Without or While or Cancelled?

Hey all,

Hopefully you all enjoyed the wonderful musical selections from my 50 Song Challenge, now it's time for a real update. Seeing as in we are inching closer to the time that I leave for Spain, and I am a basket of emotions.

I don't have a set date for when I am leaving, all I can say at the moment is that my "target" date to leave is mid-september, because I am waiting to have visa in hand before I buy my plane ticket in order to not have to pay anything extra in case something gets delayed. Which at this point, I'm not sure if there will be or not.

The whole visa process is pretty extraneous. So many papers to have, copies of everything, running from this office to that office...and here I am, possibly having to start one part of it over because some lady decided to make the simplest instructions in the most absurd way. So here is a little background so that you all can understand what went down. In order to get a visa you have to get an FBI background check with an apostille on it. No, I'm not talking about a biblical apostle (lol). This apostille is a paper that comes from an agreement that many countries signed in order to accept documents between other countries who signed the agreement. BUT in order to get the apostille it's kind of tricky-

Step 1
Get FBI Background Check
(Done- I had to have it done back in May in order to apply for the program)

Step 2
Write a letter stating that I am the person from the background check
(Done)

Step 3
Get that letter notarized
(Done $10)

Step 4
Get the notarized letter authenticated by the county clerk
(Done- $9, and luckily I could get it done in Lancaster and not drive all the way to Norwalk)

Step 5
Take Notarized letter with the authentication from the county clerk to the California Secretary of State Regional office in Downtown LA
(Done- $25 for a metrolink ticket to DTLA, and $26 for the apostille)

So as you can all see the process to get the apostille is kind of a lot. So the snag in my plan to perfectly execute this mission in the name of getting my visa to Spain comes when the lady at the Secretary of State couldn't give good directions. I get there to the office building, after not sleeping at night, getting up super early and traveling 2 hours, and maneuvering my way there. I have all of my documents with me Authentication, letter, and notary paper stapled together, and the copy of the background check was not stapled to the packet. So the lady flips to the last page of the packet and tells me that the background check needs to be stapled to the back of that page and what I heard was WITHOUT being attached to the rest of the papers. Therefore I removed the back page of the packet in order to staple it to my copy of the background check. As soon as I do that she says in her incredibly irritating singsong voice "Oh my God, what did you do? Now it's not valid..." umm WTF? Apparently what she said was that it need to be stapled WHILE being attached to all the papers. In which case WHY did she flip to the back page and give those kind of instructions instead of just saying it the most logical way that the background check needed to be stapled to the back of the packet?! So she proceeds to tell me that they are not responsible if Spain doesn't accept my documents...etc. I WANTED TO SCRATCH HER EYES OUT...but instead I smiled and said thank you.

So not all is lost. I have my visa appointment this Friday, and I am hoping that they don't throw it out because of the tiny rip from a staple on the second to last page. If that does happen not all is lost. I have heard others going and not having that part done and they tell them to come back, so I'll just have to do it all over again. But as you can see with all of the costs to do it over again, it's taking away $70 THAT I COULD USE WHILE IN SPAIN!

I'll keep you all updated on what goes down.

In other news...and more wasted money so to speak. The alumni play that I was working on with my high school got cancelled. Originally we were doing a full length play, but then people couldn't keep up with the commitment, so with a month to go everyone who was still game got new scripts, but it just wasn't enough time to do the show justice. In part I am sad, because I was excited to perform again, especially back in my hometown where I got my start. Another part of me is even more disappointed because of all of the money I spent on gas to get from my east Palmdale home to Rosamond twice a week, again money that would have been useful while in Spain waiting for my first paycheck.

Tis all I have to say for now. Until next time, I hope to bring you all good news and good times. Leave the love. Comments are always appreciated <3

~Cathy