I am so terribly stressed. It's absolutely ridiculous.
My kitchen has sat for a week without one thing being done to it. The plumbers came two weeks ago and did what they had to do.....completely wrong! So, we can't do anything else until they come back and fix what they screwed up. And, because they won't be getting paid to repair their own error, I know we're at the bottom of their to-do list. I've decided to go with a real slate flooring instead of something that just looks like slate. The price is almost the same, so why go imitation?
Now, as for our vacation. What a total fucking mess. I thought that since I didn't get JJ's birth certificate until four weeks before we left, the only way to get it in time was to go in person and apply and pay for an expedited passport. I called the passport office (After trying five separate times, and waiting on hold for over an hour I got to actually speak with a live person) and they said that I can't apply for his passport, his legal guardian has to. That would be DHS. I'm still trying to get ahold of them. Also, the passport guy told me that even going in person isn't going to guarantee a passport, or even that it will be processed enough to print out the statement on line that is supposedly all you need until September. He recommended a Passport Expediting Company. There aren't any listed in the phone book, and there are a lot on line, but how do I know if it's legit? They all seem legit (said the senior citizen as she was emptying her bank account). I'm worried that I'll send his birth certificate, and all the other documentation in and they'll cash my check and laugh. Then I'm really screwed, because I don't have another birth certificate. I called my local congressman, who referred me to my state senator, to see if they could tell me of a legitmate expediter, I'm waiting for his call back. We're leaving in three weeks. This is never going to come all together. Why didn't the Children's Home, back in December when we started talking about this trip, tell us that we could run into these problems? We never would have booked it. We would have kept it to somewhere in the United States.
If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.
13 comments:
you need to call both senators every hour on the hour until they respond. my guy's mom had a problem that she was told to call our senators like that and she'd get her problem solved. after several phone calls the problem was fixed.
jilly
on the bright side things can only get batter
Jesus Jilly , i dont seriously think this is the problem of the senators of schells state and I would hope that the senators have more imortant things to do then hear from a person who has obviously screwed up on her own and is now pointing a finger and placing blame . EVERYONE is having problems with gettting a passport right now . Being that wherever you are going will be there in a year why dont you go on vacation somewhere in the states . If you lose a bit of money on the booked trip,so be it, thats life .
Sorry Schell, i just call them as I see them .
Allan
allan,
it's their job to fix this shit, that's why the run and we elect them. if we didn't expect help from them on specific individual problems, then we wouldn't need senators from each state, they'd be nationall elected like the president. we're supposed to have state representatives to take care of people in each state. as a rule, senators have more power as there are less of them and they're in office longer.
moreover, it's not like the senators are actually reading bills or doing anything besides fundraising or rubbing elbows right now.
they can take a few minutes (which is what it'd take) to have a problem fixed. plus, it's not likey'd personally fix it,they'd call in a staffer and say "get this done for me." if they don't, then it'll look bad for them. they may be in office for 6 years, but re-election time is always just around the corner.
jilly
I wouldn't blame the Children's home too much on this one. I don't imagine it's something they've had to deal with very often. I mean how many kids there get the chance to leave the country on vacation? or even vacation?
I hope it all works out for you in the end, Schell.
LOL, State Senator, Jilly? Yes, let me get on the phone with Clinton right away for a passport issue, I'm sure between the presidential campaign and being senator, she'll help me! - blu
FYI...if you think that when I called I actually got to speak with the Senator himself, you're mistaken. I spoke with one of his aides, who has a direct line to the passport agency. They assured him that if I call at 6:30 am on June 30, I'll get an appointment and get a passport in plenty of time for the trip. He also marked his calendar to call me on July 2 to make sure I was able to make an appointment. Blu, you might not get Ms. Clinton on the phone, but I'm sure one of her aides would help you.
Rosa, you're right, and I'm not blaming the Children's Home, I just wish they would have given us a "heads up" that we may run into some difficulties along the way.
some years back (in the early 80s) when bigjoe got laid off from his job and we hadn't gotten an unemployment check for 8 weeks we called our state senator and he got us those checks within a week. they were sitting on some idiots desk instead of being put in the mail.
Well, good luck Schell. I am pleasantly surprised with your State Senate. I highly doubt mine would work so quickly and efficiently - I am tempted to call with a fake passport issue and see what happens. - blu
I have all my fingers and toes crossed for you wishing you luck. If you need any phone calls made, forms filling out or kneecapping done. Gimme a call :oD
Blu,
it's different when they have no higher goals in life and becoming their own state's senator byrd. i e-mail my 2 assholes once a year and get replies in e-mail and in the mail. i also take the time to e-mail my reps. reps. are hand as they feel more urge to do right by you becasue they get 2 years in office and have a limited area of operation.
i'm glad you called your senator. i knew an aid would help you out.
my guy's momma was in a 20 year legal battle to get her godson in the us out of a refugee camp. after $30,000 in assorted application fees (the fees aren't large, it's just that if they lose somehting, you have to pay again)and no help from attys. she put together a detailed packet starting from letters, forms, and later e-mails and started calling the md stnators.
one of them was very pissed off at all the cracks that the kid fell through and within 2 months the kid was located and several people in the us forign service were in the need of new jobs (they lost 4 different DNA tests that were $650 a piece and mailed at $100 apiece to the embassy.)
i don't duggest calling for something fake or stupid, but call for something real, and for pete's sake don't wait 20 years.
jilly
FYI
Senators, congresspeople, mayors, representatives love doing favors for constituents . . and they should. Never think you're "bothering" an elected official with a problem. That's what they're there for.
--emma
Post a Comment