TubaOrNotTuba

I’ve read that every journey starts with a single step. Too bad that step has to be “getting a passport”.

Not me; I have no short term travel plans. However, one of the team here does intend to go beyond our borders, and regulations being what they are, a passport is very high on the agenda. And the pressure (a foreshortened calendar) is starting to turn the whole procedure into something fit for a comic opera.

I’ve mentioned the need for photographs. We passed that step, about a week ago. Next up is finding someone who will publicly admit to knowing you, and that’s where we hit a speedbump. After choosing a victim, handing over the pictures for a needed autograph and stepping back, we found that the chosen one had chosen to go on vacation. Of course, the important step of “getting your pictures back” wasn’t on the checklist, so this evening we headed back to the photographer for a second round.

Times have changed. In the “analog era”, an accredited photographer captured the image, processed it in the magical world of the darkroom and made an accredited copy. Nowadays, we’re doing it digitally. Back in hair salon/photo studio, the woman informed us that an image is ephemeral. If the memory chip is full, she erases and starts over. I’m not sure that is in the official government plan, but we lucked out. The camera hadn’t been erased, she did recognize my son from his resemblance to the image she had on hand, and she agreed to reprint a set.

Next question on the checklist: how tall are you? We don’t know. Standing back to back with the prototype (me) isn’t sufficient, because I’m now shorter than the kids (all of them). The idea of taking a measuring tape and standing against the wall was worth a place on Funniest Home Videos.

I’ll stop here, because this saga isn’t done. And that famous first step is just a beginning.