Now, I am sure when the government recieved my passport application a mere 6 weeks ago, they assumed it was normal and would be processed like every other one. As many of you know, that did not happen.
So yesterday, on a hotter than hell Monday evening, I met some angels and some just one more stupid rep from the passport agency call center. Theresa told me I could get an appointment and hopefully get my passport same day. Oh well thank you Theresa, as that is not what George told me last Thursday. She puts me through the automatic "make your appointment" machine, when I realized the next available appointment in 10:30 am on Wednesday. No can do, as I have a flight in New York at 6:10 p.m. Fear not, Theresa told me to call back so I could speak to an appointment specialist, (I wonder what her salary is...). So I call back and speak to GiGi, who proceeds to tell me that I should take the Wednesday appointment.
GiGi: "Well, how long does it take for you to drive to New York?"
Me: "About 4 hours"
Gigi: "Well, then you need to be at the airport at four, so you leave here at noon and the appointment is 11:30"
Me: "Not gonna happen. Let me talk to the specialist (DUMBASS!)"
Finally specialist sets me up with an appointment at 10:30 on Tuesday morning. Oh gracias Angel #2.
Tuesday morning, in walks Angel #3. I can't mention her name, but a worker in our Congressmen's office calls me. Why did she call you may ask? Because my grandmother, Sitty June, refused to let her baby granddaughter miss her flight and lose out on probably 1000 dollars. She and my Aunt Jay called into the office. So here I am, 10:00 am on Tuesday when the congressman's office is calling me. They tell me they are calling ahead to Boston and will call the Charleston office to see what's been going on. Um, thank you!
I get to this passport agency at 11am and people know who I am, like I am a celeb (ok, I don't they go to passport agencies to get passports like normal people, but whatever). So I fast track through the lines and get to Arthur. Now, Arthur has not been informed that I am "special", when he calls his manager over because I refuse to leave without getting a passport later this afternoon, dude set him straight. A couple of random documents and signatures later and I have a claim number to pick up the sucker at 4 p.m.
To say I wanted to jump throught the bullet proof glass and start hugging people is a serious understatement.
Needless to say, after a coffee, a panini in Starbucks and a $35 mani/pedi, I returned to pick up that dark blue booklet and contemplated stapling it to my forehead. Let's just say I will be triple checking my bags tomorrow before I depart on the car ride for New York.
In other news, Alyssia has now added ten years to her life because this problem has been solved.
So, US Government, messed with the wrong family, did ya?
XO
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Europe, that's in New Hampshire, right?
Now, you may ask yourself, was this uttered by Jonah the three year old or one of the customer representatives of the US Passport Agency?
If you guessed the former, you are right, however it could have easily been said by the rep. Now, you also may be wondering why I am harboring some seriously cruel thoughts toward said passport agency. Well, if you have talked to me within the past week and 1/2, you probably know I haven't recieved said passport. Also, my departure date is Wednesday, September 1, 2010. Yes, this is within 150 hours, and yes my panic button is on high alert. My stomach has started hurting, like an ulcer is taking hold. Oh and my heart races. I may keel over before I even board my Jet India Airways Air Bus to Rome.
A few recommendations dealing with the morons...
-Expedite your passport. Don't be cheap and forgo the 75 fee. It is worth every single penny.
-Make sure you mail all the necessary forms the first time around. (Unlike me, although I only take 35% of the blame for that mishap)
-Bother them until you get the information you need. Moron from Wednesday did not tell me I could upgrade to expedited, however Morons 2 and 3 from Thursday gladly recommended it and could my credit card information. It reminds me of bribing the Catholic Church in the 1500s so you could get into Heaven. Except that supposedly that's illegal in the US. hmmmm....
-Repeat your departure date as many times as possible
Now, these things won't work as well with the three year old. In my experiences, continue to feed these short people and keep them amused. Idle time will lead to meltdowns.
So Jonah, Europe is not in New Hampshire, though right now, my stomach and heart wish it was.
My back up option: hitch a ride on a boat, old school style.
Holding my breath,
Camille XO
If you guessed the former, you are right, however it could have easily been said by the rep. Now, you also may be wondering why I am harboring some seriously cruel thoughts toward said passport agency. Well, if you have talked to me within the past week and 1/2, you probably know I haven't recieved said passport. Also, my departure date is Wednesday, September 1, 2010. Yes, this is within 150 hours, and yes my panic button is on high alert. My stomach has started hurting, like an ulcer is taking hold. Oh and my heart races. I may keel over before I even board my Jet India Airways Air Bus to Rome.
