Let's skip way ahead.

Ok, so the short end to this long story was that I got my passport, even though I had to pass through a few more trials and tribulations after that.

Since then, a bunch of things happened! Like so many, you won't even believe it! I'll break it all down by states and countries first, OK?

CALIFORNIA
Oh man, I hardly even remember now. I finished up both of my jobs, had a going away party at the beach, packed up all my things (well, most of my things), ate a few pies, saw a few peaches rot (very sad) and toasted some marshmellows!
And other things! But I can't remember now!

Then I flew home to OREGON
While there I saw my awesome family and hung out with my awesome friends. Activities included: being completely shunned by the dog (not quite as sad as seeing peaches rot, but a little sad), going for a daring river adventure with my bro and dad (and aformentioned dog) and cutting my foot open on a rock, watching my dad sew my foot back up in his office (he is a doctor, so don't worry), going to the John Kerry rally in Portland with my pals Peter and Neil and Neil's baby Taylor (real live baby not baby as in girlfriend baby) -- it was the biggest rally so far of this election season, over twice the size of the second biggest (also a Kerry rally), which was pretty awesome, eatting pie (by my mom), playing Scrabble with my grandma, trying to go to Enchanged Forest with my sister, but getting lost and going to a flea market Mount Angel Abbey instead (cheaper and equally castley), packing and buying new clothes for the first time in over a year.

THEN I flew to see beautiful Erin in WISCONSIN
And continued my streak of doing awesome things by doing awesome things with Erin. These included: going camping at a Yogi Bear campground, visiting a cheese factory, water aerobics with senior citizens, getting my hair cut (by Erin!), being happy with my hair cut, going on a big lake in a motorboat with a lot of her family, going in a smaller lake in a canoe with just her and her brother, eatting real Chicago-style pizza for the first time (in a car in the rain), thunderstorms, cookies, Garden State, a lot of love, etc. etc!

Now I am in LONDON (this is a country, not a state)
and I have been on an airplane sitting next to a large African businessman who spoke no English but was cool anyway, been on a tour in a double-decker bus, seen a huge statue of Prince Albert, admired the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London, seen a play in the reconstructed Globe Theatre standing up, wished I could sit down while watching aforementioned play, wished I could sit down AFTER aforementioned play, crossed a lot of bridges, seen a GIGANTIC metal spider, heard a street musician covering James Taylor, heard a lot of people call things "brilliant," eatten at a real English pub, learned that real English pubs are a bit pricey, learned that there is NO circus in Picadelly Circus (also quite sad), taken the Underground a lot, carried POUNDS of British currency (ha ha, get it?), stopped at an Internet cafe, and am now out of time.
Muc love and more later,
-Aaron