It’s about some nameless mook who gets arrested, tried, and sentenced to death.
What for?
He doesn’t know. No one knows.
How is that possible? Surely someone knows?
Maybe. He certainly never finds out. The dark forces controlling his life never reveal themselves.
That sounds like the paranoid delusions of a madman.
Yes. It reads like that too. What Kafka gave to the world is the idea that projecting an atmosphere, a gut emotional response and nothing else, through a novel can be as valid as narrative technique, plot or character development. You won’t find much of any of that “normal” novel-meat on Kafka’s bones.
There is a total disconnection from any influence over the decisions that affect his characters, and a sense that the impassive system will crush him like a bug without blinking. Objectively horrific things keep happening, and no one cares as long as the right form was filled out.
What should I say to make people think I’ve read it?
“I took my malfunctioning toaster back to the electrical store. I didn’t get to talk to anyone about it, but I came out with a crossbow and two ironing boards. What the hell is going on?”
What should I avoid saying when trying to convince people I’ve read it?
“Imagine what things would be like without government bureaucracy? Total chaos.”
Should I actually read it?
Yes. Read it. Remember that it was written in 1914, and we are now living inside Kafka’s nightmare.
A little too much going on today, but basically all good so far! *fingers crossed*
First order of the day: Waiting around for Hornbach (Lowes/Home Depot/B&Q equivalent) to deliver the tomato planting setup plus a few miscellaneous lumber items to build some shelves, etc. They gave him an updated 10:00-3:00 time slot, when we need to get two other kinda pressing errands done in different parts of town before 4 p.m. Yesterday was a public holiday, so yeah that complicated getting some crap done before the weekend.
Thankfully, they did show up just after noon.
That trundled up on the elevator into here, Mr. C hared off on the bus for a flying run toward the endocrinology clinic, to pick up some replacement CGM sensors for me. There were some mixups, plus the “oops they’re closed” yesterday and my last one expired overnight. It was certainly a relief to get more.
I do indeed have multiple backup finger stick meter options, but didn’t really want to have to spend the whole weekend basically flying my blood sugar levels blind, beyond like 5 snapshot readings a day. Rather than being able to see at a glance wtf it’s doing at all times, with alarms in case things start going too wild. (Still kinda hard to believe this was still NHS standard of care for T1 diabetes. Talk about penny wise, pound foolish, as dangerous as that can turn fastand with basically no warning.)
The sensors should also be covered (no cost) at the pharmacy, now that I am properly in the health system. But, we haven’t managed to get the pharmacy stuff straightened out quite yet. Thankfully, the endo’s office was fine with giving me a couple more fill-ins to cover the little transition gap. Just less than ideal timing all around, but ah well.
I do now have a new one initializing on my arm, which should be ready to use in about half an hour now.
Trying to wait until then to head off on the next errand: FINALLY picking up the major quest item which is my Swedish ID card, from a Skatteverket office here in town! (Which also closes at 4 p.m., yeah.)
I haven’t been to that location before, but he actually went to try and get it once he saw the notification that it was ready Wednesday morning, before I was even up. But nope, my passport and his ID weren’t enough; they were requiring that I personally come and get it. So, we get to most likely cab it over to IIRC Limhamn.
(My emergency passport also runs out the end of this month, and I couldn’t reasonably send it in to the embassy for replacement until I had Swedish-issued ID! Will even need it to pick that up. You even need some valid ID for stuff like medical appointments and picking up packages here.
Cutting it pretty damned close as things stand, but hopefully it will work out without gaps. Worst case, I file a new application and pay another fee to the US Embassy, but hopefully we can get that postmarked while the damned thing is still valid. If just.)
But, with any luck? I should maybe have my Swedish ID card today, so I can finally get the freaking passport swapped for a full-length one. *fingers crossed*
Now actually at the Skatteverket office, which I had a brain fart about earlier and is actually in Värnhem.
No surprise draugar popping out to surprise us before we can collect the item so far, but we’re still waiting for my customer number to come up.
Plot twist: It me! After more bureaucratic dealings.
But, I am now home.
And fully documented, through 2027 at least!
Next up: some late lunch.
Over the weekend: Hopefully get the passport renewal sent off. They did NOT even want to see it today, but of course it would have been a very different story if I had already sent the about-to-expire one off to Stockholm already.
