Patience is a virtue -- hmmph!

Well, my friends, it's outa my hands.

The FedEx priority package was delivered to the British Consulate General of New York this morning at 9:47 a.m., shipping from Charlotte by way of Indianapolis. (I know I'm no geography whiz, but...um...is that really the shortest route between two points?)

All day I've been checking e-mail, half not-expecting to see anything, half hoping-like-heck to see something. At about 4:30 this afternoon, I get the super-fab form letter:

Dear Applicant
Your application has arrived safely at the New York office and is currently being processed. The estimated processing time for your application is 5/10 working days plus mail time, however no guarantee is given. Sometimes it is necessary to make additional enquiries on an application, which will extend the processing time.
You will receive another e-mail advising you of the outcome of your application in due course.

Ok, so now I wait. And I can't stand waiting. I suck at waiting. In fact, my own personal hell is likely a long, never-moving line at the post office (which is one of the worst wait places, in my opinion).

Go on, though -- My Facebook folks have been really encouaraging and fabulous with me, God love 'em. Likely, it just that they're tired of hearing me whinge, "I wanna go back to Enggggland!"

Standard visa processing times look to be 2-3 weeks. I'll gnaw my arm off via fingernail biting by then. Waiting is really sucky.

Holy shnikeys...

Now, I must admit how embarrassed I am that it's been this long since I've spouted out anything herein. Sigh. Maybe I just needed a good reason...and man, do I have one today!

I schlepped off my visa documents today. Yup -- there they go, an entire stack that's about two inches thick (not including copies!) and has painstakingly taken much time to gather. What a long, strange trip this has been...and yet it's far from over.

This afternoon, I went to get passport pics made, as I needed to submit two of 'em with my application. Man, that was a sad sight. The UK Border Agency quite clearly advises that you are not to smile in the pic. Not wanting mine to be refused, I obeyed...and realized I'm not cute without a smile. That was at CVS. I then went to FedEx Office (formerly FedEx Kinkos) and Walgreens to try a different look. Nope, they all sucked. Damn.

So off I went for my biometrics appointment. Being the only American citizen in the place (sans the employees, of course), I waited in the short line until the guy called me over to take my fingerprints and digital images. As he Windexed my fingers and smooshed them onto the glass, he asked me the purpose of my visit. I told him, and then added, "I've been here nearly 20 years. I just really, really need a change."

"There are other cities that don't require a visa application, you know," he quipped.

But...but...they're not England!

Whilst in Walgreens (getting the passport pic that I eventually submitted, deeming it the least evil of the three shots), my eyes wandered to the walls of the photo center. A huge poster hung on the back wall, with "Get your passport pictures here to go there." The "there"? Yup -- some dopey guy grinning in front of Big Ben.

I did get my passport picture there. I will go there. I will not, however, be like the dopey grinner...well, maybe...but just for the first few weeks.

(The pics above are the fab pics that Tracy took during our May 2006 trip, which she gave me, framed, for my birthday last month. The Tower of London one is my absolute favorite. Way cool image, uber-awesome color.)