Well-worn passport
From Mr. Crab: For the second time in less than four years, I had to return my U.S. passport to the U.S. Embassy in London to get extra pages added. I only have two blank pages left, which I plan to fill by the end of September. Mrs. Crab had extra pages added to her passport last year. The extra 24 pages are sewn into the centerfold of the passport, and usually not very well. When I renewed my passport in 2004, I even applied for and received the extra-large, 48-page passport...a collector's item as it is no longer available! In fact, neither is my passport. The new U.S. biometrics "E-Passport" released last year has hard covers to protect the embedded microchip, which is great for security but not very good for bending into the back pocket of your jeans. The pages of the new passport are decorated with goofy, patriotic drawings that are so dark that it makes the foreign stamps nearly illegible.
Actually, we don't get as many stamps as we used to because Mr. and Mrs. Crab recently signed up for the Bri UK scheme. IRIS (Iris Recognition Immigration System) allows us to travel into several UK airports including London Heathrow (LHR) and enter the country simply by scanning our eyes into the self-service immigration machines, bypassing the long lines that often stretch an hour or longer. The sign-up is painless, fast and free. During my recent trip to Washington, I noticed that Dulles Airport now has a similar program, but it costs $200 per year.
Anyway, I'm counting down the days until my passport is returned. I feel naked without my passport! What if I have to suddenly flee the country? I'd have to swim across the English Channel!