Passport issues.

My passport expires in two weeks.

I filled out the passport renewal documents, paid a hundred bucks for a money order of $67 US dollars, assembled the self-addressed insured envelopes, attached two photos and sent the whole packet off to the Fukuoka Consulate today. Supposedly it then gets sent to America for processing, and I'm hoping that the whole procedure is completed within two weeks.

I had the forms filled out 3 weeks ago, so why did it take so long for me to get around to sending it all? Those darn pictures. I'm gonna have this passport for ten years, so of course I want a good picture. I waited until I could get a haircut. Then waited until I had time to get dressed up in a suit and make my way downtown to the photo booth. I figured a suit looks more professional, and less likely to get questioned in the customs lines while travelling (my current passport with the photo from my long hair & eyebrow ring days caused worrisome delays in Cambodia). I spent $20 on photos and thought I looked kinda weird in all of them, so decided to ask around to see which photo looked best. It took several days to collect a nice sample of opinions.

Everyone liked the non-smiling serious face. Which I didn't. So in the end it didn't even matter if I asked what everyone thought or not, because I went with the photo that most people said they DIDN'T like. But I'm smiling big, and that's why I chose it.

Does the renewal get processed in time? Will my current passport expire and make me an illegal alien? Oh, the possibilities. Nothing to do but sit back and see what happens.