After the weekend: Finally get me set up with bank accounts here, including the horribly crucial BankID. Which will make life so much easier, including with stuff like actually being able to use the health system portal, etc. Shouldn’t need to get him to take care of All The Things (including some extremely mundane tasks!) anymore then. It would be very difficult to overstate the usefulness of basic e-ID here, and the BankID is frankly unbelievably dominant for that.
But, yeah. I should now have all the items needed to unlock that little quest too. Hopefully!
A little too much going on today, but basically all good so far! *fingers crossed*
First order of the day: Waiting around for Hornbach (Lowes/Home Depot/B&Q equivalent) to deliver the tomato planting setup plus a few miscellaneous lumber items to build some shelves, etc. They gave him an updated 10:00-3:00 time slot, when we need to get two other kinda pressing errands done in different parts of town before 4 p.m. Yesterday was a public holiday, so yeah that complicated getting some crap done before the weekend.
Thankfully, they did show up just after noon.
That trundled up on the elevator into here, Mr. C hared off on the bus for a flying run toward the endocrinology clinic, to pick up some replacement CGM sensors for me. There were some mixups, plus the “oops they’re closed” yesterday and my last one expired overnight. It was certainly a relief to get more.
I do indeed have multiple backup finger stick meter options, but didn’t really want to have to spend the whole weekend basically flying my blood sugar levels blind, beyond like 5 snapshot readings a day. Rather than being able to see at a glance wtf it’s doing at all times, with alarms in case things start going too wild. (Still kinda hard to believe this was still NHS standard of care for T1 diabetes. Talk about penny wise, pound foolish, as dangerous as that can turn fastand with basically no warning.)
The sensors should also be covered (no cost) at the pharmacy, now that I am properly in the health system. But, we haven’t managed to get the pharmacy stuff straightened out quite yet. Thankfully, the endo’s office was fine with giving me a couple more fill-ins to cover the little transition gap. Just less than ideal timing all around, but ah well.
I do now have a new one initializing on my arm, which should be ready to use in about half an hour now.
Trying to wait until then to head off on the next errand: FINALLY picking up the major quest item which is my Swedish ID card, from a Skatteverket office here in town! (Which also closes at 4 p.m., yeah.)
I haven’t been to that location before, but he actually went to try and get it once he saw the notification that it was ready Wednesday morning, before I was even up. But nope, my passport and his ID weren’t enough; they were requiring that I personally come and get it. So, we get to most likely cab it over to IIRC Limhamn.
(My emergency passport also runs out the end of this month, and I couldn’t reasonably send it in to the embassy for replacement until I had Swedish-issued ID! Will even need it to pick that up. You even need some valid ID for stuff like medical appointments and picking up packages here.
Cutting it pretty damned close as things stand, but hopefully it will work out without gaps. Worst case, I file a new application and pay another fee to the US Embassy, but hopefully we can get that postmarked while the damned thing is still valid. If just.)
But, with any luck? I should maybe have my Swedish ID card today, so I can finally get the freaking passport swapped for a full-length one. *fingers crossed*
Now actually at the Skatteverket office, which I had a brain fart about earlier and is actually in Värnhem.
No surprise draugar popping out to surprise us before we can collect the item so far, but we’re still waiting for my customer number to come up.
A little too much going on today, but basically all good so far! *fingers crossed*
First order of the day: Waiting around for Hornbach (Lowes/Home Depot/B&Q equivalent) to deliver the tomato planting setup plus a few miscellaneous lumber items to build some shelves, etc. They gave him an updated 10:00-3:00 time slot, when we need to get two other kinda pressing errands done in different parts of town before 4 p.m. Yesterday was a public holiday, so yeah that complicated getting some crap done before the weekend.
Thankfully, they did show up just after noon.
That trundled up on the elevator into here, Mr. C hared off on the bus for a flying run toward the endocrinology clinic, to pick up some replacement CGM sensors for me. There were some mixups, plus the “oops they’re closed” yesterday and my last one expired overnight. It was certainly a relief to get more.
I do indeed have multiple backup finger stick meter options, but didn’t really want to have to spend the whole weekend basically flying my blood sugar levels blind, beyond like 5 snapshot readings a day. Rather than being able to see at a glance wtf it’s doing at all times, with alarms in case things start going too wild. (Still kinda hard to believe this was still NHS standard of care for T1 diabetes. Talk about penny wise, pound foolish, as dangerous as that can turn fastand with basically no warning.)
