July 31st
Look! I'm caught up! It only took two days and a major headache. I'm proud of me even if you aren't.
Today I woke up and didn't quite know what to do with myself. I knew I wanted to catch up the blog (CHECK), but other than that the day has been open.
I worked on modifying a light box I made several months ago. I lined it with aluminum foil to get better light distribution. I'm not sure if it worked or not, but it looks neat now.
I watched Phineas and Ferb on Netflix. Yes, it's a kid's show, but it amuses me greatly. Stop judging. You know you want to watch it too.
I got a call from our HHG movers that they'd like to come do a survey of our stuff if possible. Sure! I'm not doing anything. They will be here at 2:30.
Dan calls. Dan CALLS! This is exciting and confusing. I don't understand how he is calling, but I don't ask. I am excited to hear from him. Literally to HEAR HIM. There is a slight delay, but it isn't bad. He is annoyed at the way the Command has been handling, or not handling as the case may be, our move. Next time, we really shouldn't try to PCS during a deployment. This is terrible. I point out that we didn't have much choice in the matter, unless we didn't want to leave Norfolk. I will take this hassle for overseas adventures versus staying in Norfolk. (I don't hate it here, I just don't like it either).
They are not sending him home when we thought they were. I am upset. It's a difference of a few days, but I am upset. We are supposed to go visit his family, but he won't be home in time. We still don't have flights out of the country, so we may be able to work something out. It's a mess. He is not happy. I am not happy. I just want him to come home.
He has to go and says he will call again in a few days. I can't wait.
The move assessor arrives. She is bright, bubbly, and easy to talk to. The whole survey takes 20 minutes. I am thrilled to find out that they will move my tea, as long as I put it all in plastic bags. DONE! (Well, not yet, but it will be!)
My friend Michael has had a long and hard day. He's going to help me get rid of some of our alcohol tonight. The movers won't move it. What do you do with leftover peppermint schnapps? We're going to try some experiments. I will report back tomorrow.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Storage
July 30th
I got up at 7am this morning so that I could run to the grocery store to get box of water bottles. (Box? Container? Collective? Herd? I'm not sure, but I think you know what I'm talking about.) I also need to get bagels.
The movers are supposed to arrive around 8:30. They arrive at 8:15. This is okay, though I was in the middle of unloading the dishwasher so I could put the dirty dishes in the dish washer so when the movers came through the kitchen to get the washer and dryer they wouldn't think I was a slob. Oh well.
Three cheerful women greet me at the door and introduce themselves. I'm sorry ladies, I have forgotten your names (I am bad with names). I run upstairs to lock W in a room. She does not need to be underfoot nor does she need to be making escape attempts out the front door. I show the women to the room where I have sequestered all of my things to go into storage. I do not know if they are impressed that I gathered everything together in like piles or if they just want to get this over with. I like to think they were impressed.
The ladies go out to their van and return with mountains of packing material and boxes. This seems like a good time for me to get out of the way. I plug my iPad into our stereo system so that there can be music. I have been using Songza, at the suggestion of Michael. It's pretty great.
Three men arrive with a truck. I don't remember their names either, again, I'm sorry. I show the one in charge the handful of items I left in the garage. I wasn't dragging the mitre saw into the house. It wasn't worth the effort.
Recently speaking of Michael, he arrives to acquire a bagel and ends up staying just long enough to help the movers get the washer and dryer out of the house. Thanks Michael! (Think you can help me put the door back on its hinges?)
I don't know what to do with myself now. The ladies are wrapping, packing, and boxing up all the items. I decide to sit on the couch and poke my computer. Then it dawns on me. I started this blog last night, right? I should probably start filling it in and getting it up to date with everything. So I begin.
The movers clear out at 10:30. That went much faster than I thought. The women thanked me and said they enjoyed having music. One of the men said You have been my favorite movee. I loved the music. Every time I came in here there was something playing I haven't heard in forever. This was great.
At least I made them happy. Maybe they were extra careful with our stuff. I did not expect the move to go so quickly. I just blocked the whole day for it. Now what?
I guess I will write.
I got up at 7am this morning so that I could run to the grocery store to get box of water bottles. (Box? Container? Collective? Herd? I'm not sure, but I think you know what I'm talking about.) I also need to get bagels.
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So much stuff! But nearly as much as I thought. Hmm...... Also all the artwork is in a closet. You can't see it.
Three cheerful women greet me at the door and introduce themselves. I'm sorry ladies, I have forgotten your names (I am bad with names). I run upstairs to lock W in a room. She does not need to be underfoot nor does she need to be making escape attempts out the front door. I show the women to the room where I have sequestered all of my things to go into storage. I do not know if they are impressed that I gathered everything together in like piles or if they just want to get this over with. I like to think they were impressed.
The ladies go out to their van and return with mountains of packing material and boxes. This seems like a good time for me to get out of the way. I plug my iPad into our stereo system so that there can be music. I have been using Songza, at the suggestion of Michael. It's pretty great.
Three men arrive with a truck. I don't remember their names either, again, I'm sorry. I show the one in charge the handful of items I left in the garage. I wasn't dragging the mitre saw into the house. It wasn't worth the effort.
Recently speaking of Michael, he arrives to acquire a bagel and ends up staying just long enough to help the movers get the washer and dryer out of the house. Thanks Michael! (Think you can help me put the door back on its hinges?)
I don't know what to do with myself now. The ladies are wrapping, packing, and boxing up all the items. I decide to sit on the couch and poke my computer. Then it dawns on me. I started this blog last night, right? I should probably start filling it in and getting it up to date with everything. So I begin.
The movers clear out at 10:30. That went much faster than I thought. The women thanked me and said they enjoyed having music. One of the men said You have been my favorite movee. I loved the music. Every time I came in here there was something playing I haven't heard in forever. This was great.
At least I made them happy. Maybe they were extra careful with our stuff. I did not expect the move to go so quickly. I just blocked the whole day for it. Now what?
I guess I will write.
Passport, Now Visa
July 28th
Friday I got a wonderful call. My military passport arrived! I could not do anything about it then as I was leaving Boston and wouldn't be back until later that night. The passport office would be long closed.
Monday morning I gather all my visa documents. Dan had been successful in acquiring the various things I needed from him. I am ready for this I tell myself.
I almost skipped down the hallway to the passport office. It's new guy again. Remember him? I couldn't tell if he was a receptionist or not because of where his desk is placed. I tell him I'm there to pick up my passport.
He riffles through some papers in a drawer and finds an envelope with my name on it. I get my civilian passport returned to me and a handful of other documents. I have to fill in the Visa Application form and hand over a copy of Dan's orders, an original of our marriage license, Dan's page 2, my driver's license, and my military ID. New guy keeps my military passport. He takes my papers, gives me my IDs back and tells me That's it.
"How long will it take to get the visa?"
It could take a week. It could take a month or so. It depends on how good they're being.
I almost want to ask who THEY are, and if I can encourage them to expedite their process by providing them with cookies. I realize this may not go over well.
At least my passport finally arrived. Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the visa people are in a good mood. C'mon week turn around!
Friday I got a wonderful call. My military passport arrived! I could not do anything about it then as I was leaving Boston and wouldn't be back until later that night. The passport office would be long closed.
Monday morning I gather all my visa documents. Dan had been successful in acquiring the various things I needed from him. I am ready for this I tell myself.
I almost skipped down the hallway to the passport office. It's new guy again. Remember him? I couldn't tell if he was a receptionist or not because of where his desk is placed. I tell him I'm there to pick up my passport.
He riffles through some papers in a drawer and finds an envelope with my name on it. I get my civilian passport returned to me and a handful of other documents. I have to fill in the Visa Application form and hand over a copy of Dan's orders, an original of our marriage license, Dan's page 2, my driver's license, and my military ID. New guy keeps my military passport. He takes my papers, gives me my IDs back and tells me That's it.
"How long will it take to get the visa?"
It could take a week. It could take a month or so. It depends on how good they're being.
I almost want to ask who THEY are, and if I can encourage them to expedite their process by providing them with cookies. I realize this may not go over well.
At least my passport finally arrived. Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the visa people are in a good mood. C'mon week turn around!
Productivity! ... or Not.
July 26th - 29th
The storage move is happening on the 30th. I should have been using these days to get everything ready. I did. Sort of. A little bit.
I would have 30 minutes to an hour of being super productive, then I would get overwhelmed and wouldn't do anything useful for hours. This is how these days were spent.
Chunks of time was dedicated to reading comic books. Remember, I have to read them so that I can put them in storage. This is the way of the world, I can't help it.
As the very first post stated, "I should be doing something worthwhile as my second pack out day is tomorrow (more on this later), and I'm sure I'm not ready for it. Instead I'm starting this blog. Woo procrastination!"
So look! We've caught up on posts. Hurray! Well, sort of. Once I do a post about the move itself THEN I will be caught up. That's pretty good don't you think?
