Another demeaning, government, stand-in-line-even-though-you-have-an-appointment experience: Getting a passport. Ah...you can't pay for that kind of fun...but, I did pay dearly for it. I paid $157, plus gas to and from San Francisco (a lovely 2 hour and 45 minute drive each way in bumper-to-bumper traffic), plus lunch, not to mention hanging around for 5 hours so I could get it that day.
I know what you're saying. You're saying, "What the hell is yer major malfunction numb-nuts? Ya' just go down to the post office, git yer pitcher taken, then wait around for a couple of months fer it to come in the mail!" That's fine, as long as you don't need it within a short amount of time...which I do.
Since some government dumb-ass with nothing better to do with his time suggested that we all need passports for Mexico and Canada, the process takes a bit longer now. If you go to, say, a post office where they issue passports, it takes about four to six weeks after forking over about $100. If you go to a post office and tell them, "I want an expedited passport", it takes about three to four weeks after forking over $120. If you go to one of them there regional passport offices (like I did), you need an appointment, $157, and your head examined. But, it only takes a week or so in the mail. Or, like numb-nuts here did...hang around all day after turning in your paperwork, and pick it up in the afternoon. I got me a passport (my first)! Considering I will have to travel to Canada for my job in the very near future, I needed one...soon.
So here's Skippy with about five hours to kill in downtown San Francisco, another check point in my life (like getting a passport) I experienced for the very first time. And strangely enough...it was kinda fun! I got to fart around by myself for hours in one of the most interesting cities in the country. On Halloween no less, making it more than difficult to pick out day-to-day attire from Halloween costumes. After all...it's San Francisco!
I did many second-takes, "Hmmm...vampire costume...or everyday goth? Annie Hall lipstick lesbian...or turn-of-the-century newsboy costume? Drag queen...or, drag queen? Conjoined twins...or newly engaged Bruce and Todd out for a stroll at lunch?" Not that there's anything wrong with that...!
I chose not to bring my camera (another dumb-ass move), so I took a ton of shots with my cell phone. Unfortunately, getting those image files out of the camera and into my iMac takes an act of God. Probably not gonna happen.
Loretta and I are planning a day-trip there someday soon. It will be fun to walk around and hang out in downtown S.F., if not just for people watching. And, there are a lot to watch!
