One Step Closer

There are times when being in a long-distance relationship absolutely sucks. You're in different timezones, so there's the trying to find times where you're both awake and have the time to talk to each other. There's the whole technically being in a relationship, yet still living the single life, minus being able to go out and scope the local talent with a view of bringing them home (one can still view, but not act! Unless you're not really committed to the relationship). There's the whole having a crappy day at work, and all you want is to go home and have a cuddle with your partner. Kinda difficult to do when they're on the other side of the planet. Or if you're unlucky with schedule timings, not even being able to talk to them for days on end.

Acci and I have been in a relationship since 2005. In 2006, we were going to meet for the first time at a big get-together of a number of people from the Museum of Hoaxes in Edinburgh. Two weeks before the trip, Acci's passport died. Cue frantic activity from Acci trying to get a new passport, only to result in losing all official forms of ID (except his driver's licence). Obviously, he never managed to get his passport re-issued before the Edinburgh excursion. So, Acci missed out on the trip, and we missed out on meeting each other at that time.

After the Edinburgh trip, Acci continued struggling with the State Department, trying to convince them that he was who he said he was, and to re-issue all his missing paperwork. This also involved at least one trip from where he was in Maryland all the way up to Vermont. All to no avail. The rest of 2006 passed by. So did 2007.

At the start of 2008, I decided that because Acci wasn't getting (or going) anywhere, I would go over to the US to meet him. That ended up being a very good thing. After having spent nearly three years talking to each other online, when we actually met in person, there wasn't any great deal of awkwardness between us. It was one of those times where everything just felt right. Despite the fact that I managed to catch a lurgy or two while I was there...

Right towards the end of my stay in the US, Acci's phone line died. Which, since he was still forced on a dial-up connection then, meant that he also lost his internet connection. And because he was in a heritage listed house, he couldn't just call someone out to get it fixed. It had to go through various city officials before he could get someone in to replace the wiring. Which meant that for five months after my trip to the US, we were reduced to exchanging emails once a day...

Just before there was to be a town meeting at which the decision for the rewiring for Acci's place was to be aired, Acci got a job offer over in Virginia, which he decided to take. Once he got himself setup in Virginia, he had a reliable broadband internet connection finally. However, again with the timezone thing, our schedules didn't always match up, so we're still having several days a week where we're not managing to talk to each other.

Eventually, at the end of October last year (jeez, it's been nearly a year already???) Acci proposed. Over MSN. And Acci renewed his efforts to get various bits of paper so he could at least come out to Australia to visit.

Finally, in March this year, Acci sent me a picture of a lovely bit of cardboard. His new Social Security card. Finally, someone decided that Acci was a real person, and should probably have that bit of cardboard once more.

Last night, I had the next bit of good news. The US government have finally decided to recognise that Acci is a citizen of their country. And has the paperwork to prove it. I'm so happy, because all that's left for Acci to get is his passport. And a plane ticket. And time off work. And for nothing to go wrong. And then he can be here!

Man...that was a bit longer than I thought it was going to be...oh well, I guess it makes up for lack of posting over the past few months...