The Storage Move looms.
The storage move is happening on the 30th. I should have been using these days to get everything ready. I did. Sort of. A little bit.
I would have 30 minutes to an hour of being super productive, then I would get overwhelmed and wouldn't do anything useful for hours. This is how these days were spent.
Chunks of time was dedicated to reading comic books. Remember, I have to read them so that I can put them in storage. This is the way of the world, I can't help it.
As the very first post stated, "I should be doing something worthwhile as my second pack out day is tomorrow (more on this later), and I'm sure I'm not ready for it. Instead I'm starting this blog. Woo procrastination!"
So look! We've caught up on posts. Hurray! Well, sort of. Once I do a post about the move itself THEN I will be caught up. That's pretty good don't you think?
The Storage Move looms.
Boston
July 22nd - 25th
I travelled up to Boston for a few days to visit my family. Colin lives in Somerville and Byron, Karen, and my niblings* live in Quincy. I realized a few weeks ago that if I couldn't come up to visit, I had no idea when I would see them again.
We walked around the beach and playground at Wollaston Beach. Zephan liked the tunnel on the playground. Tamzin did not like wearing Colin's glasses.
In the evening Colin and I headed over to hang out with Byron at his jam session. I didn't really want to play any of the instruments, but Colin messed around with the bass and the keyboard. Byron's one friend brought his electric violin. I enjoyed listening to their jam session. They finished up a session and Colin and I headed out to his apartment.
He has moved since I last visited and his new apartment, although the same layout and one building over from his old one, is vastly better than his old one. I was not afraid to take my shoes off and walk around barefoot. I was not afraid to use the bathroom. I was not afraid to breathe the air. These were issues in the old apartment.
Wednesday I spent time with Karen and the kids at a splash pad type thing. Zephan likes water. It was very hot so being at the splash pad was nice. It was clear, to me anyway, that I do not know how to interact with small kids. I mostly stood and watched Zephan the other parents/ babysitters/ nannies seemed so much more at ease than I felt. Zephan seems to have had a good time, so that's all that matters.
I went to the Artisan's Asylum with Colin for a demo of the game called Ortus Regni. The game is a lot of fun, though it is very much a strategy game, which I am not good at. I think Dan would like it a lot.
Thursday I had most of the day to myself so I wanded down to the Harvard Natural History Museum. They have an amazing exhibit on glass flowers. If you get the chance, you should check it out. I was fascinated by the various ovum cross-sections. They have some truly interesting geometry.
There were several groups of young children at the museum. Luckily for me, none of them were interested in the flowers so the exhibit was fairly quiet and empty.
I wandered around a bit more, Colin and I got pho for lunch, and then I went back to wandering. We were waiting for our friend Mary Rose to get into town.
She arrived in the evening and shenanigans ensued.
Friday was my last day before heading back to the move mess. Colin, Mary Rose, and I climbed the Bunker Hill tower. It has 294 steps. My legs felt like jelly. By the time we got back down I wasn't sure my legs were going to work anymore.
They don't do time trials for fastest climb, but marathoners use it for training as do firefighters. The firefighters do it with all their gear on them. I would die. I can't even imagine being in that good of shape.
The last adventure was taking the water taxi to and from the Inner Boston Harbor. It was fun and it had a great view of the downtown Boston area.
This ends my Boston adventure.
*Nibling is the gender-neutral term for nephew or niece. I find it easier to say "my niblings" than "my nephew and niece." Now you know!
I travelled up to Boston for a few days to visit my family. Colin lives in Somerville and Byron, Karen, and my niblings* live in Quincy. I realized a few weeks ago that if I couldn't come up to visit, I had no idea when I would see them again.
We walked around the beach and playground at Wollaston Beach. Zephan liked the tunnel on the playground. Tamzin did not like wearing Colin's glasses.
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In the evening Colin and I headed over to hang out with Byron at his jam session. I didn't really want to play any of the instruments, but Colin messed around with the bass and the keyboard. Byron's one friend brought his electric violin. I enjoyed listening to their jam session. They finished up a session and Colin and I headed out to his apartment.
He has moved since I last visited and his new apartment, although the same layout and one building over from his old one, is vastly better than his old one. I was not afraid to take my shoes off and walk around barefoot. I was not afraid to use the bathroom. I was not afraid to breathe the air. These were issues in the old apartment.
Wednesday I spent time with Karen and the kids at a splash pad type thing. Zephan likes water. It was very hot so being at the splash pad was nice. It was clear, to me anyway, that I do not know how to interact with small kids. I mostly stood and watched Zephan the other parents/ babysitters/ nannies seemed so much more at ease than I felt. Zephan seems to have had a good time, so that's all that matters.
I went to the Artisan's Asylum with Colin for a demo of the game called Ortus Regni. The game is a lot of fun, though it is very much a strategy game, which I am not good at. I think Dan would like it a lot.
Thursday I had most of the day to myself so I wanded down to the Harvard Natural History Museum. They have an amazing exhibit on glass flowers. If you get the chance, you should check it out. I was fascinated by the various ovum cross-sections. They have some truly interesting geometry.There were several groups of young children at the museum. Luckily for me, none of them were interested in the flowers so the exhibit was fairly quiet and empty.
I wandered around a bit more, Colin and I got pho for lunch, and then I went back to wandering. We were waiting for our friend Mary Rose to get into town.
She arrived in the evening and shenanigans ensued.
Friday was my last day before heading back to the move mess. Colin, Mary Rose, and I climbed the Bunker Hill tower. It has 294 steps. My legs felt like jelly. By the time we got back down I wasn't sure my legs were going to work anymore.They don't do time trials for fastest climb, but marathoners use it for training as do firefighters. The firefighters do it with all their gear on them. I would die. I can't even imagine being in that good of shape.
The last adventure was taking the water taxi to and from the Inner Boston Harbor. It was fun and it had a great view of the downtown Boston area.
This ends my Boston adventure.
*Nibling is the gender-neutral term for nephew or niece. I find it easier to say "my niblings" than "my nephew and niece." Now you know!
MSD - Final Boss!
July 21st
I am off to the Norfolk clinic, again. I'm going to get there early, have my PPD read and finish this nonsense. Between me and the clinic is the NIT (Norfolk International Terminal). I catch the train.
Blergh! It's going 2 feet a minute. Now it's going backwards! I'm going to be late, they're going to cancel my appointment and I will fail again! Why?! Why train why?! Silly me is ranting. We could just call the office. They have to be used to this. Rational me comes to the rescue.
I call, they think I have an appointment for my son. I don't have a son. I am confused; the receptionist is confused. I'm not the service member, I explain. Oh. Is Daniel your.....husband then? Yes, I say. She says okay and that she'll let them know I may be late.
I've been at the train for 8 minutes now. SIGH.
3 minutes later the train clears the road. The light hasn't changed, but traffic doesn't care. I race to the clinic, I show my ID, I climb the stairs, I dodge Aviation Medicine and I get to my appointment with 2 minutes to spare.
Luckily, the lady in the Operational Screening with whom I am meeting can read my PPD and sign off on my immunizations. I do not test positive for Tuberculosis. Weeee!
She glances over my paperwork again. Asks if I have any major medical problems or prescriptions. I say no, but that I wear contacts. She laughs and says they just care about medicines. I shrug.
She takes me to sit in the glass waiting room. Apparently Operational Screening shares a waiting room with Aviation Medicine. I am the only one not in uniform.
I wait.
I listen to some service members talk about their friends who washed out for being a pilot during junior year of ROTC.
I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb. Silly me is convinced everyone is staring at me, trying to figure out what I'm doing there.
A doctor calls my name, Mrs. Justice....? Only Navy people call me Mrs. Justice. It takes it a second for me to register that he means me.
We go to his office and he looks over my paperwork. I don't see a recent physical in here.... It's there. I know it is, but I don't want to be rude and reach across his desk to show him. We can't clear you if you haven't had a physical. Politeness goes out the window. I reach across his desk and start flipping through pages. "It's right here." Oh, yes I see..... Good. This happens again with a few other items. I don't understand how, the Operational Screening lady put tabs on my different records. The tabs tell you where things are. SIGH.
He looks at a few more things, asks me where I'm going, and signs off on my paperwork. He tells me to go back to Operational Screening. I am confused, I thought this was the end, but I take my papers and go back down the hallway.
Back at Operational Screening, I don't know what I'm supposed to do. The check in guy asks if I'm done. "I think so? They told me to come back here." He takes my stack of papers, tells me he has to copy them, and it will be a few minutes. I take a seat.
I wait.
He calls me to his desk, hands my my papers in a red plastic folder labeled "OUT".
Okay.
"Okay.....what? What do I do now?"
Go home. You're done.
