s o l

bureaucracy is fucking amazing.

i was much exasperated after thursday's failed attempt at getting the visa, but friday was a new day. getting to this embassy, by the way, takes a 45 minute car ride plus a 30 minute metro ride plus a 15 minute walk. my brother offered to come along after i cajoled him with promises of all the glorious shopping that georgetown has to offer, and so i had an audience for the now foreshadowed ridiculousness.

it went like this:

11:15am-11:30am -
get to indonesian embassy and wait wait wait.

11:30am -
shiny smiles at the lady behind the window, hear that visa is not ready, and that necessary forms have not been submitted.

11:30-11:45am -
fill out forms and bring to window.

11:45am -
hear that two glossy passport photos must accompany forms.

11:45-11:55am -
dash to cvs, take photos, print photos, run back to embassy.

11:55am -
hear that visa will not be available for 3 business days. ha!

i'm somehow ok with all of this, with missing my flight and drifting for about a week. but let me tell you, i saw red for a good portion of the early afternoon. the fury of the moment dissolved when i realized that there was nothing that i could have possibly done to fashion a different ending. sometimes life just throws you into a sketch comedy routine where everyone has gotten a script but you. i am letting it float away.

so the important information, i suppose, is this:

new itinerary - leave dc on saturday, june 2. if you want to call me before then, i will be happy to whine and to yap to you about the visa circus adventure. or else we could talk about something fun. like bangs. or you :)

in the meantime, i will be stowing away on my brother's vacation to the beach, visiting friends, and spending more money. it will be the best accidental vacation ever. i might even get to see pauline, it turns out. being stranded in dc is making me into a very happy little traveler.