Erma Bombeck famously stated "when you start to look like your passport photo - it's time to go home".   And I'm willing to bet that most of you have taken an unfortuate driver's license photo, or two, in your time. 

This advice is going to sound:

1)  Shallow

2)  Silly

3)  Unimportant

and you will thank me for it, should you choose to accept your mission.

When it's time to renew that driver's license or passport, prepare as if you were going to your high school reunion.

Passport and driver's license photos, for whatever reason, completely wash you out, and flatten your hair.  Don't ask for an explanation - I'm not a professional camera technician.  Just trust me.  So, when you need to trot down to the DMV, or take those photos at Kinko's to send in to the passport agency, apply "nighttime makeup", and something as close to 80s hair as you're comfortable with.

In the case of passports, you are going to be looking at that photo for the next 10 years, so make it good.  The little ego boost you will get, each time you peek at the passport, is more than worth the 45 minutes it will take for you to get ready for the photo.

Possibly the most difficult part of this photo shoot, will be the dozens of bystanders who will be watching you get your photo taken.  Ignore them.  You will most likely never see them again.  What is more important:  appearing careless and aloof in front of strangers, or having a cover-worthy photo that is used to frequently identify you?

So sit up straight on that wobbly perch, point your chin "down and out" (which will make you feel a bit like a duck, but eliminates the double-chin issue), and pretend Cameron Mathison is standing over the left shoulder of the photographer, giving you this look:

There is just no reason to suffer a bad ID photo, and Cameron totally agrees.  

If you're thinking of escaping to foreign shores in the near future (as we are), make sure your passport is up-to-date.  The U.S. State Department's Passport Services division is recommending a 10-week lead time for all passport applications.  10-weeks?  Well, at least that will give us a proper window of time in which to whip ourselves into bikini-ready shape...

Word on the street, from L.A. Times staff Travel writer Jane Engle:

“The reason for the delay is “unusually high demand,” the State Department said, which may be attributed at least partly to rules that took effect Jan. 23. They require passports for travel by air between the U.S. and the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico. (Land and sea travel to these areas are not affected.)” 

Since passports are typically valid for 10 years, it is far too easy forget they need to be renewed at all.  10 years is a long time.  Just take a look at your hairstyle from 10 years ago.  Exactly.  A LONG time.

Dig your passport out of whichever dresser drawer it sits in, and do a little quick date-check.  You do not need to add "expired passport" to your list of things to stress about, when you're trying to figure out if you'll need to buy a converter for your flatiron.