timing is everything

the indian consulate that handles most of the north atlantic region is in new york city. recently, all indian visa applications have been outsourced to a separate agency, cutting line time, headache, and hassle. still, nothing is seamless, and it does pay to get there early. perhaps not at 7am, but by 7:30, there was a small line. the office opens at 9am, and being first in line is nice. and you are in a better position to get the visa when they re-open for pickup at 4:30pm. it makes for a very long day, but if the weather is decent, its more than tolerable.


it also pays to have paperwork organized, in hand, with duplicate proof-of-addresses, photos, etc. although they are quite happy to make a photocopy of any original document you cant part with. there are several computer stations available to fill out the on-line application, although its not so fun to wait for 2 hours to use a computer lab and get back in line. being anally organized allowed me to walk out fifteen minutes later, sans passport, with a receipt for pickup. although i had been waiting since 7. i probably could have queued up at 8:30 and not been in too much trouble, as it was a dismal february tuesday and the crowd seemed atypically small.

and killing time in new york is fairly easy.
the forecast called for a lovely wintry mix, driving rain in the morning, and highs of 35f. somehow, it maintained a balmy 40ish-ness all day, without any substantial rain or wind.


all in all, i walked about 13 miles, more or less by choice. i picked up some fun stuff for the trip, was awed by the institution that is b&h photo, and spent some quality time in the nj transit lounge checking my passport status. with the new outsourcing system, the passports can be tracked by number online, and arriving for pickup with out first confirming status is apparently discouraged. its not fun to haul up to central park unless you know youre going to walk out with your visa, and you will also be asked, repeatedly, if you have tracked your passport.

after that its a breeze. you simply sign, and your passport is returned, visa and all. my neighbors in line seemed to be at ease with the whole thing too. much less painful than the nj dmv.

serendipitously, the laptop i was hoping would get me though the next nine months was somehow upgraded in system components, not price, and in stock. crossing get-new-laptop off the list, and avoiding fed-ex delivery anxiety. timing was incredible.

still the best part of the day was this:



this man is spectacular not because of his long flowing hair, his pleather windpants, or even his flashing electric violin. but simply because he was playing britney spears 'baby, one more time' with a vigor i cant do justice in describing.

all in all, not bad.