A few recommendations dealing with the morons...
-Expedite your passport. Don't be cheap and forgo the 75 fee. It is worth every single penny.
-Make sure you mail all the necessary forms the first time around. (Unlike me, although I only take 35% of the blame for that mishap)
-Bother them until you get the information you need. Moron from Wednesday did not tell me I could upgrade to expedited, however Morons 2 and 3 from Thursday gladly recommended it and could my credit card information. It reminds me of bribing the Catholic Church in the 1500s so you could get into Heaven. Except that supposedly that's illegal in the US. hmmmm....
-Repeat your departure date as many times as possible
Now, these things won't work as well with the three year old. In my experiences, continue to feed these short people and keep them amused. Idle time will lead to meltdowns.
So Jonah, Europe is not in New Hampshire, though right now, my stomach and heart wish it was.
My back up option: hitch a ride on a boat, old school style.
Holding my breath,
Camille XO
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Dinars, the dini-tini and all my crap
During the past 48 hours since I left my little Cape Cod paradise, I have gone from clutter queen to simplified. Now, I definitely wouldn't be nominated for hoarders (I bless the women who enter the houses of those people and save them!!), but it was getting a little of hand. Now when you have lived in three houses for some 15 years, chances are that you accumulate a decent amount of worthless stuff. I have Knicks knacks from every place imaginable (save Bali and India, haha Elizabeth Gilbert). I had clothes that would fill my car, some shies of course. And I had books and school files and pictures and old cards. 48 hours later, I had six boxes of stuff including frames and books and about three carfuls of trash. I fit all my clothes, well 90% in two huge bins.
By. The way, if you ever have to do an overhaul like such, I recommend you call Denise Bruce, my mother. The woman is crazy. She can give away things like I never seen. She cut my closet in half in about 16 minutes without breaking a sweat. It's like her eye scans to the clothes she knoWs I haven't worn in over 6 months. Well, three trash bags later...
During this adventure, I found 20 Jordanian Dinars, 120 Urguayan Pesos and 112 Romanian Euros. Now, all this adds up to about 55 bucks which is nothing special. Why the jordanian dinar is writhe more an the dollar is beyond me, but at least the uruguayan peso evens it all out.
If you want to enjoy a sweet summer drink...
Grey goose vodka
Cointreau
Mango lemonade juice
Blended blueberries
Fresh squeezed lime, to taste
We call it the dini-tini in honor of Auntie Dena turning a special age!! The exact number cannot be mentioned on the internet.
1 week until Europe. I started packing my backpack today, I expect a mental breakdown due to a lack of shoes and clothes during mid-September.
XO
By. The way, if you ever have to do an overhaul like such, I recommend you call Denise Bruce, my mother. The woman is crazy. She can give away things like I never seen. She cut my closet in half in about 16 minutes without breaking a sweat. It's like her eye scans to the clothes she knoWs I haven't worn in over 6 months. Well, three trash bags later...
During this adventure, I found 20 Jordanian Dinars, 120 Urguayan Pesos and 112 Romanian Euros. Now, all this adds up to about 55 bucks which is nothing special. Why the jordanian dinar is writhe more an the dollar is beyond me, but at least the uruguayan peso evens it all out.
If you want to enjoy a sweet summer drink...
Grey goose vodka
Cointreau
Mango lemonade juice
Blended blueberries
Fresh squeezed lime, to taste
We call it the dini-tini in honor of Auntie Dena turning a special age!! The exact number cannot be mentioned on the internet.
1 week until Europe. I started packing my backpack today, I expect a mental breakdown due to a lack of shoes and clothes during mid-September.
XO
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Otters, Mammasuns, the White Tee Gang and the Fat Man
This entry will include and few observations about New York and Main St. Hyannis. Oy.
My mom and I have owned and operated Camilley's Closet since November of 2007. And boy has that been a trip. CC sells womens' jewelry, accessories and handbags with the occasional wallet thrown in for the dudes. We have moved all over Hingham square, my small hometown south of Boston. Anyways, we needed somewhere to get to goods so we purchased a wholesale license and hit the road for New York. And we landed in Chinatown. Now, not to stereotype or get thrown off the world wide web with some ravish remark, but there are a good deal of asians living in Chinatown. Some may even say they make up the majority. Now, imagine trying to buy wholesale bags in an area where people are running around with trash bags of them and hiding out in dark alleys with all the latest Prada, Gucci and D&G. Add in some tough accents and you've got whole streets full of confusion and cheap, fake leather.
