Part One is Done

No, not of a book.  I'm ashamed to say that I haven't written in months.  I should, but you try planning a wedding and applying for a visa and the like and have the desire to write a book.  Yes, I know that part of what makes an author is sitting down and writing and working even when you don't want to.  I plan on remedying this shortly, but that's because, well, Part One of my visa application is done.

I got the paperwork I needed from Adam on Thursday, and so on Friday I spend 4.5 hours filling out a form.  Note that this would have been much easier and faster if I could have filled it out by hand.  There are two reasons for this.  First, there was a character limit (100 or so) in all the answer boxes, including the more open-ended questions.  This is a problem, particularly on questions like

"You said you've travelled to the UK in the last 10 years.  Please list all visits and details below."

"You said you've travelled outside of your home country in the last 10 years.  Please list all visits and details below (excluding the UK)."

Hi.  Have we met?  Do you know how many times and places I've travelled in the last 10 years?  I've been in and out of the UK a dozen times--I just counted--in the last ten years.  Additionally, in the last 10 years I've been to Canada three times, Mexico once, Paris three times, Germany three times (Freiburg/Munich/Stuttgart, Berlin, and Hamburg), Copenhagen once, Italy once (Rome, Florence, Orvieto, and a fuck-ton of hill towns), Brussels once, and Dublin once.  Needless to say, this information does not all fit in a short form.

It is also a problem when trying to answer the question "Is there any other information we should know about in your visa application?"

Yes, your form isn't big enough to list all the pla

The secondary problem with the form was that the following pieces of punctuation were not allowed.

$

£

&

(

)

:

;

'

A couple of these make sense in light of the questions and for clarity purposes.  However, most do not.  I also assume that other pieces of punctuation were not allowed.  These are just the pieces I tried to use.

However, the application is done.  I have to go to Portland on Tuesday to be biometrically scanned.  I'm not thrilled about the prospect, but I understand it.  Then I have to mail in the online application (yes, I noted the irony) and all the supplemental paperwork that proves that a) Adam and I can support ourselves, b) we are not lying about anything, c) this is a marriage of love, and d) we've paid our (substanstial and non-refundable even if denied) fee.

Note I said that *I* have to mail all that stuff in.  Yet in addition to the fee, we had to pay $12 for postage.  I presume this is so they can post it all back to me.  Somehow, however, I feel that I've been screwed with my pants on.

Oh well, this is all so Adam and I can be together without harrassment.  And that's well worth it all.  Hopefully, our time apart is coming to a close.