Frustration As Mercury Stations

We're not sure whether we'll return home from The City immediately after my citizenship interview at 5.30pm today. Another chapter in my citizenship tale of woe has begun.

My husband's daughter-in-law, who "knows somebody who knows somebody" yesterday very kindly made some enquiries for me after asking how my citizenship application was proceeding. She decided that a couple of phone calls on my behalf were worth a try, to find out whether, provided that I pass the interview today, I might be included in an early Oath Ceremony, this month, or next month at latest. She eventually got responses and has spoken to someone who contacted the person who will interview me. They were told that my fingerprints were still not clear enough for the FBI, I shall therefore be asked to provide three signed police statements from my town, county and state police departments to confirm I have no arrests, convictions etc. since living in the USA.

When she told me this over the phone my head almost exploded. I've waited 10 weeks since being sent away from my original interview due to "staff sickness". Why haven't I been informed of this requirement during that time? I could have obtained the necessary documents very easily.

My fingerprints seemed fine, according to the operative who carried out the procedure for a second time back in February. Perhaps years of typing, doing handwashing in biological detergents, washing dishes, and just simply the passing of many years may have blurred some parts of the prints. I accept that, but what I cannot accept is not having been informed of the problem weeks and weeks ago.

Mercury Retrograde and, I suspect, some other malefic force has been working overtime! I'm beginning to feel seriously worried about all this - really! I've encountered obstacles and long delays at every single stage since applying for citizenship on 26 July 2007.

I pulled up my re-located natal chart and noticed that transiting Neptune is just 2 degrees past my re-located ascendant, transiting Mars is exactly on my re-located descendant and transiting Jupiter has been hovering around natal Mercury for weeks, but not bringing me much luck, it seems.

However, forewarned is a chance to be forearmed and we have a few hours to attempt to gather up the information they apparently need - and have needed for the past 3 months but didn't see fit to tell me!

City and county records might possibly be obtainable quickly here in town before we leave, and later today in The City if we arrive in time, but we'll need some luck. It would be wonderful if I could hand the three documents to the interviewer... "Neener neener neener!" It's unlikely, though, that we'll be able to do it all, or even any of it, in time for 5.30pm.

It's barely dawn as I finish editing this, having been woken by a severe thunderstorm at 4am. I truly feel I don't want to carry on with my application for US citizenship. Quite by chance, reading around the blogs to pass time, I spotted that someone had quoted Winston Churchill, from a speech given to Harrow School in 1941. ".....never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense." That spurred me on! Thanks Winston!

There is a bright side. If I don't get to vote due to yet another delay, I won't have to choose between You-know-who and You-know-who in the General Election on 4 November! Wouldn't that be a relief!

And, as we might not be back by Saturday morn:



SOLSTICE GREETINGS TO ALL!