passport fury

unbelievable. I woke up at 6 am thinking that I could garner myself a spot in the line up for a passport today at Sinclair Centre... Little did I know arriving half an hour EARLY prior to the office being open = minimum 6-7 hour estimated wait time just to get into the building. I met all kinds of people around me so it was kind of nice despite the pouring rain. I gave my big heavy duty umbrella away to this old man who spoke my native tongue because I couldn't stand the thought of him getting soaked through and through given his frail appearance. So, an hour and a bit into the line up I just left... no way I'm going to wait for that long in the midst of finals. Time to brave it again tomorrow morning... though this time... frickin' earlier. This backlog wouldn't have happened if the US didn't make it mandatory that all travellers crossing the border even by car, to have a passport. One thing is for sure - it's going to be a major blow to businesses on both sides of the border...

In other news, there is nothing more satisfying today than to have a kid proclaim he's figured out fractions because of this chant I get them to recite: BIG TIMES BOTTOM TIMES TOP. It's never failed yet. Times like this I want to give the kid a big star and a smelly sticker for added super effect. Cuz fractions... they just uber suck.

On a completely different note, my hip and knee joints hurt so much... on the road to premature gerontia? check.