The sensors should also be covered (no cost) at the pharmacy, now that I am properly in the health system. But, we haven’t managed to get the pharmacy stuff straightened out quite yet. Thankfully, the endo’s office was fine with giving me a couple more fill-ins to cover the little transition gap. Just less than ideal timing all around, but ah well.
I do now have a new one initializing on my arm, which should be ready to use in about half an hour now.
Trying to wait until then to head off on the next errand: FINALLY picking up the major quest item which is my Swedish ID card, from a Skatteverket office here in town! (Which also closes at 4 p.m., yeah.)
I haven’t been to that location before, but he actually went to try and get it once he saw the notification that it was ready Wednesday morning, before I was even up. But nope, my passport and his ID weren’t enough; they were requiring that I personally come and get it. So, we get to most likely cab it over to IIRC Limhamn.
(My emergency passport also runs out the end of this month, and I couldn’t reasonably send it in to the embassy for replacement until I had Swedish-issued ID! Will even need it to pick that up. You even need some valid ID for stuff like medical appointments and picking up packages here.
Cutting it pretty damned close as things stand, but hopefully it will work out without gaps. Worst case, I file a new application and pay another fee to the US Embassy, but hopefully we can get that postmarked while the damned thing is still valid. If just.)
But, with any luck? I should maybe have my Swedish ID card today, so I can finally get the freaking passport swapped for a full-length one. *fingers crossed*
May 11, 2022 / Disabled, neurodivergent, interracial American family in crisis overseas!
TLDR; Our daughter can’t travel out of the Philippines with us until they fix the paperwork snafu that made her stateless. We need to cover immigration fees for visa overstay, related transportation, and covid-related health costs for our at risk family. We didn’t meet our earlier goal, so now we need an additional $8,000 USD (at least) by July 2022.
Hi everyone, our 14 month old Eleanor won’t be able to travel out of the country with us by the time our visa extensions expire, so we have to stay here until her paperwork is fixed, and then we have to go through the American embassy processes of registering her and getting her passport. Until then, Rob and I need to keep paying exorbitant fees for overstaying our 36 month visa allotment. For Rob it’s been 50 months so far and for me it’s been 43 months.
You may have seen our fundraising posts between October 2021 and January/February2022. Our goal then was 12,000 USD for an SRRV that would have allowed Rob and the baby to stay in the Philippines permanently (I would still have had to fly out and back to reset, but at least El would have had one of us here with her in case there was trouble with reentry), but because we didn’t meet that goal in time, and because we’ve had COVID complications, we have to do this additional fund raising.
In March 2022 Rob and I were granted additional (very expensive) immigration extensions valid until July 2022. We probably won’t be able to get Eleanor’s papers sorted until after August 2022 and we won’t be leaving the country to reset our visas without her, so we’re hoping to raise at least enough to file for another extension in July 2022 and cover subsequent accommodations, travel, immigration fees, and incidentals to finally put this mess behind us.
After July we’ll still need whatever we can get towards 8,000 for travel to Manila to get American paperwork sorted (because they will only do it in person), then to fly out of the country together to reset our visas so it no longer costs us a small fortune every few months for overstaying. And of course to handle all the surprise medical expenses from how badly long covid is affecting Rob.
Speaking of which… Rob is still having complications from long covid, especially because of his pre-existing disabilities. His eyesight took a covid-related nosedive back in the beginning of February (inflamation in the retina area from micro-clots), and we’re just now getting treatment for that. He also needs a lot of dental work done because of low quality dental work in the past and a tooth that keeps breaking, plus we’re trying to find him some quality cuff crutches to alleviate the pressure on his joints. We’re looking for specialists local to us to get him the care that he needs (including hopefully letting him keep his toe–oh yeah, forgot to mention that). A couple months ago he needed an expensive MRI to check out his brain after a neurological event, and recently spent an entire month bedridden and on an oxygen machine.
Rob is physically disabled, with spinal injuries, a traumatic brain injury, nerve damage, and joint problems. He’s also autistic with ADHD, bipolar disorder, and PTSD. I also have ADHD. I’m the main caretaker for the baby and for Rob, so I don’t have time for much else outside of them, and I can’t legally work in the Philippines without sponsorship anyway.
