Thursday

I mentioned,* somewhat mysteriously, that I was working on an art project last weekend. What that was: my friend James Maxey's new novel about the struggles of a human underclass in a world run by talking dragons, Bitterwood, is now popping up in US bookstores. Mr. Maxey offered me the opportunity to make an illustration for this post in his author's blog. He writes about designing dragons around natural plausibility. I was intrigued by the idea: making a fantasy beast out of bits and pieces of existing animal material. I created an illustration (labeled "figure 4" in his article) from images of animals found online. It's a collage. It can be viewed in its natural habitat as part of his post linked above, on in a larger version here. After last Wednesday's post* about sailing with ease through the US Passport Office's special issuance application process, it should come as absolutely no surprise that I had to spend nearly three hours in that office today, just picking the damn thing up. The reason? No one would answer my questions. I was told to join a group of people awaiting special passports needed tonight or tomorrow. I told two people my passport had been due yesterday. One took my name on a yellow sticky and disappeared, the other said "just a second." Later, a woman behind bulletproof glass threw her hand in my face and told me she was closed. She was the person I was later told I should have talked to. Eventually, long after the office had closed, and the last remaining travelers had received their documents hot off the press, did someone finally talk to me long enough to note that my passport was waiting for me in some other drawer. Eventually I became officially documented. [Cavin]