Another one of those days…

Ok, so book gone to another stage, and unlike my dear and quite crazy friend Karen, I don’t plunge straight into writing another half-dozen books the next day. For a start my brain won’t stand for it. And second, neither will all the other things I have to catch up on. They are positively shouting at me that I have to attend to them. So I tried to get a start on some of those things today. And here’s what went wrong.

1. I tore a nail off. Y’know, till it bled.

2. I put my telescope in for cleaning (it has to go to Austria!) and bought a replacement for the missing rubber eyepiece that fell off my binoculars. Found I had to buy two pieces, even though only one was missing, and those tiny pieces of rubber cost a whopping 75RM (over 20USD or 27AUD). (All this preparatory for returning to my environmental work.)

3. I went to check up on the environmental job, to see when I could get started, only to find that it has been a probable victim of the recession. Looks as though we are all out of work. Damn. It was Phase Two of the project, too, which means that I feel all the work we did in Phase One is not going on to a useful conclusion. What a waste of money on the part of the people who paid us. There’s still a faint hope it will be revived, but we suspect someone has earmarked the money for something else, (aided by the fact that the old boss was transferred). Sigh. That’s a personal financial blow.

4. I went to the Australian High Commission (that means Embassy to you non Commonwealth types out there) to get the forms for a new passport. Last time I got one – 9 years ago – I had to have the forms signed by a guarantor, so I didn’t expect to be able to submit the forms today.

Things, I discovered, have changed. First you have to go through an outer door, hand in photo ID, go through metal detectors, have your bag xrayed, past another guard, through another 2 doors, past another guard, upstairs, to be buzzed through another door…you get the picture.

5. Found I don’t need a guarantor, yay, I can put in application today. But, alas, I have the wrong sized photos (although photo shop was told it was for Oz passport and said they knew what was required). So I left the Hi Com to get new photos. Went out through all that security, handed in my pass as I left, etc etc.

6. Got new photos. Came back through all the security, got new pass, past metal detectors, xrayed handbag, etc etc.

7. Was asked for money. Gave them credit card. Sorry, don’t take Amex. Looked in purse. Didn’t have enough cash.

8. Went out through all the security to bank. Came back through all the security (for the third time). Xrayed handbag etc etc.

9. Filled in form etc etc. Left through all the security, handed in pass etc etc.

10. Was out in street again, when phone rang (its the Hi Com) and a security guard comes rushing after me. I had walked off with my old passport which they needed. Ok. Back inside, fourth time. Show photo ID. Get handbag xrayed, go through metal detector, numerous guards, doors….

So how was your day?

Pix from Harry Clarke’s Faust (Goethe) via here.


Comments

Another one of those days… — 9 Comments

  1. My day was definitely a lot better than yours although I didn’t do anything much. Sorry about the environmental project. Hope it gets revived. If you two didn’t have bad luck lately, you wouldn’t have any luck at all. My sympathies.

  2. Tell me Glenda if you have noticed any of the following recently…

    a. Black cat?
    b. Broken mirror?
    c. Overhead ladder?
    d. Certain stars in alignment?

    Of course you could be just stressed and distracted. After all your latest baby is up for adoption and you could be suffering P.N.D.

  3. But did you feel safe while you were inside the HC??

    Let’s hope your handbag wasn’t planning on starting a family, that many x-rays in one day will surely make it infertile…. *wink*

  4. Ah — better than yours, apparently. *g*

    And yes, I know I’m crazy. *g*

    I’m in that dreadful almost but not quite yet finished phase of the next ms. Arrgghhhh!!!!!!

  5. Even activities remotely associated with travel and you get Noramlyed!

    Sorry about the project though, hope things turn around.

  6. Karen you are both crazy and quite amazing. I want some of your magic potion that keeps you producing quality work at such speed.

    And darn it, just went to fix the binoculars to find that the eye-rubbers don’t fit – think they must be for 10x and my binoculars are 8x. GRRRRRRRRR.

    Jo – I am wondering if there was anything inside my handbag which is now getting X-man superpowers due to radiation zapping…uh-uh. Maybe those eye-rubbers expanded…

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