I'm done? I can't believe it. There's no way. There's some other person or form I have to fill in for this, right? RIGHT? Silly me is almost delirious with excitement. I shove the folder in my bag and hightail it out of the clinic.
I get home, I scan my approval sheet, and I email it to Dan. My approval sheet is not the page with the signatures and check marks and all of the hard work I have put into passing my screening. It is this single piece of paper, with an X through the Yes bubble next to my name. All of that running around and confusion and screwiness for this.
Level Completed! - Medical Screening Completed!
I am off to the Norfolk clinic, again. I'm going to get there early, have my PPD read and finish this nonsense. Between me and the clinic is the NIT (Norfolk International Terminal). I catch the train.
Blergh! It's going 2 feet a minute. Now it's going backwards! I'm going to be late, they're going to cancel my appointment and I will fail again! Why?! Why train why?! Silly me is ranting. We could just call the office. They have to be used to this. Rational me comes to the rescue.
I call, they think I have an appointment for my son. I don't have a son. I am confused; the receptionist is confused. I'm not the service member, I explain. Oh. Is Daniel your.....husband then? Yes, I say. She says okay and that she'll let them know I may be late.
I've been at the train for 8 minutes now. SIGH.
3 minutes later the train clears the road. The light hasn't changed, but traffic doesn't care. I race to the clinic, I show my ID, I climb the stairs, I dodge Aviation Medicine and I get to my appointment with 2 minutes to spare.
Luckily, the lady in the Operational Screening with whom I am meeting can read my PPD and sign off on my immunizations. I do not test positive for Tuberculosis. Weeee!
She glances over my paperwork again. Asks if I have any major medical problems or prescriptions. I say no, but that I wear contacts. She laughs and says they just care about medicines. I shrug.
She takes me to sit in the glass waiting room. Apparently Operational Screening shares a waiting room with Aviation Medicine. I am the only one not in uniform.
I wait.
I listen to some service members talk about their friends who washed out for being a pilot during junior year of ROTC.
I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb. Silly me is convinced everyone is staring at me, trying to figure out what I'm doing there.
A doctor calls my name, Mrs. Justice....? Only Navy people call me Mrs. Justice. It takes it a second for me to register that he means me.
We go to his office and he looks over my paperwork. I don't see a recent physical in here.... It's there. I know it is, but I don't want to be rude and reach across his desk to show him. We can't clear you if you haven't had a physical. Politeness goes out the window. I reach across his desk and start flipping through pages. "It's right here." Oh, yes I see..... Good. This happens again with a few other items. I don't understand how, the Operational Screening lady put tabs on my different records. The tabs tell you where things are. SIGH.
He looks at a few more things, asks me where I'm going, and signs off on my paperwork. He tells me to go back to Operational Screening. I am confused, I thought this was the end, but I take my papers and go back down the hallway.
Back at Operational Screening, I don't know what I'm supposed to do. The check in guy asks if I'm done. "I think so? They told me to come back here." He takes my stack of papers, tells me he has to copy them, and it will be a few minutes. I take a seat.
I wait.
He calls me to his desk, hands my my papers in a red plastic folder labeled "OUT".
Okay.
"Okay.....what? What do I do now?"
Go home. You're done.
I'm done? I can't believe it. There's no way. There's some other person or form I have to fill in for this, right? RIGHT? Silly me is almost delirious with excitement. I shove the folder in my bag and hightail it out of the clinic.
I get home, I scan my approval sheet, and I email it to Dan. My approval sheet is not the page with the signatures and check marks and all of the hard work I have put into passing my screening. It is this single piece of paper, with an X through the Yes bubble next to my name. All of that running around and confusion and screwiness for this.
Level Completed! - Medical Screening Completed!
A Day Off
July 20th
I have a day. A day I don't HAVE to do anything. So I don't. I spend it doing laundry and reading comics. Rather, I spend it reading comics and occasionally making progress on laundry. The day goes on. The laundry suffers. I am not concerned though. I am enjoying the day of doing what I want.
Okay, so this is a bit untrue. I WANT to read those comics; however I HAVE to get them read so they can go into storage. I'm still doing move related things and I barely realize it. One of these days I will not think about the move. I will not wonder if it will get done. I will not worry if I've done it right. I will not let silly me get hysterical over something, that is in the long run, insignificant. There will be a period of time, after it has all been shipped or stored, that I cannot do ANYTHING about any of it. And I will try to enjoy that time, because once that time ends begins the time of trying to get things back. I am leery of this time. Maybe I will make Dan deal with it while I go eat gelato.
Silly me worries that Dan will not be happy about some of the decisions I've made about what has gone where, and what has simply gone away. Rational me takes the more defiant stance of He left me to deal with this. So I'm dealing with it. If he doesn't like it, too bad. Neither is completely correct, which is why I need both of them.
W is either confused that Ta is not here or reveling in her absence. She has been sleeping in/on all of Ta's favorite places and marking (rubbing not peeing thankfully) all of Ta's favorite things. She does seem a bit perturbed by all of the movement of things in the house. I don't think she likes it. She is at the moment, asleep on top of the couch next to me. She can't be too upset.
For now I will continue to enjoy reading my comics. I am also grossly behind on several titles, so this allows me to catch up on what's going on in my favorite superhero worlds. Spoilers below if you are delinquent in your reading as well.
It is glorious.
I have a day. A day I don't HAVE to do anything. So I don't. I spend it doing laundry and reading comics. Rather, I spend it reading comics and occasionally making progress on laundry. The day goes on. The laundry suffers. I am not concerned though. I am enjoying the day of doing what I want.
Okay, so this is a bit untrue. I WANT to read those comics; however I HAVE to get them read so they can go into storage. I'm still doing move related things and I barely realize it. One of these days I will not think about the move. I will not wonder if it will get done. I will not worry if I've done it right. I will not let silly me get hysterical over something, that is in the long run, insignificant. There will be a period of time, after it has all been shipped or stored, that I cannot do ANYTHING about any of it. And I will try to enjoy that time, because once that time ends begins the time of trying to get things back. I am leery of this time. Maybe I will make Dan deal with it while I go eat gelato.
Silly me worries that Dan will not be happy about some of the decisions I've made about what has gone where, and what has simply gone away. Rational me takes the more defiant stance of He left me to deal with this. So I'm dealing with it. If he doesn't like it, too bad. Neither is completely correct, which is why I need both of them.
W is either confused that Ta is not here or reveling in her absence. She has been sleeping in/on all of Ta's favorite places and marking (rubbing not peeing thankfully) all of Ta's favorite things. She does seem a bit perturbed by all of the movement of things in the house. I don't think she likes it. She is at the moment, asleep on top of the couch next to me. She can't be too upset.
For now I will continue to enjoy reading my comics. I am also grossly behind on several titles, so this allows me to catch up on what's going on in my favorite superhero worlds. Spoilers below if you are delinquent in your reading as well.
- I discover that Tony Stark is adopted and has a secret invalid older brother. Say what now?!
- I finally get around to reading A.S. Echo, by Terry Moore, which is interesting and weird.
- I learn that the mastermind behind Harley Quinn's bounty is, in fact, Harley Quinn.
It is glorious.
Yard Sale
This takes place on July 19th
Did I mention I wanted to have a yard sale? We had all this stuff I was getting rid of, and I wanted SOMETHING for it. It didn't have to be a lot just something would be nice
Michael and Laura came over the night before to help me price things. I decided on a color set up. Red dots = $1, Green dots = $5, Yellow dots = $10, and Blue dots = $20. This way I only had to make a sign with the codes on it instead of pricing each individual item. Several items got bundled together to be a $1, or $5, or whatever. A few items received specialty prices.
The day before I also went to two different banks to try to get change made so I would have smaller bills if needed. The banks refused to make change if I did not have an account with them. Grocery stores and gas stations, however, were perfectly happy to make change if they were able. It seems odd to me that the money establishments won't make change without an account. The amount of money they possess is not changing. Their purpose is to handle money and monetary exchanges. Why all the snobbery?
I got up early this morning (6:45) so I could mow my lawn, so we could have the yard sale. I'm not sure what your thoughts on lawn activities and at what hours they are acceptable, but I asked the internet and then decided I didn't care. I did wait until 7:30 at least. I had some other things to do first.
My friend Jacob came to help me get things out onto the yard and then Michael and his friend Sam arrived. I set up music and then the check out table.
We met some interesting folks, including an older lady who really didn't want to spend any money. She kept trying to haggle over things that were already only a dollar. There was the woman who purchased a kayak at another yard/garage sale earlier that morning. She was quit enjoyable to talk to.
Laura, not being a morning person, came by to make lunch for us and hang out. She made BLTS, which caused the yard to smell like bacon. I think this helped sales.
At some point in the afternoon Michael plugged in the treadmill so that it would moving (proof of working he said). Later, he tied the seed spreader to it so we could have a "moving display". It intrigued many people and amused him.