Now, if you ever have to tackle shoppingu wholesale in Chinatown, avoid said dark alleys and go right for the mamasuns. These cute little Asian mommies reside over the storefronts while typically another family member rings you up and packages your goods. Sure, old mammason doesn't seem so important. Wrong. If you want to make a deal, she is the only way to get it. So here we are, Mommabear (Denise) in one of these shops trying to buy knock off striped D&G bags. and our little mommason says to my mom: "oh, I make good deal for you, mommason. Out back, good deal." She reveals to us the holy trinity of bags: Prada, Coach and *******. There was more if they took you out the back, around the corner, through the back of a mivivan and down a tunnel. The rats apparently have the real shit. No thanks, mama sun, just the normal knock offs, I mean "designer inspired", for us.
My adivce: Avoid the tunnels and wait til you can buy the real prada bag, because no one wants to get caught with a fake. (if you ever saw that Sex and the City episode....)
Otters
Does anyone think the animal on the welcome to Massachusetts sign on 95 looks a whole lot like an otter? Please comment if you agree, because momma bear and faith seem to disagree and taunted me for said observation. How was I supposed to know our state bird was a turkey?
The White Tee Gang
Now, as some may now I have spent the past two summers working at 586 Bistro and Bar, for really no reason. The original intent was to make a boat load of money and brag about it. This plan failed when 586 never really took off last summer. Some nights I would take home 12 bucks and weep on the inside. Well in summer 2009, it got me by and then in 2010 I figured I give them another shot since they wewre miraculously still open after the winter and agreed to hire me back. Now the majority of my shifts start at 3:30 and no one wants to eat at the dark bistro until like 7:00. So I spend those 3+ hours standing outside trying to convince normal people to eat like early birds. Now, i do this for two months. I have friends on the street. But this ain't any old street. This is main street Hyannis, which is basically comprised of 50% tourists, 40% crazy locals who haven't left Cape Cof in at least a decade and 10% normal cape codders. And fir some reason the crazies really like me.
Now the white tee gang are a bunch of dudes who think they could crack it in south or Dorchester but instead live on the cape. To join the gang, you have to buy an XXL white tee shirt, with equally white wife beater to go underneath. Your bottom half will be Jean shorts (or male capris as my coworker likes to call them since they hang to the mid calf region). And there had better be Air Jordans or Nikes on your feet or you can forget about the gang. These are the people that say hi to me everyday during the summer, call me beautiful or baby. Sorry boys, I'm taken and the white doesn't really do it for me. However, have fun hanging on the street corner.
The Fat Man
This is my favorite fat man who walks by everyday. He has a big belly and wears suspenders to hold up his male capris. I suspect he was once a member of the white tee gang. Also I think his head is the size of a watermelon. He is one of my many friends from da street. You'll probably leaner about more of them.
Also, just when I thought I was so cool bloggiong form the ferry to Nnatucket on my iPad, the little girl next to me and her dad each have one. I wonder... Why are they on the slow ferry?!
XO
My mom and I have owned and operated Camilley's Closet since November of 2007. And boy has that been a trip. CC sells womens' jewelry, accessories and handbags with the occasional wallet thrown in for the dudes. We have moved all over Hingham square, my small hometown south of Boston. Anyways, we needed somewhere to get to goods so we purchased a wholesale license and hit the road for New York. And we landed in Chinatown. Now, not to stereotype or get thrown off the world wide web with some ravish remark, but there are a good deal of asians living in Chinatown. Some may even say they make up the majority. Now, imagine trying to buy wholesale bags in an area where people are running around with trash bags of them and hiding out in dark alleys with all the latest Prada, Gucci and D&G. Add in some tough accents and you've got whole streets full of confusion and cheap, fake leather.
Now, if you ever have to tackle shoppingu wholesale in Chinatown, avoid said dark alleys and go right for the mamasuns. These cute little Asian mommies reside over the storefronts while typically another family member rings you up and packages your goods. Sure, old mammason doesn't seem so important. Wrong. If you want to make a deal, she is the only way to get it. So here we are, Mommabear (Denise) in one of these shops trying to buy knock off striped D&G bags. and our little mommason says to my mom: "oh, I make good deal for you, mommason. Out back, good deal." She reveals to us the holy trinity of bags: Prada, Coach and *******. There was more if they took you out the back, around the corner, through the back of a mivivan and down a tunnel. The rats apparently have the real shit. No thanks, mama sun, just the normal knock offs, I mean "designer inspired", for us.
