I am made of SQUEEEEE!
Sep. 21st, 2007 06:22 pmI got my brand-spanking-new U.S. passport in today's mail.
Not even two months after submitting the application at the post office near where I work.
Without even having paid the extra fee for "expedited" processing. (See, sweetie? Told you it wasn't necessary. :-) )
After more than two decades, I finally have a valid passport again. At long, long last I am no longer a prisoner of my country's borders. More importantly, now I can make plans to go see the Songbird in Nairobi this December without having to worry about the one thing happening that could kibosh the whole trip—namely, the passport not arriving in time.
God bless you under all Her many names, all you State Dept. employees who piled on (and piled up overtime) to get the backlog under control; looks like it's working.
UPDATE, Sat. 9/22, 6:30p: The old passport got sent back to me along with my birth certificate; it just arrived today. Interesting to compare the old 1970s version with the new one; the latter has lots of pretty color and background pictures and pithy quotes from Great Americans in History throughout...and damned if I can figure out where they hid the RFID microchip all the new ones are reported to contain. I also look even worse in the current photo than I did in my teenage one–which I had not thought possible. Aargh. Oh, well, at least I can travel abroad now.
Not even two months after submitting the application at the post office near where I work.
Without even having paid the extra fee for "expedited" processing. (See, sweetie? Told you it wasn't necessary. :-) )
After more than two decades, I finally have a valid passport again. At long, long last I am no longer a prisoner of my country's borders. More importantly, now I can make plans to go see the Songbird in Nairobi this December without having to worry about the one thing happening that could kibosh the whole trip—namely, the passport not arriving in time.
God bless you under all Her many names, all you State Dept. employees who piled on (and piled up overtime) to get the backlog under control; looks like it's working.
UPDATE, Sat. 9/22, 6:30p: The old passport got sent back to me along with my birth certificate; it just arrived today. Interesting to compare the old 1970s version with the new one; the latter has lots of pretty color and background pictures and pithy quotes from Great Americans in History throughout...and damned if I can figure out where they hid the RFID microchip all the new ones are reported to contain. I also look even worse in the current photo than I did in my teenage one–which I had not thought possible. Aargh. Oh, well, at least I can travel abroad now.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-22 02:01 am (UTC)I've never had a passport before. This will be a new experience for me, and the frog has to renew his.
Only took me two weeks to get my ham license after I passed the exam, btw.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-27 05:22 pm (UTC)