The yard sale did well considering I forgot to advertise it until the night before (craigslist) or the morning of (signs on street posts). Between it and some other sales I had done before I was up 500 some dollars that I didn't have before. As I said, I probably could have done better, had I advertised a bit more and more in advance, but any money I made was money I didn't have in hand before the sale. Money, money, mo-ney!........money!
We packed everything up that didn't sell, shoved it into the Camry and I drove it off to a CHKD thrift store to be donated. I was not bringing things back into the house if I could help it.
It turns out I did not need change and I now have a foolish amount of small bills. I guess off to the strip clubs? Oh wait, Virginia doesn't allow those. We already know the banks won't make change, so I doubt they'd do the reverse. Cash out? I'm not sure what the opposite of "make change" is. Let me know if you know.
Some of the more high dollar items that didn't sell are now attempting to be sold on Craig's List. I am a little wary of this, but I guess it can't hurt to try (as long as I don't get murdered or scammed). Maybe I should rethink this Craig's List thing...
Side Quest Completed! - Yard Sale Completed!
Did I mention I wanted to have a yard sale? We had all this stuff I was getting rid of, and I wanted SOMETHING for it. It didn't have to be a lot just something would be nice
Michael and Laura came over the night before to help me price things. I decided on a color set up. Red dots = $1, Green dots = $5, Yellow dots = $10, and Blue dots = $20. This way I only had to make a sign with the codes on it instead of pricing each individual item. Several items got bundled together to be a $1, or $5, or whatever. A few items received specialty prices.
The day before I also went to two different banks to try to get change made so I would have smaller bills if needed. The banks refused to make change if I did not have an account with them. Grocery stores and gas stations, however, were perfectly happy to make change if they were able. It seems odd to me that the money establishments won't make change without an account. The amount of money they possess is not changing. Their purpose is to handle money and monetary exchanges. Why all the snobbery?
I got up early this morning (6:45) so I could mow my lawn, so we could have the yard sale. I'm not sure what your thoughts on lawn activities and at what hours they are acceptable, but I asked the internet and then decided I didn't care. I did wait until 7:30 at least. I had some other things to do first.
My friend Jacob came to help me get things out onto the yard and then Michael and his friend Sam arrived. I set up music and then the check out table.
We met some interesting folks, including an older lady who really didn't want to spend any money. She kept trying to haggle over things that were already only a dollar. There was the woman who purchased a kayak at another yard/garage sale earlier that morning. She was quit enjoyable to talk to.
Laura, not being a morning person, came by to make lunch for us and hang out. She made BLTS, which caused the yard to smell like bacon. I think this helped sales.
At some point in the afternoon Michael plugged in the treadmill so that it would moving (proof of working he said). Later, he tied the seed spreader to it so we could have a "moving display". It intrigued many people and amused him.
The yard sale did well considering I forgot to advertise it until the night before (craigslist) or the morning of (signs on street posts). Between it and some other sales I had done before I was up 500 some dollars that I didn't have before. As I said, I probably could have done better, had I advertised a bit more and more in advance, but any money I made was money I didn't have in hand before the sale. Money, money, mo-ney!........money!
We packed everything up that didn't sell, shoved it into the Camry and I drove it off to a CHKD thrift store to be donated. I was not bringing things back into the house if I could help it.
It turns out I did not need change and I now have a foolish amount of small bills. I guess off to the strip clubs? Oh wait, Virginia doesn't allow those. We already know the banks won't make change, so I doubt they'd do the reverse. Cash out? I'm not sure what the opposite of "make change" is. Let me know if you know.
Some of the more high dollar items that didn't sell are now attempting to be sold on Craig's List. I am a little wary of this, but I guess it can't hurt to try (as long as I don't get murdered or scammed). Maybe I should rethink this Craig's List thing...
Side Quest Completed! - Yard Sale Completed!
Unaccompanied Baggage
This takes place on July 18th
Unaccompanied Baggage, sometimes called UAB. It has such a sense of confidence in its name, don't you think? I mean, I'm TOTALLY convinced I'll see it again. Really I am...
The UAB movers are supposed to be here between 9 and 10 am. I had to run to the base clinic this morning so that I could get my PPD done. I had no idea how long that would take so I get up and go early. I cannot go later because the Immunizations office closes at 12:00 on Fridays. Of course it does.
There is lots of waiting, and I have to fill in another immunizations form, but it goes smoothly for the most part. I learn that people who are heavily tattooed on their forearms cause problems with PPD tests. The sub-dermal injection must be done in a "clear" spot so it can be read later. Lots of tattoos means it can't be read clearly. Fun fact.
Anyway, I get out and I go and get bagels from Yorgo's Bakery. They have very good bagels.
I have been told by anyone who's had a smooth packing that offering food to the movers usually puts you in their good graces. Since it was a morning pack, I got bagels. I did not want extra doughnuts lying around tempting me. I would eat them. I've been trying to workout so that I can get fat on gelato in Italy. (It may also be one of the few Italian words I know. I have totally failed at learning Italian in the last 3 months.)
The movers arrive a little after 10, but that's okay. At least they are close to their time frame. There are only two of them, but this move maxes out at 800lbs and none of it can be furniture. I had collected all of the items in our dining room because I barely used it anyway and it was a good place for them to gather and not be in the way. I also figured if everything was in one place that the move itself would go faster.
Not knowing how this would go, I just planned to deal with the move all day. I spent most of the time reading comics on the couch trying to stay out of their way. The one mover made the comment I know adults collect comics and little kids read 'em, but I ain't never seen an adult read them. That's cool.
They were done by 11:15. It all went well as far as I could tell. They were polite and seemed to know what they were doing. They liked their bagels. I signed the paperwork and almost promptly misplaced it.
Level Completed! - UAB Move Complete!
*I found this out later, after they had taken it away.
Unaccompanied Baggage, sometimes called UAB. It has such a sense of confidence in its name, don't you think? I mean, I'm TOTALLY convinced I'll see it again. Really I am...
The UAB movers are supposed to be here between 9 and 10 am. I had to run to the base clinic this morning so that I could get my PPD done. I had no idea how long that would take so I get up and go early. I cannot go later because the Immunizations office closes at 12:00 on Fridays. Of course it does.
There is lots of waiting, and I have to fill in another immunizations form, but it goes smoothly for the most part. I learn that people who are heavily tattooed on their forearms cause problems with PPD tests. The sub-dermal injection must be done in a "clear" spot so it can be read later. Lots of tattoos means it can't be read clearly. Fun fact.
Anyway, I get out and I go and get bagels from Yorgo's Bakery. They have very good bagels.
I have been told by anyone who's had a smooth packing that offering food to the movers usually puts you in their good graces. Since it was a morning pack, I got bagels. I did not want extra doughnuts lying around tempting me. I would eat them. I've been trying to workout so that I can get fat on gelato in Italy. (It may also be one of the few Italian words I know. I have totally failed at learning Italian in the last 3 months.)
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Look! It's 445lbs* of our stuff! (not including the table, nightstand, or radiator)
The movers arrive a little after 10, but that's okay. At least they are close to their time frame. There are only two of them, but this move maxes out at 800lbs and none of it can be furniture. I had collected all of the items in our dining room because I barely used it anyway and it was a good place for them to gather and not be in the way. I also figured if everything was in one place that the move itself would go faster.
Not knowing how this would go, I just planned to deal with the move all day. I spent most of the time reading comics on the couch trying to stay out of their way. The one mover made the comment I know adults collect comics and little kids read 'em, but I ain't never seen an adult read them. That's cool.
They were done by 11:15. It all went well as far as I could tell. They were polite and seemed to know what they were doing. They liked their bagels. I signed the paperwork and almost promptly misplaced it.
Level Completed! - UAB Move Complete!
*I found this out later, after they had taken it away.
MSD - Final Boss?
This happened on July 17th
Armed with proof of my immunizations and a physical I head back to Little Creek. I have retained my form from when I was at Immunizations before and do not have to fill it in again. MINOR SUCCESS! The immunization guy looks at my previous paperwork, my transcribed shot records (they did this last time) and my titre results. He reassures me that I do not need the PPD. Take note, this is twice now I've been told I don't need it. Immunizations guy signs my paperwork.
Immunizations Boss DEFEATED! (or so I think)
I have a folder bursting with paperwork. I go back to my favorite desk, Primary Care B, and tell them I need to see the Overseas Screening lady. I'm going to finish this this time I think. Silly me is almost giddy. They tell me to have a seat and someone will be with me shortly.
I wait.
I wait some more.
I'm beginning to think they forgot about me when a nurse comes out and tells me that the Overseas Screening lady is out of the office and won't be back until sometime next week.
UNACCEPTABLE! roars rational me. "Next week?...oh...thank you." I say instead.
Level Failed! - Medical Screening Failed!
