B and G driving me mad with “exposure.” We have been to restaurants (entering legally and not quite) to “practice,” on the subway, bus and just generally running around.
We took a major car trip last week to get me certified, and I am happy to report that I have been cleared by the government for travel. Our visit to the USDA office was interesting. It was very Oz-like with a woman standing at a window who opened and closed a plexi-glass panel to talk to us. We met a man taking his poodle to Croatia, which is not a problem, but he also wants to go to Serbia and that is apparently terra incognita as far as pet travel. But when the woman at the window told him she couldn’t guarantee anything he didn’t seem concerned and just put all the documents back into his leather envelope which looked very impressive. (Unlike him, B had my documents in a manila envelope with notes written all over it and which did not look impressive. Worse, she presented as nervous. She is concerned that I may need sedation for the flight but I think she might require some herself.) We also sat with a farmer from New Hampshire getting what he needed to ship eggs to France. (They are eggs that will be birds.) FYI: this office was not closed during the recent federal shutdown. As the woman at the Oz window explained, their office makes money so they were classified as essential. The stamping of all my documents cost $38.00. I think the nice eggman’s fee was a really hefty one; each of his eggs costs over three dollars each. (Goo goo goo joob.)
Finally, B, always one for multi-tasking, insisted we visit the graveyard and chapel at nearby at Holy Cross College. We had a lovely walk on the pretty campus. I was admired by some pretty girls and we saw that the deceased Jesuits there have a peaceful final resting place.