There had to be at least one stumbling block...

So I had it all planned out where I would go to the French Consulate in New York (Central Park East) and hand in the paperwork needed for my visa and walk out, sticker in my passport, and spend a weekend with my Aunt Karla. Then through some lazy poking around the assistantsinfrance.com forums, I discovered that I needed an appointment to apply for a visa!!! Oh no. I registered for the online appointment system and discovered that not only were there no appointments available for the date I was planning to go to New York, but there were no appointments for all of August.
I made two different appointments: one on the very first opening available, and another for a similar date to the date I had thought of in August.
I don't really know at this point if I am going to New York this weekend, as my dad has offered to drive me to my first appointment, and I'd like to save the money for the bus ticket, but then again, I did totally block out my aunt's schedule and I haven't seen her in months. When I go in September, Dad may be able to drive or I could ask to stay with my dad's cousins who live in near Washington Square Park.
Oh the dilemmas.
In other news, the contact at the French Embassy in DC (her name is Meg Merwin) finally emailed everyone. We got academie/school district specific emails this time, so I know the emails of everyone else who is going to be in my academie/school district. I sent them all a hello email as well because I can be very forward and overly energetic. I am very excited. Can you tell?
I have also made one of the more important purchases for this trip: a laptop. It is a Toshiba with a built-in webcam and microphone, so who's up for some AIM Video Chat? I am accepting submissions for names.
Also I need to draft a letter of resignation from my job as a receptionist at the temp agency. The job was only supposed to be for six months but I'm leaving them a good three or more months earlier than expected. I'm debating if I should tell them the truth about why I'm leaving which would explain all of my "appointments in New York", or just lie to them some more because I may not even put this job on a resume anywhere. I kind of like the job, but if I had to do this for a living, like Monday through Friday, 8:00 to 5:00, I think I'd go crazy. For $9.00 an hour.
Today was also the final exam for my French graduate course at SUNY Cortland. It was taught by a French professor of history I had had when I was a student at L'Universite de La Rochelle. The course was on the history of the French in the Americas, and it was really neat. He was very well-versed on the subject, on all historical subjects for that matter it seemed, and I really learned a lot. I'm not sure it's evident on my final exam but whatever. I paid for the class so I earned graduate credit for it but who knows where it'll be applied, if at all.
So that's what's happening right now. I don't expect to hear anything from France until August 25 when my contact in France comes back from vacation, and I'm not buying a plane ticket until I get my visa, so...I guess I'm shopping for these really cool shoes I want and the biggest rolley suitcase allowed.