I go and sit in my car. Feeling bemused. Well now what? There are two other clinics in the area. I can try to go to Oceana, but it's pretty far away. Should I just try Norfolk? Rational me is trying to come up with an answer. Silly me is giggling hysterically in the corner. She has cracked. I am trying to ignore silly me. I finally decide to go to Norfolk to see what happens there. Maybe at this point being at a bigger clinic will be good and someone can sign off on my paperwork and I can go on my way.
Upon arrival at the Norfolk clinic, I once again have no idea where to go. This time there is the kindly ID check guy who points me in the correct direction. It is again, upstairs. At least this time I can find the stairs without going on a quest for them.
At the top of the stairs is a glass walled waiting room with a sign that reads "Aviation Medicine." That's not right. So I wander around the glass waiting room and around a corner where I see a small sign that says "Operational Screening." This seems, somewhat, more promising, although it looks like I'm going into an abandoned office.
Signs everywhere say "No PRIMS No Appointments!" I have no idea what PRIMS is/are. I am just hoping that I have them. I fill in the sign in sheet and sit down waiting to be called upon. I am the only person not in uniform. I wait, innocently, thinking I'm doing the right thing. Then this happens:
Hey, you. You just signed in?
"Me? Yes, I..."
Why are you here? What do you need?
"I'm trying to finish my medical screening."
Let me see your paperwork. I hand it to him and he shuffles through it. Did you start with us?
"No, I..."
Where did you start?
"I started at Little Creek."
Why didn't you finish at Little Creek? We aren't supposed to do this. If you start some place you have to finish there. Is your PCP there or here?
"Because their Overseas person is gone until next week and I was told I needed to get this done ASAP."
Hmm. Where is your PCP?
"I don't have one."
What do you mean? Are they here or at Little Creek.
"Neither, I don't have one."
How do you not have a PCP?
"My dad is a physician. I just call him whenever I need something checked out and he tells me what to do."
[Laughter] Oh man, alright. I'm going to look this over and someone else will be with you in a minute, but we're not supposed to finish what got started elsewhere. We have different forms and requirements.
I am somewhat thrown by this interrogation. Wait. Did he say they have different forms and requirements? Isn't this supposed to be an across the board type thing? Why would they have different forms and requirements? rational me starts up. Silly me is still giggling in a corner somewhere. I just sit and wait for the mysterious other person to call on me.
Eventually she calls me to her desk. I get told again that they're not supposed to finish this paperwork if I started somewhere else. I decide to play dumb. I tell her "I'm sorry, my husband is deployed and I've been left to figure this whole thing out by myself. I was just told to get this done as soon as possible and it's taken me weeks to get to this point." She just sort of nods and looks over my paperwork.
We need our Immunization people to sign off on your records. You don't have a PPD. That's required.
"....I was assured several times" (okay twice, but hush) "that I wouldn't need one."
Who told you that?
The Immunization people at Little Creek.
I don't know why they told you that. Everyone has to have one. You can't go today because they're closed, but go first thing tomorrow morning to get one. Then on Monday come in first thing to have it read.
We need to schedule you an appointment for your final checks.
Final checks? There's ANOTHER part to this? You've got to be kidding me. Be quite rational me, she's still talking to us.
....earliest is end of August. Oh wait, there's a cancellation on Monday. Can you come on Monday?
YES! Yes, I can come in on Monday. Thank you cancellation!
This isn't even my final form yet!
(Yes, I know this is DragonBall Z and not a video game and totally messes with the whole quest concept. But there are a bunch of bosses out there that you thought you had beaten and it turns out they had another form. C'mon, cut me some slack.)
I go home and scramble to make sure I have everything together for the Unaccompanied Baggage move that is happening tomorrow.
Armed with proof of my immunizations and a physical I head back to Little Creek. I have retained my form from when I was at Immunizations before and do not have to fill it in again. MINOR SUCCESS! The immunization guy looks at my previous paperwork, my transcribed shot records (they did this last time) and my titre results. He reassures me that I do not need the PPD. Take note, this is twice now I've been told I don't need it. Immunizations guy signs my paperwork.
Immunizations Boss DEFEATED! (or so I think)
I have a folder bursting with paperwork. I go back to my favorite desk, Primary Care B, and tell them I need to see the Overseas Screening lady. I'm going to finish this this time I think. Silly me is almost giddy. They tell me to have a seat and someone will be with me shortly.
I wait.
I wait some more.
I'm beginning to think they forgot about me when a nurse comes out and tells me that the Overseas Screening lady is out of the office and won't be back until sometime next week.
UNACCEPTABLE! roars rational me. "Next week?...oh...thank you." I say instead.
Level Failed! - Medical Screening Failed!
I go and sit in my car. Feeling bemused. Well now what? There are two other clinics in the area. I can try to go to Oceana, but it's pretty far away. Should I just try Norfolk? Rational me is trying to come up with an answer. Silly me is giggling hysterically in the corner. She has cracked. I am trying to ignore silly me. I finally decide to go to Norfolk to see what happens there. Maybe at this point being at a bigger clinic will be good and someone can sign off on my paperwork and I can go on my way.
Upon arrival at the Norfolk clinic, I once again have no idea where to go. This time there is the kindly ID check guy who points me in the correct direction. It is again, upstairs. At least this time I can find the stairs without going on a quest for them.
At the top of the stairs is a glass walled waiting room with a sign that reads "Aviation Medicine." That's not right. So I wander around the glass waiting room and around a corner where I see a small sign that says "Operational Screening." This seems, somewhat, more promising, although it looks like I'm going into an abandoned office.
Signs everywhere say "No PRIMS No Appointments!" I have no idea what PRIMS is/are. I am just hoping that I have them. I fill in the sign in sheet and sit down waiting to be called upon. I am the only person not in uniform. I wait, innocently, thinking I'm doing the right thing. Then this happens:
Hey, you. You just signed in?
"Me? Yes, I..."
Why are you here? What do you need?
"I'm trying to finish my medical screening."
Let me see your paperwork. I hand it to him and he shuffles through it. Did you start with us?
"No, I..."
Where did you start?
"I started at Little Creek."
Why didn't you finish at Little Creek? We aren't supposed to do this. If you start some place you have to finish there. Is your PCP there or here?
"Because their Overseas person is gone until next week and I was told I needed to get this done ASAP."
Hmm. Where is your PCP?
"I don't have one."
What do you mean? Are they here or at Little Creek.
"Neither, I don't have one."
How do you not have a PCP?
"My dad is a physician. I just call him whenever I need something checked out and he tells me what to do."
[Laughter] Oh man, alright. I'm going to look this over and someone else will be with you in a minute, but we're not supposed to finish what got started elsewhere. We have different forms and requirements.
I am somewhat thrown by this interrogation. Wait. Did he say they have different forms and requirements? Isn't this supposed to be an across the board type thing? Why would they have different forms and requirements? rational me starts up. Silly me is still giggling in a corner somewhere. I just sit and wait for the mysterious other person to call on me.
Eventually she calls me to her desk. I get told again that they're not supposed to finish this paperwork if I started somewhere else. I decide to play dumb. I tell her "I'm sorry, my husband is deployed and I've been left to figure this whole thing out by myself. I was just told to get this done as soon as possible and it's taken me weeks to get to this point." She just sort of nods and looks over my paperwork.
We need our Immunization people to sign off on your records. You don't have a PPD. That's required.
"....I was assured several times" (okay twice, but hush) "that I wouldn't need one."
Who told you that?
The Immunization people at Little Creek.
I don't know why they told you that. Everyone has to have one. You can't go today because they're closed, but go first thing tomorrow morning to get one. Then on Monday come in first thing to have it read.
We need to schedule you an appointment for your final checks.
Final checks? There's ANOTHER part to this? You've got to be kidding me. Be quite rational me, she's still talking to us.
....earliest is end of August. Oh wait, there's a cancellation on Monday. Can you come on Monday?
YES! Yes, I can come in on Monday. Thank you cancellation!
This isn't even my final form yet!
(Yes, I know this is DragonBall Z and not a video game and totally messes with the whole quest concept. But there are a bunch of bosses out there that you thought you had beaten and it turns out they had another form. C'mon, cut me some slack.)
I go home and scramble to make sure I have everything together for the Unaccompanied Baggage move that is happening tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Poked and Prodded
I came back from Colorado to get poked and prodded.
I am immune to chickenpox and Hepatitis A. I don't remember getting immunizations for Hep A, but I must have at some point. I feel like that's something I should remember... At least now I can attempt to finish my medical screening when I get home.
My doctors visits in Winchester were uneventful. Oh, I take that back, my optometrist's fancy new record/patient/whatever software freaked out and wouldn't print prescriptions. It didn't occur to my optometrist that she could just write out the prescriptions like she used to. Weeeee technology! Sometimes it makes us forget that we can do things without it. It might be all a part of its evil plan.
