The visa blues

My visa expires in three days, and I still can't file for a new one. Hopefully tomorrow.

I've been surfing the anxiety wave for what seems like weeks now. I've read and reread pages and pages of regulations, filled out government forms (two kinds, since the UK re-did their forms in the midst of all of this), contracted with an agency in Chicago to help me negotiate an expedited passage through this (to no avail), burned through an international calling card, arranged for a trip to and stay in Chicago that won't come to pass and (the good side of this) been in touch with friends back home who were willing to help, gotten all geared up for a quick visit to home that's not gonna happen, and seen deadlines come and go while I waited for other information--deadlines that have required yet further waits for new documents because all my bank statements have to be no more than 30 days old. So now I sit at home in London waiting for a FedEx package which will bring me fresh bank statements from the US in the next few hours. And I hope for mail delivery today (there's an on-again, off-again postal strike here) and the arrival of the most recent statement from my bank here. After a long flirtation with plans to go to Chicago to get this all handled in a 48-hour period, I just found out night before last that that's a no-go. And last week I found out that there aren't any walk-in appointments to be had before my visa expires in all of England, Scotland, and Wales.

Once I finally receive these financial statements that are en route, I have until the end of the day Friday to post it or hand it in. And then I wait again, hoping that I get my passport and visa back in time to use that nonchangeable, nonrefundable ticket to come home for Christmas.

Oh, and school starts on Monday.

So that's my life for today. (Except that some mail just now arrived, but without a local bank statement. And so this stretches out for at least one more day. Out of a possible two.)