Now that I’ve had some time to calm down after my horrifying excursion to Chicago to get a new passport, I’ve realized that It’s just me. The process was really not all that arduous, a little frantic, yes, and rushed and yes, I did have to get up at the buttcrack of dawn but essentially it all went well, there were no glitches and I ended up with a passport. It was really just the accumulation of unknowns that made it so anxiety provoking. To start with I had no clue that you cannot travel with a passport that is going to expire in 6 months. How does one know these things? And really, how often do most people think about their passports? Ryan Braun couldn’t find his, fer chrissake, and missed a preseason game in Toronto because of it. Then there was getting to the place. 101 E Ida B Wells Avenue. The taxi driver who picked me up at the train station turned fully around when I gave him the address and said. “Mm, no, ain’t no street named that.” Mm, yes there is. Next time I won’t take a taxi, Uber would already know. Then the security line just to get into the building. Then the line to just get into the hall. The guard barking “Do you have an appointment?” Waiting and waiting. But like I said, I got there and I got the passport. I killed a lot time in a museum which was nice-ish. Forced culture and unplanned exercise is always welcome.
I also think that the current political climate and the horridness of the news contributed to the unease I felt about the entire process. There was absolutely no reason to think anything about any of the people that were in line with me. They were all getting US passports and yet somehow it felt like we were doing something illegal and possibly subversive. Out of the natural order of things.
Oh well, I won’t have to deal with it for another 10 years. I’m already anxious about it.
