A Chill Pill (and a decent visa photo)

My visa appointment is tomorrow! Ahhh! I'm on the verge of a panic attack and we haven't even left for Washington DC yet. Tomorrow determines whether I get to leave on time or whether I get to go to France at all. My entire life is the the hands of the French government. *shivers* I am scared. I have all the paperwork required (I think, as long as I don't forget to pack it, leave it in a taxi, drop it in mud, etc...) but I just decided that maybe they do want the application form filled out in French. Slight problem since I'm going to France in order to learn French, not because I'm already fluent. Also, I'm out of time. Why, then, am I writing on this blog when I clearly have more important things to do? Well, stress relief and because I care more for my loyal readers (at least the two I know I have, i.e. my parents) and their knowledge of my personal current events than I do about my entire year in France. This is a lie. Beware, I have been known to attempt sarcasm.

Anyway, so I was also freaking out about the very specific, 3.5 by 4.5cm, face front, ears showing, no teeth visable (I guess if you have no front teeth you're allowed to smile?) visa photo. First attempt was no good. Don't trust CVS. I could have done better taking my own picture at home. Exhibit A:

Gross! Why am I so shiny??

Next try was a frenzied call to Elegant Portraits today. Notice in the picture above the proportions of the picture are all wrong and only one ear is showing. I was concerned. The picture taken today is a billion times better for what I need. It meets all the qualifications necessary. Unfortunately, it also makes me look like a terrorist (remember, enforced neutral expression) but hopefully the embassy won't notice that. Exhibit B:

Haha, scary!

So, all this to say, I am in serious need of a chill pill or at least a nap. Worrying is exhausting and something I don't do often enough to feel at ease with. As soon as I know the verdict and can get myself to a computer, I'll let you know!

A Blog

This is only my first post (on any blog...ever) and already this page has evolved numerous times. Mostly the change is in the title, but with that, of course, comes the entire theme of the blog. At first I was looking for something really dramatic and poetic. I was thinking of titles that combined words like adventure, quest, and life. I tried to use a Disney quote but it was too long and a Strictly Ballroom quote that, after contemplation, I decided really didn't say much about what I was going for.

Then I started putting descriptive words together and came up with my brother's personal favorite, The Travelling Gerbil. I really don't know where the idea came from. I like to travel for sure but honestly I have no interest in gerbils. Maybe it's just a cool sounding word.

The next title, and the one I actually did attempt to use, was The Restless Rover. Now, any of you who really know me know that this is a fairly accurate description of my life. But as I thought more about it (after my brother pointed out that he thought it was a stupid title and I really should have stuck with Travelling Gerbil) I realized naming myself a restless rover was really more of a life sentence. I don't think I want to label myself as discontent and wondering. Maybe I don't always want to be this way. Hopefully this is a phase I'll eventually grow out of.

So, on to the new title. This was getting to be taxing on my patience so I enlisted the help of my family over the dinner table. My dad suggested Nameless Blog just so I would stop talking about it. Many other good (and not so good) ideas bounced in and out of my ears. Finally, I had a revelation. "In Pursuit of..." It's open ended, creates a theme (all titles of posts will be what I'm in pursuit of at the time), and doesn't put my life into such a restrictive box. I always feel as if I'm in pursuit of something just beyond my reach. As soon as I get to one thing, I can see the edge of the next, slipping around the corner and I'm off again, in hot pursuit. Now, luckily for you, you get to join the chase!