24 Comments
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Charles Boyd's avatar

Considering what she had to work with, Ms. Bonkova performed magic with the second photo. I trust no passport was issued to the psycho in the first photo!

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Bob Morris's avatar

No, my evil twin was denied. As he should have been…

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Cheryl Andrews's avatar

Was your passport office visit before or after our government shutdown?

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Bob Morris's avatar

It was just before, but my understanding is that the passport office remains open because it is funded by direct fees. In any event, the whole thing is just so uplifting, isn’t it?

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Eric Estrin's avatar

Look at the difference between those two passport photos. That’s worth the $26 right there.

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Jake Vest's avatar

The casual reference to a $26 photo left me wondering about total cost. You had to get to the train station somehow, which means you either paid or owe somebody a favor so big that it would have been better to pay. Or parking, which if the train station is like the airport is more than a limo. Train ticket. Food, drink. Uber. Food, drink? Crossword puzzle magazine? Pencil? Another Uber. Food drink. Another Uber, or parking, or favor. And there are 2,000 online marketing services that know more about you than the passport office ever will.

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Bob Morris's avatar

I didn’t want to do the math. It woulda pissed me off even more …

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Laura Armstrong's avatar

Once again a story that makes me smile! So glad you found the good in what was a major hassle.

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Bob Morris's avatar

Oh, that’s me, Laura. Always trying to find the good, always falling a little short.

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KPick's avatar

Superb. Again. I am fighting to keep my hand from grabbing my wallet.

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Bob Morris's avatar

Come to the light, Pick, come to the light ...

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Don Holt's avatar

Great story, sorry to hear that you had to get up so early.

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Bob Morris's avatar

Oh, I more than made up for it...

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Alan's avatar

I need to renew my passport soon; not looking forward to it.

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Bob Morris's avatar

Fortunately you don’t have to go to the passport office to renew. Only if it gets lost, stolen or is damaged. You can renew through the mail.

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Chris Roberts's avatar

I heard that Orlando is getting it's own passport office, on Gatlin Road expected to open in the summer of 2027

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Bob Morris's avatar

And thank you Maxwell Frost.

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Henny Hiemenz's avatar

Enjoyed this Bob, glad to have found you.

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Bob Morris's avatar

I once was lost, but now I'm ... you know the rest of it. Thanks for reading my stuff.

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Moorea Maguire's avatar

It's good to know there's a good train line (i.e., not Amtrak) in the states!

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Bob Morris's avatar

And they'll soon be extending it from Orlando to Tampa, meaning we won't have to drive on I-4...

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Steve Dougherty's avatar

Ludmilla owns my heart—an emigre practicing free and independent enterprise at the federal passport office — gotta love it. But the Brightline - oh boy - as Leadbelly said, that's the road to ride!

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Bob Morris's avatar

I’ll introduce you …

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Norman Van Aken's avatar

Ludmila would make me smile. No passport required. And yes. I vote that Brightline is a PLUS for us in Florida.

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