Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Passports

On Sunday, as trip to Mexico is in two weeks, take it upon self to find passports. This more difficult than had imagined. Have very clear picture of putting own passport in a Safe Place, but can't recall actual location. Search top drawer of dresser, file cabinet, under bed, in back of hall closet in travel pouch--find Dave's passport in pouch--but mine nowhere to be found. Take drawers out of dresser. Jenny turns frisky and scatters socks around room. Passport discovered wedged at back of dresser. Chase Jenny and reassemble dresser. When have passports in front of self, see that both of our passports have expired in the past year. Am despondent and imagine that trip to Mexico will have to be canceled. When Dave comes home, tell him in gloomy tones. Dave says impressively, We can make an appointment and get them on the same day. He makes the appointment for today. This problem solved, tell him that I have to have my hair cut before picture taken--am working on luxurious rat tail and hair very bushy, with wings. Dave says he will not cut hair, it looks Cute. Also, if he cut it now, it would look Too Short for the picture. Tell him I don't care if it looks too short. An impasse is reached. Would threaten to cut hair myself, but am afraid that will have to follow through on threat and will end up with bald patch. Yesterday, wake up with Jenny on new schedule, i.e. as the sun is coming up. While this worked in the dead of winter, do not feel that this pattern sustainable at all. Result is that in picture, hair in very very upsetting state, and area around eyes very baggy and wrinkled. Show Dave picture and ask, Can you see the lines around my eyes? He says, yes but they are Cute. Begin to suspect his use of the word cute. He says, Anyway, it doesn't matter, if we are traveling internationally, we'll probably look kind of tired anyway--we want to look like our passport pictures, right. Demand to see his pictures. He looks fresh and not a day over twenty two, so can well understand his breezy attitude. This morning arrive at appointment at Passport Agency very early, per usual. To pass the time, Dave and I have whispered fight--topic of unsuitability of hair recrudesces, as well as judgement that one of us (me) has been giving Jenny too much cheese, old fight about having maid comes up again, we violently debate the merits of getting HBO, etc. until come to end of things to disagree about. We sit in silence until we are Called into Room for the Interview, which sounds sinister, and have brief negative fantasy that bare bulbs and rubber hoses will come into play. Naturally, we are not interrogated, and except for having to spend vast amounts of money on expedited service fee on top of already large passport fee, emerge from agency with documents in order.

2 Comments:

Blogger Michael Lehet said...

I had to do that once in Chicago since they gave me a "temporary" passport....I feel your pain.

But it's better than waiting in queue at the DMV!

12:31 PM  
Blogger frostine said...

"Recrudesce"! This is sublime.

Also, there's something almost jaunty and whimsical about the sound of the phrase "bare bulbs and rubber hoses." It would be a great title for a memoir.

3:48 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home