugly.  Yay.  :P  

Anyhooooo, the man at the place was very lovely and for the bargain price of $20, he took my photo.  It's really a miracle I didn't break the camera, but it survived.  hehehe   I suppose it's tolerable, the image, but it looks so different from the current passport photo, I wonder that I'm the same person.  Actually, no, I'm not.  The old picture was taken in 2007.  I wasn't in a good place in 2007.  And it just got worse and worse until I crashed and burned at the end of 2008.    I'm totally different now.  In a better way.   But that's a story for a another blog.   Back to the picture.  

You know how the style was at that time?  Everyone had to have straight hair.  When you have really curly hair, it's a bit of challenge.  Every day I took a flat iron to my head.  Burned myself a few times too.  LOL..  It took hours and eventually it got to be too much.  One day I saw on Oprah that we need to just appreciate the hair we have and not fight it so much.  So I stopped fighting it.  It was a losing battle.  Now, it's just a crazy wild mess, and everyone says "Oh, I wish I had hair like that."    Betcha don't. :P   ANYHOW, thankfully my curly hair looked as good as it could have yesterday, so the passport picture was.......okay.  For a passport picture.  Of an unphotogenic person. 

Did you know that for a price, you can get just about anything?  Yep.  It's true.  So, I toddled off to the passport office this morning, with my pictures in hand and my application all ready to go.  Hoping I would get a lovely agent who would take pity on my and help me get what I needed by the time I leave in 11 days.  Turns out I didn't need a lovely agent.  I just needed to regular processing fee of $87 plus an extra $30 as a convenience fee.  And for $117, the price is right.  I should have a new passport by March 21.  YAY!    

So, needless to say it takes a bit of the stress off, but I won't feel completely good about it until I have that new passport in my hand.  I could have cried when the agent cut the corners of my existing documents, rendering them invalid.  YIKES!  Now I really can't go anywhere.   Hurry up, March 21.  You can't get here soon enough! 

Tomorrow's blog?  Well..........Anyone know what a Xenophobe is?  Stay tuned to find out!  :) 

T.
xx

I brought my passport to work today so I could copy the information and leave it here in Canada with someone responsible, just in case mine was stolen or something.  Someone responsible?  LOL. My parents.  That's who will have it.  I guess they're responsible.  LOL.  (You are, aren't you, J & F?) 

Anyhow, I got to chatting with one of the women I work with, and she mentioned to me........"You know about the six month rule, don't you?"   Um, no.  What six month rule?  Does anyone know the six month rule?  Apparently, your passport has to be valid for six months AFTER you return from your trip.  Really?  Am I the only one who doesn't know this?  I had NO idea.  None.  And mine expires in July.   That's only four months.  So, Houston, We Have a Problem!!   

Needless to say, something thudded in my stomach!  Yikes.  I'm leaving in 12 days!!  It takes 6 weeks to get a new passport!   I called Immigration and spoke to a very helpful lady.  Well, helpful if you consider having the six month rule validated to be helpful.  Yes, ma'am, you need to get your passport renewed.  WHAT?   AI YI YI!   

Once, a long time ago, my awful boss needed his passport renewed in 36 hours so he could to Poland.  It was literally expiring the day he was departing.  I will never forget it.  It was about -40C and blizzarding.  Very nasty weather.  And he called me, from the comfort of his bathrobe, to inform me that he wasn't coming to work and that I needed to go to the passport office for him to get his passport renewed.  Can you believe it?  Well, I could.  You had to know this guy.  Anyhow, I bundled up and out I went into the blizzard, cursing and swearing under my breath that he was making me do this.   I was a block of ice by the time I arrived - eight freezing cold city blocks later (which I had to walk outside!)   BRRRRRR.    I had all his info with me, a letter from him authorizing me to do this, and of course, my personal credit card.  Because back then they didn't trust me enough to have a company card.   $150 and 24 hours later, Mr. Boss had his new passport.  And T was still attempting to get rid of the frost-bite in her foot.  :P   Do you think he said thank you?  Well.......I'll let you decide. :P

Anyhow, despite the fact that Houston has a problem, I do know money fixes everything.   So, I've gone today to get the photos.  Tomorrow I will go to the immigration office.   With my debit card.  hehe   Hopefully by next Tuesday, I'll have a passport, or I could be in some serious trouble! 

So, that is the update for today; twelve days from departure.  Never a dull moment with me, is there?  :P

T.
xx