My adivce: Avoid the tunnels and wait til you can buy the real prada bag, because no one wants to get caught with a fake. (if you ever saw that Sex and the City episode....)
Otters
Does anyone think the animal on the welcome to Massachusetts sign on 95 looks a whole lot like an otter? Please comment if you agree, because momma bear and faith seem to disagree and taunted me for said observation. How was I supposed to know our state bird was a turkey?
The White Tee Gang
Now, as some may now I have spent the past two summers working at 586 Bistro and Bar, for really no reason. The original intent was to make a boat load of money and brag about it. This plan failed when 586 never really took off last summer. Some nights I would take home 12 bucks and weep on the inside. Well in summer 2009, it got me by and then in 2010 I figured I give them another shot since they wewre miraculously still open after the winter and agreed to hire me back. Now the majority of my shifts start at 3:30 and no one wants to eat at the dark bistro until like 7:00. So I spend those 3+ hours standing outside trying to convince normal people to eat like early birds. Now, i do this for two months. I have friends on the street. But this ain't any old street. This is main street Hyannis, which is basically comprised of 50% tourists, 40% crazy locals who haven't left Cape Cof in at least a decade and 10% normal cape codders. And fir some reason the crazies really like me.
Now the white tee gang are a bunch of dudes who think they could crack it in south or Dorchester but instead live on the cape. To join the gang, you have to buy an XXL white tee shirt, with equally white wife beater to go underneath. Your bottom half will be Jean shorts (or male capris as my coworker likes to call them since they hang to the mid calf region). And there had better be Air Jordans or Nikes on your feet or you can forget about the gang. These are the people that say hi to me everyday during the summer, call me beautiful or baby. Sorry boys, I'm taken and the white doesn't really do it for me. However, have fun hanging on the street corner.
The Fat Man
This is my favorite fat man who walks by everyday. He has a big belly and wears suspenders to hold up his male capris. I suspect he was once a member of the white tee gang. Also I think his head is the size of a watermelon. He is one of my many friends from da street. You'll probably leaner about more of them.
Also, just when I thought I was so cool bloggiong form the ferry to Nnatucket on my iPad, the little girl next to me and her dad each have one. I wonder... Why are they on the slow ferry?!
XO
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Physic smichic?
So while rollerblading home the other day after my last adventure, I decided to stop at one of Main St. Hyannis's lovely psychics. This one agreed to give me a full reading, or reveal my past, present and future for only 45 dollars. No offense lady, but I lived my past and currently don't have my head up my butt and therefore now what's going on in the present. But 45 bucks for a little scamming, some tarot cards and candles, sure hit me.
And then the magic begins, she opens my palms and starts telling me who I am. And damn, girl was talking like she was my own mom. She listed adjectives, explaining who I was. (Of course if I tell you, it will make me sound full of myself.) Needless to say, she had me hooked. Then she told me about my relationships, past and present, and how they are dictated by events in my past. She told me I would be traveling this year and that it is one of my loves. She told me I have strong family values, butni want to be mr own person, and modern at that. And when she was done, I had no words. This woman cracked my code, broke into my insecurities, told me that I need to stop worrying.
So for all you cynics out there, drop $15 for a simple reading. It may just make you laugh or it may switch up your perspective, which isn't a bad thing after all.
Coming up: Otters and Asian Mammasuns
XO
And then the magic begins, she opens my palms and starts telling me who I am. And damn, girl was talking like she was my own mom. She listed adjectives, explaining who I was. (Of course if I tell you, it will make me sound full of myself.) Needless to say, she had me hooked. Then she told me about my relationships, past and present, and how they are dictated by events in my past. She told me I would be traveling this year and that it is one of my loves. She told me I have strong family values, butni want to be mr own person, and modern at that. And when she was done, I had no words. This woman cracked my code, broke into my insecurities, told me that I need to stop worrying.
So for all you cynics out there, drop $15 for a simple reading. It may just make you laugh or it may switch up your perspective, which isn't a bad thing after all.
Coming up: Otters and Asian Mammasuns
XO
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