You all have been so incredibly kind and helpful and amazing and wonderful, and we are so grateful for each and every one of you for sharing and donating to help keep our little family together. My sweet daughter, disabled partner, and my exhausted self thank you so so much.
Our preferred method of receiving donations is Rob’s paypal, so here’s the link for that as well as alternate methods of donations we are capable of receiving,
Thank you all again so much, more than words can even say.
As of May 14th we’ve got about 350 of the additional 8K needed. Thanks to everyone who has kicked in or reblogged. All my energy is going towards recovery, parenting, and medical stuff, so I’m not very interactive right now, but I appreciate all of you. ❤❤❤❤
As of May 25 we’ve received about 570 of the additional 8,000 we need. But so this is more than a strep, have some serotonin!
We finally have her corrected birth certificate! Now begins the process of getting her citizenship affirmed and getting her a passport so she can leave the Philippines with us–which is probably going to take until like, August or so. Meaning thousands more in extension fees and travel, especially considering we have to pay not just our own overstay fees, but also all of El’s visa and extension fees from her birth onward all at once, hire a private driver from here to Manila and back bc she can’t ride the bus, rent an airbnb in Manila for about a month to deal with embassy appointments, etcetera.
All this because of a few seconds confusion during @thesurestthing ’s C-section to give birth to our daughter during a pandemic while the entire country was locked down.
Amd now we go to immigration again to beg for another overstay extension, because last time they only approved us for about half the time we told them we needed. While I stumble around with my screwed up joints and one functioning eye because long covid is still screwing with my already-disabled body.
So the local council is sending me nagging emails about filling out a form that hasn’t arrived yet. They want me to fill it out by Monday. I can fill it out online, but I need the security code on the letter that hasn’t arrived yet. My accommodation only lets you collect your post between 9 and 5 on weekdays. On Wednesday and Thursday I have 9-5 lectures. On Friday I won’t even be in the city because I’m going home for a work shift. What…what am I meant to do? Fml. Adulting sucks. Literally this is all happening because I am just trying to register to vote in local elections in this constituency, which I am legally entitled to do. WHY IS THIS SO DIFFICULT?
A pair of somewhat surreptitious early-morning shots of Al-Mogamma (the complex”) the infamous landmark of Egypt’s sclerotic state bureaucracy, a 14-story Kafkaesque labyrinth of government offices where identity paperwork is obtained, permits are sought, documents are processed, authorizations are stamped and filed, connections are leaned on, bribes are paid.
Built in the early 1950s in the last days of the old monarchy, in the decades hence it has only become more Byzantine, stuffing as many as 30,000 bureaucrats in a building meant for a fraction that much, its role symbolizing ordinary Egyptians relationship with their government has been portrayed in Egyptian film. There is near-constant rumor and speculation about its closure, dispersing the state’s administration to various, probably distant suburban facilities—indeed a New Cairo capital city is under construction 40kms east of the city center, but year after year Egyptian citizens are made to return to the same, huge old edifice to try to get through “the process.” Muhammad Kamal Ismail & Fahmy Momen, architects, completes 1951. Photos March 2020 Bauzeitgeist.
The all-encompassing Egyptian state is architecturally symbolized by huge buildings all across the vastness of Cairo. Many of these date from the earliest years of the post-monarchical, post-colonial Republic—the optimistic era of Gamal Nasser’s socialism, which promised to propel Egypt into the modern era of the mid-20th century, and carry the rest of the Arab world with it.
Here is one of those primary symbols, both of yesterday’s optimism and today’s tyranny: the State Radio and Television Headquarters, built in 1959-60 to the highest standards of international production and broadcasting. Informally known as the Maspero (the name of a nearby street that honored a French archaeologist), it rose as a skyscraping symbol of Arab modernity and unity—Cairo had long been the media, publishing, literary and theatrical capital of the Arab world, and the Maspero, its proud tower’s reflection glistening in the waters of the Nile, promised to refresh this status in a new technological age.
What was decades ago a symbol of the Arab world’s embrace of progress has over time come to embody the intentional abandonment of those hopes. What had momentarily been a socialist pan-Arab miracle is today a shabby and suffocating state bureaucracy, functioning only to disseminate propaganda. In its immense dimensions, especially of its horseshoe-shaped lower portion as much as its encrusted tower block, it physically manifests the bland, decrepit brutality conjured by the term Kafkaesque.