Again, things went fine. My parents agree to continue to pet sit Ta. I had her come along when I came up so she could play with my mom's dog Possibly Nigel, and so they could pet sit for me while I was in Colorado. They will now keep her into early August so I do not have to worry about her being underfoot with the next two moves. I am very appreciative of this.
I made it back to Norfolk in time to start panicking about the first move on the 18th.
I am immune to chickenpox and Hepatitis A. I don't remember getting immunizations for Hep A, but I must have at some point. I feel like that's something I should remember... At least now I can attempt to finish my medical screening when I get home.
My doctors visits in Winchester were uneventful. Oh, I take that back, my optometrist's fancy new record/patient/whatever software freaked out and wouldn't print prescriptions. It didn't occur to my optometrist that she could just write out the prescriptions like she used to. Weeeee technology! Sometimes it makes us forget that we can do things without it. It might be all a part of its evil plan.
Again, things went fine. My parents agree to continue to pet sit Ta. I had her come along when I came up so she could play with my mom's dog Possibly Nigel, and so they could pet sit for me while I was in Colorado. They will now keep her into early August so I do not have to worry about her being underfoot with the next two moves. I am very appreciative of this.
I made it back to Norfolk in time to start panicking about the first move on the 18th.
Colorado
Here is a brief intermission from move related things.
I went to Denver and Boulder to visit friends and family. I had a very good time and enjoyed seeing people. A good chunk of it was spent being somewhat drunk and silly. Silly me enjoyed this immensely. Rational me was asleep....I think.
We went to the Renaissance Festival which was a blast. It turns out knowing someone who works there is really helpful with things like free cider and free turkey legs. NOMS!
I went to Denver and Boulder to visit friends and family. I had a very good time and enjoyed seeing people. A good chunk of it was spent being somewhat drunk and silly. Silly me enjoyed this immensely. Rational me was asleep....I think.
We went to the Renaissance Festival which was a blast. It turns out knowing someone who works there is really helpful with things like free cider and free turkey legs. NOMS!
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Apparently none of our feet were photographed. Maybe they were too dirty?
P.S. I spent way too much time trying to get these photos to line up the way I wanted. I'm sure it will all go to hell on various viewing devices and browsers. Oh well.
Last Day of Work
July 3rd is my last day of work.
I am sad to be leaving, as I enjoyed my job (for the most part), and the people I worked with. I think they will miss me, if nothing else they will lose weight but maybe miss the baked goods I used to bring in for them.
I have a mountain of things to do and I simply cannot get them all done while still working. There is not enough time in the day and I do not have enough energy. It is wearing me out and things are not getting accomplished the way they should. I also desperately want to visit family and friends because I don't know when I will see them again.
Fourth of July weekend is freedom for US. The USA and me. Get it? It's clever. Oh never mind. Anyway, it's freedom for me to panic more than anything else. I am going to Winchester on the 9th so that I can have a physical and titre done (remember those?). I am going to Colorado to visit friends the 11th-14th, and then I am getting poked and prodded the 15th and 16th. My first move is on the 18th. I am cutting things a bit close.
I hope that after all of the poking and prodding I will be able to pass the medical screening and move onto the next thing.
Did I mention that I don't know when Dan's coming home? He said to schedule us to fly to Iowa to visit his family August 7th-12th, but he hasn't been scheduled to leave the carrier yet. (Yes I know he's a Sub guy and they should be underwater. He's on loan to the surface community.) The carrier is deployed for 9 months but Dan is supposed to return in August.
And I still don't know when we're leaving for Italy. Oh well.
I am sad to be leaving, as I enjoyed my job (for the most part), and the people I worked with. I think they will miss me, if nothing else they will lose weight but maybe miss the baked goods I used to bring in for them.
I have a mountain of things to do and I simply cannot get them all done while still working. There is not enough time in the day and I do not have enough energy. It is wearing me out and things are not getting accomplished the way they should. I also desperately want to visit family and friends because I don't know when I will see them again.
Fourth of July weekend is freedom for US. The USA and me. Get it? It's clever. Oh never mind. Anyway, it's freedom for me to panic more than anything else. I am going to Winchester on the 9th so that I can have a physical and titre done (remember those?). I am going to Colorado to visit friends the 11th-14th, and then I am getting poked and prodded the 15th and 16th. My first move is on the 18th. I am cutting things a bit close.
I hope that after all of the poking and prodding I will be able to pass the medical screening and move onto the next thing.
Did I mention that I don't know when Dan's coming home? He said to schedule us to fly to Iowa to visit his family August 7th-12th, but he hasn't been scheduled to leave the carrier yet. (Yes I know he's a Sub guy and they should be underwater. He's on loan to the surface community.) The carrier is deployed for 9 months but Dan is supposed to return in August.
And I still don't know when we're leaving for Italy. Oh well.
Passport, Part 3
This takes place on June 28th
After much hemming and hawing Dan gets an ordermod and my name now appears in his orders. Hurray!
I print off the new orders and go back to the passport office. I have orders, two photos, my civilian passport, the passport application form, and the letter from the Command that I know they don't want, but I'm bringing it anyway.
I am wary because of DD Form 1056 (remember that?); I still do not have an original copy of it, but I'm going to try again anyway.
This time there's a receptionist type person, or his desk is just unfortunately located, I can't tell. It is not the same person I spoke to last time, although that individual is in the office. I can see him hiding behind his mini cubicle wall.
The new guy wants to know what I need and I say I'm there to get a no-fee passport. He asks for my documents. I proudly hand over my stack of paperwork. He looks for my name in the orders. THERE IT IS! I want to shout, but I refrain. He looks at the other paper work, my photos, my civilian passport, and then he looks at my DD Form 1056. He pauses. I hold my breath.
We have to have an original of this form. No copies will be accepted.
I start to interject "But he said.." gesturing to the man hiding in his cubicle. The man in the cubicle rumbles I told her I'd take care of it. If she got her ordermod. New guy relents. He has me sign some things puts all of my documentation into an envelope and says they'll call me when they get the passport.
Before I can run out (I'm convinced they'll change their minds about DD Form 1056) he hands me a sheet of documents that I will need to get my Visa once the passport arrives. I look at the list and sigh. It again has things that I need from Dan. I hope he can get them.
Level Completed! - Passport Submission Complete!
After much hemming and hawing Dan gets an ordermod and my name now appears in his orders. Hurray!
I print off the new orders and go back to the passport office. I have orders, two photos, my civilian passport, the passport application form, and the letter from the Command that I know they don't want, but I'm bringing it anyway.
I am wary because of DD Form 1056 (remember that?); I still do not have an original copy of it, but I'm going to try again anyway.
This time there's a receptionist type person, or his desk is just unfortunately located, I can't tell. It is not the same person I spoke to last time, although that individual is in the office. I can see him hiding behind his mini cubicle wall.
The new guy wants to know what I need and I say I'm there to get a no-fee passport. He asks for my documents. I proudly hand over my stack of paperwork. He looks for my name in the orders. THERE IT IS! I want to shout, but I refrain. He looks at the other paper work, my photos, my civilian passport, and then he looks at my DD Form 1056. He pauses. I hold my breath.
We have to have an original of this form. No copies will be accepted.
I start to interject "But he said.." gesturing to the man hiding in his cubicle. The man in the cubicle rumbles I told her I'd take care of it. If she got her ordermod. New guy relents. He has me sign some things puts all of my documentation into an envelope and says they'll call me when they get the passport.
Before I can run out (I'm convinced they'll change their minds about DD Form 1056) he hands me a sheet of documents that I will need to get my Visa once the passport arrives. I look at the list and sigh. It again has things that I need from Dan. I hope he can get them.
Level Completed! - Passport Submission Complete!
Side Notes & Shout Outs
As I said at the beginning, I was working full time through all of this. My work was amazing about me randomly disappearing and having to take days off to get things done. I do greatly appreciate their flexibility.
My parents are also being awesome and letting us store some of our more sentimental and delicate items in their house. I am not sure the government warehouse has climate control and some of the things I don't want strangers handling at all because they are old, delicate, or extremely sentimental.
Michael has been awesome about watching our pets whenever I had to run off somewhere. I tease him that they are time-share pets. He only gets them random weekends.
Also throughout this process I was trying to organize and inventory everything in our house. It is an incredibly daunting task. I kept coming up with a process, and then realizing that there was a better way. Going room by room seemed like a great idea when I started with our guest room. It's really easy to inventory a room that doesn't really have much in it. I failed when I went to inventory our office. It's also a dumping ground for things we don't know what to do with. I think I inventoried the furniture and then gave up. I did better by going through a room and getting rid of things first. I'd then only inventory as items got moved around to Storage or Move. This seems to be working okay. Between spreadsheets and photos I think I will have a record of just about everything.
I would send Dan emails periodically asking him what he wanted to do with certain items and if we should toss, store, or move something. He does get some say. Don't think I'm just tossing all of his things away because he's not here to defend them.
