Burns. Also, Prague

So I worked a couple of days ago, doing a focus in this odd space. It has something to do with Doon@ Keren, but I have no idea what exactly. Except that her name was on everything. It was easy work, but all the lights were on the whole time. Which means that after the first 4 or so, they start being pretty hot. And after the first 20 or so, they start burning you. I have a bunch of forearm burns now, which make me look badass/abused. My favorite, though, is apparently I put the inside of my arm on a screwhead. I have a perfect little red circle with the phillips bit in it. Cool.

So. Prague! yes. Originally, I had work kind of continuously which meant I couldn’t go. Then one of my jobs got cancelled. I didn’t make the connection, as I thought I didn’t have enough money, and I didn’t have a passport. But, you know, I was thinking about getting a passport anyway, and really it was about time. It seems like something everyone should have. So I went and picked up a new application, and got the pictures taken. (true story, part of my general delay was that I wasn’t sure where to go for that. I finally saw a sign in the window across the street from my subway entrance, which had really been there the whole time, but I hadn’t really been looking before. Not actively.) I was going to do it and not tell John, and then surprise him with it whenever it showed up, but I get excited about things, and I’m bad at keeping secrets from him anyway. So I told him, and that night he sent me a link about expediting your passport. So I started thinking, and actually looked at the records I have for all the work I’ve done and money coming in, and I realized that while it was tight, I had enough money to pay rent, go, and then pay rent again 3 weeks after I got back. Which seemed like a decent enough cushion, given that I would be able to work in those 3 weeks in between.  So, we bought tickets, I went and expedited my passport, and I am leaving in 3 days. Woooo. The expediting thing was fantastic. On the passport agency website, it said ‘within 14 days’ and mentioned that if you were nervous, and maybe needed it under a week, you might want to go to an expediter and pay them more money for more of a guarantee. I was leaving in 8 days at that point, so I was a little nervous about it. Compounded by the fact that when I got off the subway, I realized I hadn’t taken my tools out of my bag and I was about to go through metal detectors. I speed-walked about half a mile to the offices of the people I do fashion week with (and the burny gig) and left them there. I got to about 2 blocks away from the passport place, 10 minutes early, feeling good, and realized that I had forgotten to print out my itinerary. Which I needed as proof of travel. Jesus. SO I frantically ran around and finally found this weird little place that had internet and a printer, and got what I needed and ran the last block over. Ridiculous. Fortunately, my appointment time didn’t seem to really matter, I stood in line for a while, they checked that I had all my documents and everything, and sent me upstairs. As soon as I got up there, they called my number. No waiting at all. Went through it all, had me sign it, handed me my receipts, and said “okay, it’ll be ready at 1 o’clock. Through those doors over there.’ What? One pm… that day? Yep. Same day service. Genius. So much for waiting for the mail to come every day. I went and read for a while since it was such a nice day, and then got lunch, went back and waited an hour, and walked out with my officialness. Fantastic. Then I went and voted. And then went home and read stuff online and hung out and watched the results come in on npr’s great little map. It was a good day. Despite all the initial panic.

So now I’m all excited and nervous and more excited. I have to do laundry at some point, and I’m not sure when. I can’t do it today, because the pants that I’m wearing for work tonight I want to take with me. I think monday morning I’ll drop stuff off, and pick it up on tuesday, since I won’t have enough time to do it myself. unless I do it wednesday morning, but that seems cutting it close. I’m doing most of my packing then, too. I have to go make lists of what to bring. That always makes me feel better. And find a pronunciation guide. Oog.