And in other news...

We interrupt your regularly scheduled blog post with this important announcement: if I never have to see another girl in cowboy boots and a pair of cut-off jean shorts with a plaid shirt tied midriff, or a guy in overalls and boots without a shirt, it will be too soon. Countryfest @ Gillette Stadium = nightmare, especially if one works at a retail store within the plaza. Holy F$*# it was terrible.

Back to your regularly scheduled blog post...

I got my confirmation email this morning from the NY visa office saying that my visa application is safe and being processed. Should take another week or two to get approved/denied (dear LORD if it doesn't I'll punch a baby). Odd, though, that the email was sent on a Saturday. Maybe they work 6 days a week?

(im)Patience

I really need to learn how to sit back and relax in certain situations. Example one: waiting for my visa to start getting processed. I stupidly did not ask for return receipt or certified mail, so there is no way to know if it got lost in the mail or if it arrived safely to the NY visa office. Unfortunately, WorldBridge is not allowed to say anything about visa information that has been sent to the UKBA offices, so even they can't tell me if it's been received or not.

Sigh. This will be lesson one in patience, then.

...

Ok, ok. It's more like lesson #295721 in patience.

What's left?

So I have one month left until I leave the States for a longish while (at least until Christmas). Looking back at my list I made in a post a while back (click here to read), I realize: I've done everything that I needed to do. Luggage set? Check. One even has clothes in it already! Gasp! Plane ticket? Check. Organize room? Check. I even painted it and redecorated a bit! I feel so accomplished. Apply for loans/visa? Check and check. I sent out the paperwork today, and I feel as if I won't really rest easy until my passport is back in my possession. But yeah, pretty much the only thing I have left to do is pack and um...leave. And work the odd weekend at EXP.

I feel a sense of accomplishment and yet...it is overshadowed by the overwhelming weight of the fact that I'm leaving in only one month. I have this weird combination of anxiety, nostalgia, and exhilaration going on in my brain and unfortunately, I don't really know how to process it yet.

Tomorrow is Wednesday aka Hump Day. I have two more working days this week and then I will be able to hang out with my family in Maryland and remember great stuff about the people we've lost and maybe, finally, take bets and nail down a list of which of the cousins will get married (first to last). We talked about it last September at my uncle's wake (odd, yes, but it took our minds off of the heavy stuff for a while) and I'm pleased to say that they all thought that I would be smack dab in the middle of everyone. The reason? "You've got too much to do, with vet school and all, to get married any time soon." Aw, how I love them. They know me so well. I can't wait to see them and drink and swim and do silly things. We will giggle, snort, sing, play...I can't wait. It will be fabulous. Sad, but fabulous.

34 days: Letter's in!

The official copy of the letter is in. It's all nice and shiny and sparkly...ok, not really. But it did give me a sense of completion. I have everything needed for my visa application. There is a little hiccup with the actual application, since I have no idea where my passport was issued (it asks for place of issue, there is none listed on the passport). I listed it as Providence, RI, since this is where I applied for my passport...but apparently it's the regional office location that issues it. I talked to WorldBridge, the visa info service, and they basically said you can make corrections to the hard copy of the application. I just need to put a little blurb about why I corrected it. No biggie.

And tomorrow starts my last week at Express! Well, not really. I'll be working occasional days to give the other managers a break while they find my replacement. Plus, I could use the money. I just hope I have enough to cover expenses until I can get my loan check (which I found out today wouldn't happen until at least 28 September).

Also, random...I have found a downside to owning a Mac. Most (read: all) of the videos on the Blackboard website for RVC needs a windows plugin for my Quicktime that I can't find. I'll have to keep looking when I have more time.

Visa application: complete.

Huge sigh. My visa application is finally complete and paid for, and it was much pricier than I expected. I guess the fees went up since the last time I checked ($330USD,...I think my future children just lost out on their college funds). On the upside, at least it's completed, right? And I have all my supplemental documents...except my financial aid award letter. I'm still (im)patiently waiting for that to arrive via FedEx. I do have the letter from the Direct Loan office regarding the amount of my PLUS loan, but I'm 99.9% sure that it's not the one I need to supply with my visa application.

So now, the only thing I have left to do is get my biometrics taken (next Monday), and pack for London. 38 days left to go...

45 days.

1 month, 15 days. And I'll be flying to Iceland, stopping for an hour, then heading to London.

Really, that's all I wanted to post.

Oh, and I told my boss today that I wanted my unofficial last day to be August 12th, and that I could work 2 to 3 days a week to cover days off and stuff until August 29th. That's reasonable, right? The problem isn't that I have stuff left to do (which I do, but it's really not THAT much stuff), it's the fact that I'd like a chance to see my extended family before I leave. I haven't seen my grandparents since April. I miss them. I want to get my fill of my grandmother's cooking and the sound of my grandfather saying "Oh, Marie..." when my grandmother does something silly or says "OH, my GOD" too many times while talking on the phone. I want to sit and have coffee with my aunts and uncles and cousins, and I want to play with my baby cousin A. I missed out on a whole day with my mother's side of the family (my cousin B had his high school graduation party), and it's quite disappointing. I could've seen everyone at once, but now I'll have to visit everyone piecemeal.

Not to mention my dad's side of the family. I saw my Aunt S for a week since she came to visit, but I haven't seen anyone else. Although I do have Cousins' Weekend in Maryland coming up (can't wait!), so I'll be able to see most (hopefully all...) of my dad's side of the family.

Sigh. I'm already homesick and I haven't even left yet.

Busy week.

1. Found out I was in College Grove (just received that official letter yesterday).

2. Got the news that the loan letters will be out in the mail by Monday-ish.

3. Booked my flight.

4. Completed (mostly) my Appendix (the information section) for my visa.

5. Got a letter from the Direct Loans office saying that I've been approved for a Plus loan of the amount of money I need/requested. I need to double check, but I think this is the letter I can use to pass through customs (not the one for my visa, that's being sent out by RVC).

It's all coming together! ACK. Here comes the nervousness. 48 days left here, only 30 days (possibly less) left with EXP.