autumn in new york

is what Sage will get to experience because the US Embassy gave her a 5-year VISA! Yay!

I was impressed by the new system at work for getting the non-immigrant VISAs. Years ago, when I got my own, I had to line up almost the day before (or pay a fixer to hold a place in line for me). This time, we paid ahead of time at BPI (belatedly, I found out that my beloved Citibank accepts payments too), called the Embassy and was given a specific date and time.

Four simple steps once you get there, and the lines are nothing to be concerned about (unlike the old system, where the multiple lines snaked across Manila Bay).

But the beauty of it, of course, is that my little nuclear family gets to off an a vacation next month.

Ah, the books, the comics, the Broadway shows... and I can begin my search for old Bloom County stuff!