How do you spell S.T.R.E.S.S?

10:30 this morning
- 4 passports mysteriously lost in the mail/courier (yes, for those who are paying attention, AGAIN!)
- 1 possible tracking number (for the missing package with the passports) that doesn’t reveal anything was shipped
- 1 possible tracking number that shows a package was delivered to an undisclosed address in Toronto (but is it MY package with MY passport?)
- 0 people who can tell me where the package was sent
- 0 people in a particular consulate who will show any form of compassion or cooperation (or even answer the phone most days)
- 5 non-refundable airline tickets to 2 faraway countries – departure date 5 days away
- 1 camera person withdrawn from the film project (1 of the 5 non-refundable airline tickets)
- 1 possible camera person to be hired sight-unseen from one of the faraway countries
- 0 visas for 2 countries
- 1 film permit for 1 of 2 countries
- 5 days left to obtain visas, finish writing film script, pack, pray that passports arrive and film permits and visa applications are approved, sign contract with unknown camera person, make sure the family has clean laundry, get money in the necessary currency… oh, I’d better stop before I depress myself

3:30 this afternoon
- 1 less item of stress on above list. The passports have arrived in our office (I nearly kissed them) and are now on their way to the OTHER consulate (the one that knows something about customer service - the one that approved our film permit and promises visas before our departure date)