My parents are also being awesome and letting us store some of our more sentimental and delicate items in their house. I am not sure the government warehouse has climate control and some of the things I don't want strangers handling at all because they are old, delicate, or extremely sentimental.
Michael has been awesome about watching our pets whenever I had to run off somewhere. I tease him that they are time-share pets. He only gets them random weekends.
Also throughout this process I was trying to organize and inventory everything in our house. It is an incredibly daunting task. I kept coming up with a process, and then realizing that there was a better way. Going room by room seemed like a great idea when I started with our guest room. It's really easy to inventory a room that doesn't really have much in it. I failed when I went to inventory our office. It's also a dumping ground for things we don't know what to do with. I think I inventoried the furniture and then gave up. I did better by going through a room and getting rid of things first. I'd then only inventory as items got moved around to Storage or Move. This seems to be working okay. Between spreadsheets and photos I think I will have a record of just about everything.
I would send Dan emails periodically asking him what he wanted to do with certain items and if we should toss, store, or move something. He does get some say. Don't think I'm just tossing all of his things away because he's not here to defend them.
MSD - Mini Bosses
This takes place June 27th
Note: This one's a long one.
I go off to the Little Creek Clinic thinking that they will not be as busy as the Norfolk clinic. This turns out to be true, for the most part.
For any of you out there who have played video games, the medical screening was very much like a Zelda dungeon with a touch of old school Mario thrown in the mix.
Armed with my results of normal lady bits, random records of general healthiness, my shiny ID of militaryness, and a book to break boredom, I approach the front doors.
Except they aren't the front doors. I need to get to the Primary Care B desk, which is.....elsewhere. I wander off down a hallway that looks promising. I find a vending machine, but no front desk. I finally find it hiding behind a wall and a bunch of people waiting.
I get in line.
I get to the front of the line and explain that I need a medical screening for overseas. I am not in the system. Before I can proceed, I have to be put in the system.
Rational me is confused. Why am I not in the system? I have an ID. I was enrolled in DEERS. Shouldn't the systems all access each other?
I am told to wait in a chair in the middle of a narrow and busy corridor and someone will be with me shortly.
I wait. I break out my book. It's why I brought it.
Someone IS with me shortly, which takes me by surprise. I was not expecting this. I go to the gentleman's office where he puts my information into his computer. I do not show up on any records. I am not the service member, I explain. The gentleman is very kind. He tries again and sees that I am listed under Dan's information (which hasn't been updated since he was an ROTC Cadet). The kind gentleman gets me set up in the system and I go back out to the line.
I get to the front of the line and explain that I need a medical screening for overseas.
Do you have an appointment?
"No, I was told I wouldn't need one."
You need an appointment.
"Oh..."
What do you need the medical screening for?
"My husband is getting stationed overseas and I want to go with him. I was told I needed a medical screening."
OH. You need to talk to the Overseas Screening person.
"....Yes?"
Wait over there, someone will be with you shortly.
I sit. I wait. I break out my book. The overseas screening lady appears and takes me to her office. I am excited. I think I've got this licked. I have all sorts of paperwork. My excitement turns to dread upon receiving the medical packet and a litany of instructions for completing it. I promptly forget the instructions.
But I have lots of paperwork. Isn't it enough? silly me wonders.
I am told I have to go upstairs to Dental to pass a dental screening and then to Immunizations to see if I need any of those.
(Note: It is at this point that I can no longer be frustrated or angry at this whole process. It has been so ridiculous that I have just started laughing at it - or gone into full blown hysterics, I'm not sure which)
Armed with these new missions I head off. I cannot find Dental. I cannot find a way to get upstairs. I finally find a map of the building and there are no stairs, no elevators, no means of ascending up one story to the fabled land of Dental. I am perplexed. I wander off through other corridors until I end up back where I started originally, the wrong front entrance.
A kind soul at Medical Records sees my confusion and is able to give me directions. Aided with her directions, I set off again. It turns out the only way to get to Dental is an elevator that is in a little room that is not connected to the rest of the building, as far as I can tell, except by a very long hallway.
I have found Dental!
I approach the desk (once I find it, again it is not obvious). I tell them I need a dental screening for my overseas medical screening. The doctor who does those is on vacation and no one scheduled a replacement for them while they are gone. The earliest they can get me in is July 16th. I can't do that I say. Silly me is starting to panic. I can feel the anxiety rising in my chest.
How many screenings do you need?
"What? I don't understand."
How many people need screenings?
"Uh....just me?"
Just you?
"....Yes?"
It turns out that if I have the time, they can see me now. I HAVE THE TIME. SEE ME NOW. I fear if I hesitate the receptionist will realize it's a mistake. She hands me a packet of information to fill in while I wait to get XRays.
I just got Xrays. Can't they just call my dentist? silly me thinks. Before I can open my mouth to ask the receptionist about this, rational me butts in Just get the XRays, don't complicate things. You will probably have to wait for them to be mailed or something. It'll just make things worse for you.
I keep my mouth shut.
I sit and fill in the dental packet and wait for XRays.
XRay is finally ready for me. We have to do bite wings and a panorama. My problem with bite wings is that I have extra bone on my palate. This makes my mouth smaller and regular bite wings don't work. I can't close my mouth around them and usually end up having to use the children's sized ones. This seems to not concern the XRay tech, who lets me tear up and gag about a dozen times to get four good shots. At this point my mouth hurts from trying bit down on something that doesn't physically fit in my mouth. At least the panorama XRays go smoothly.
Armed with dental paperwork and XRays I go off to next part of the dental screening. This thankfully goes smoothly. I get my checklist signed by the dentist.
Dental Screening Boss DEFEATED!
Now I try to find Immunizations. Luckily it's near the wrong front entrance. All I have is the very official looking word document that my mother used to keep with my shot records on it. It ends in 2004. I know I've had Tetanus since then and possibly something else when I went to Costa Rica, but I'm not sure.
All anyone at Immunization cares about is if I have had chickenpox. I tell them I had it as a kid. I also get told several times that I do not need a PPD (test for Tuberculosis). Since I had chickenpox, I need to get a titre to see if I am immune to it as well as Hepatitis A. If I am not, then I need to be immunized.
Why can't they just give me the immunizations now and skip the titre? I don't care if I'm "extra" immune. Both mes think this one.
I was sooooo close. UGH! Things were going too well.
I'm sorry, your princess is in another castle!
I am a bit annoyed at this point, because I have also found out that I need a physical within the last 12 months as part of my screening process. My dad is a physician. Had I known about the titre and the physical, I could have had him do them when I was in Winchester the weekend before. But again, I mostly just laugh it off. What can you do?
I cannot complete my medical screening until I go to my doctors appointments in July at this point.
SIGH.
Note: This one's a long one.
I go off to the Little Creek Clinic thinking that they will not be as busy as the Norfolk clinic. This turns out to be true, for the most part.
For any of you out there who have played video games, the medical screening was very much like a Zelda dungeon with a touch of old school Mario thrown in the mix.
Armed with my results of normal lady bits, random records of general healthiness, my shiny ID of militaryness, and a book to break boredom, I approach the front doors.
Except they aren't the front doors. I need to get to the Primary Care B desk, which is.....elsewhere. I wander off down a hallway that looks promising. I find a vending machine, but no front desk. I finally find it hiding behind a wall and a bunch of people waiting.
I get in line.
I get to the front of the line and explain that I need a medical screening for overseas. I am not in the system. Before I can proceed, I have to be put in the system.
Rational me is confused. Why am I not in the system? I have an ID. I was enrolled in DEERS. Shouldn't the systems all access each other?
I am told to wait in a chair in the middle of a narrow and busy corridor and someone will be with me shortly.
I wait. I break out my book. It's why I brought it.
Someone IS with me shortly, which takes me by surprise. I was not expecting this. I go to the gentleman's office where he puts my information into his computer. I do not show up on any records. I am not the service member, I explain. The gentleman is very kind. He tries again and sees that I am listed under Dan's information (which hasn't been updated since he was an ROTC Cadet). The kind gentleman gets me set up in the system and I go back out to the line.
I get to the front of the line and explain that I need a medical screening for overseas.
Do you have an appointment?
"No, I was told I wouldn't need one."
You need an appointment.
"Oh..."
What do you need the medical screening for?
"My husband is getting stationed overseas and I want to go with him. I was told I needed a medical screening."
OH. You need to talk to the Overseas Screening person.
"....Yes?"
Wait over there, someone will be with you shortly.
I sit. I wait. I break out my book. The overseas screening lady appears and takes me to her office. I am excited. I think I've got this licked. I have all sorts of paperwork. My excitement turns to dread upon receiving the medical packet and a litany of instructions for completing it. I promptly forget the instructions.
But I have lots of paperwork. Isn't it enough? silly me wonders.
