Stoopid O'clock

It's half past seven in the morning, and I am wide awake. I've been awake at this time of day before, but usually because I haven't been to sleep yet. Today I was happily asleep dreaming of N and our house in Ankh-Morpork with its view of the Unseen University, then I woke up. I woke up, and despite being so tired I couldn't keep my eyes open properly, I couldn't get back to sleep. So now I'm awake.

It's not a bad thing I suppose. I do have a very large list of things I need to do. My room is such a mess I can't find anything I need to do the list of things I need to do. So the first thing on the list is to tidy the damn room. All kinds of fun and games. Once I actually start doing it, I'll enjoy it. I like organising and sorting and putting things away. I just don't like starting.

Once the room is tidy I have a mountain of paperwork to do. Things for Maine are progressing. I came home from N's on Tuesday to find a nice package waiting for me on the mail shelf. My acceptance pack from Maine! Yay! Included in the package was my DS-2019, also known as a Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status. This is a very important document. I haven't been able to do anything towards my trip without this document. Now that I have it I have lots to do.

a) register with the Department of Homeland Security and pay a $180 Sevis fee
b) call the US embassy in London, pay a $131 appointment fee, and make an appointment to get my visa
c) fill in crap loads of forms
d) go to London, have my interview, give them £14 so they can courier my passport (and hopefully my visa) back to me
e) when the visa arrives I can start looking for a flight

There's a million more things to do after that, but these are the important steps I'm focusing on at the moment.

I did step a yesterday. I started to do it online here at home, but the website informed me I needed to print the receipt so I had to go to Keele library. Then I realised I didn't have enough money in my usual account so I had to get GKL to come to Keele to give me the card for the account I opened to save for America. She showed up, I tried to pay and hit the next bloody obstacle. I opened that account with the intention of saving, and being able to withdraw cash while in America without a hefty charge. I had only ordered a cash card, not a debit card. So despite the money being in a Nationwide account, I couldn't pay the damn fee. It would take 3-5 days to transfer the money to my usual account, and I really needed to get this Sevis fee paid and out of the way. My wonderful N bailed me out again. He transferred the money instantly from his account to mine (we bank with the same people). I paid the Sevis fee, and when the transfer clears I'll pay him back.

So step a is complete, despite hassle and chaos and me being a complete numpty. When the transfer clears and I've paid N back, I'll call the embassy and embark on step b. All kinds of fun and games. (Is that twice I've said that now? Do I have a new annoying catch phrase?)

Of course, there is one other, pretty major obstacle between me and Maine. I may just possibly have scraped a pass in my Politics module, and in my Sex and Survival module, but I have most definitely failed History. There is no way I could possibly passed. So I will need to take resits in August, just a few days before I'm due to go away. The word 'urk' springs to mind. Since I KNOW I'll have to do resits it makes sense to start revising now. This I will do. I'm going to focus on 4 areas, rather than trying to learn it all. One area for an essay if I have to write one, and three to choose from for the exam.

I WILL do the revision. At least two hours a day studying. I need to, and I will. If I can't go to Maine because of my own stupidity and failures I will probably kill myself. Not good.

Hmmm, I'm ridiculously tired. I'm going to try sleeping again. If I can't, I'll tidy up. If I can, I'll tidy up when I wake up.