I am told I have to go upstairs to Dental to pass a dental screening and then to Immunizations to see if I need any of those.
(Note: It is at this point that I can no longer be frustrated or angry at this whole process. It has been so ridiculous that I have just started laughing at it - or gone into full blown hysterics, I'm not sure which)
Armed with these new missions I head off. I cannot find Dental. I cannot find a way to get upstairs. I finally find a map of the building and there are no stairs, no elevators, no means of ascending up one story to the fabled land of Dental. I am perplexed. I wander off through other corridors until I end up back where I started originally, the wrong front entrance.
A kind soul at Medical Records sees my confusion and is able to give me directions. Aided with her directions, I set off again. It turns out the only way to get to Dental is an elevator that is in a little room that is not connected to the rest of the building, as far as I can tell, except by a very long hallway.
I have found Dental!
I approach the desk (once I find it, again it is not obvious). I tell them I need a dental screening for my overseas medical screening. The doctor who does those is on vacation and no one scheduled a replacement for them while they are gone. The earliest they can get me in is July 16th. I can't do that I say. Silly me is starting to panic. I can feel the anxiety rising in my chest.
How many screenings do you need?
"What? I don't understand."
How many people need screenings?
"Uh....just me?"
Just you?
"....Yes?"
It turns out that if I have the time, they can see me now. I HAVE THE TIME. SEE ME NOW. I fear if I hesitate the receptionist will realize it's a mistake. She hands me a packet of information to fill in while I wait to get XRays.
I just got Xrays. Can't they just call my dentist? silly me thinks. Before I can open my mouth to ask the receptionist about this, rational me butts in Just get the XRays, don't complicate things. You will probably have to wait for them to be mailed or something. It'll just make things worse for you.
I keep my mouth shut.
I sit and fill in the dental packet and wait for XRays.
XRay is finally ready for me. We have to do bite wings and a panorama. My problem with bite wings is that I have extra bone on my palate. This makes my mouth smaller and regular bite wings don't work. I can't close my mouth around them and usually end up having to use the children's sized ones. This seems to not concern the XRay tech, who lets me tear up and gag about a dozen times to get four good shots. At this point my mouth hurts from trying bit down on something that doesn't physically fit in my mouth. At least the panorama XRays go smoothly.
Armed with dental paperwork and XRays I go off to next part of the dental screening. This thankfully goes smoothly. I get my checklist signed by the dentist.
Dental Screening Boss DEFEATED!
Now I try to find Immunizations. Luckily it's near the wrong front entrance. All I have is the very official looking word document that my mother used to keep with my shot records on it. It ends in 2004. I know I've had Tetanus since then and possibly something else when I went to Costa Rica, but I'm not sure.
All anyone at Immunization cares about is if I have had chickenpox. I tell them I had it as a kid. I also get told several times that I do not need a PPD (test for Tuberculosis). Since I had chickenpox, I need to get a titre to see if I am immune to it as well as Hepatitis A. If I am not, then I need to be immunized.
Why can't they just give me the immunizations now and skip the titre? I don't care if I'm "extra" immune. Both mes think this one.
I was sooooo close. UGH! Things were going too well.
I'm sorry, your princess is in another castle!
I am a bit annoyed at this point, because I have also found out that I need a physical within the last 12 months as part of my screening process. My dad is a physician. Had I known about the titre and the physical, I could have had him do them when I was in Winchester the weekend before. But again, I mostly just laugh it off. What can you do?
I cannot complete my medical screening until I go to my doctors appointments in July at this point.
SIGH.
MSD - Pre Dungeon Quest
I somehow find that I need to have been to the dentist in the last 180 days or I will not pass the dental portion of my medical screening. I frantically call my dentist in Winchester to see if they can arrange an appointment Friday or Monday. Luckily they had a cancellation and can fit me in on Monday the 23rd.
I spend the weekend in Winchester, and I spend Monday trying to collect the various medical records that I have floating around there. I go to my appointment, and they take xrays, and everything is fine.
I drive back to Norfolk.
Passport, Part 2
In early June, it becomes clear that I do, in fact, need a no-fee military passport. This requires a letter from the Command as well as DD Form 1056 signed in blue ink.
This is DD Form 1056. It becomes the bane of my existence for the next several weeks.
The Command Yeoman finally gets around to giving Dan the letter I need. It's a form letter. It would take 5 minutes, if even to create it. It took about 4 weeks to get it. The address is incorrect.
Dan finally gets the DCOM to fill in and sign DD Form 1056. He sends me a color scan, because they're deployed and mail isn't reliable at all.
I print out a copy as well as a copy of the corrected letter. Did I mention our printer broke at this point and all I had access to were black and white printers at work? This isn't going to be a problem is it.....?
June 20th
Manned with my armfuls of paperwork I go off to the passport office. The civilian employee informs me of the following problems with my paperwork:
My name and birthday are not in the orders. Apparently starting October 1, 2013 all military orders are required to include all dependents and their birthdays. Clearly only the passport office knows this considering Dan's orders go through several individuals before they get to him and no one noticed. Anyone else I asked about this had also never heard of it being done.
They will not accept copies of DD Form 1056. It MUST be an original and signed in blue ink. The following conversation occurs:
"I have the scan on my phone. I can show you it's got blue ink."
Can't do it. Has to be an original.
"But my Command is deployed. How am I supposed to get an original?"
Do you know where they are?
"Off the coast of Iraq."
They can mail you the original, but you really should have started this sooner. The passport process takes time and there's a visa you'll have to apply for once it comes in. You're going to be tight on time given your leave date.
EXASPERATED SIGH.
Really you should have asked the Command to have given you this paperwork before they deployed.
"Why would they have done that? We didn't have orders then. Why would I have asked for paperwork I had no idea I would need months before we had orders?"
I MIGHT be able to help get around DD Form 1056, but you REALLY have to have an ordermod and have you name on the orders.
SIGH. "Okay. Thank you."
I'm pretty sure there was a third thing that was wrong or that I was missing. Oh, and that letter? That the Yeoman took 4 weeks to do incorrectly? The passport office doesn't need it and wasn't interested in it. SIGH.
The move has been going like this so far:
The Command Yeoman finally gets around to giving Dan the letter I need. It's a form letter. It would take 5 minutes, if even to create it. It took about 4 weeks to get it. The address is incorrect.
Dan finally gets the DCOM to fill in and sign DD Form 1056. He sends me a color scan, because they're deployed and mail isn't reliable at all.
I print out a copy as well as a copy of the corrected letter. Did I mention our printer broke at this point and all I had access to were black and white printers at work? This isn't going to be a problem is it.....?
June 20th
Manned with my armfuls of paperwork I go off to the passport office. The civilian employee informs me of the following problems with my paperwork:
My name and birthday are not in the orders. Apparently starting October 1, 2013 all military orders are required to include all dependents and their birthdays. Clearly only the passport office knows this considering Dan's orders go through several individuals before they get to him and no one noticed. Anyone else I asked about this had also never heard of it being done.
They will not accept copies of DD Form 1056. It MUST be an original and signed in blue ink. The following conversation occurs:
"I have the scan on my phone. I can show you it's got blue ink."
Can't do it. Has to be an original.
"But my Command is deployed. How am I supposed to get an original?"
Do you know where they are?
"Off the coast of Iraq."
They can mail you the original, but you really should have started this sooner. The passport process takes time and there's a visa you'll have to apply for once it comes in. You're going to be tight on time given your leave date.
EXASPERATED SIGH.
Really you should have asked the Command to have given you this paperwork before they deployed.
"Why would they have done that? We didn't have orders then. Why would I have asked for paperwork I had no idea I would need months before we had orders?"
I MIGHT be able to help get around DD Form 1056, but you REALLY have to have an ordermod and have you name on the orders.
SIGH. "Okay. Thank you."
I'm pretty sure there was a third thing that was wrong or that I was missing. Oh, and that letter? That the Yeoman took 4 weeks to do incorrectly? The passport office doesn't need it and wasn't interested in it. SIGH.
I gather up my paperwork and I leave the passport office. I feel Defeated. Frustrated. Confused. Everything is Stupid. Why is this so hard? You'd think they'd have figured this out by now, considering they do it all the time. I can't possibly be the first Navy spouse to do an overseas move on their own.
I sit in my car. Silly me wants to cry. Rational me wants to punch a window. I do a bit of both.
Passport Attempt FAILED!
I sit in my car. Silly me wants to cry. Rational me wants to punch a window. I do a bit of both.
Passport Attempt FAILED!
The move has been going like this so far:
Unfortunately for me, I did not have a clever solution like Asterix did. It's kind of amusing to me that this part of the movie takes place in Italy. If you aren't familiar with Asterix the Gaul, or this film - Asterix and the 12 Tasks, you should really check them out. They are quite entertaining and full of puns.
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