Hot Chip

I bought tickets to the Hot Chip show in Oakland this morning.  It's 5 months away, in September!

On the work front, I'm averaging 4 job applications a day.  Still no bites.  Maybe I need some more vitamins.

Did you see these vintage ads?

Let me in, let me in!

Good grief.

Going a week without a computer is strange and kind of alienating.  I read two books (one really long one and one really short one), framed and hung some art in the house, cleaned, moped, made some cards, met friends for coffee, cooked some new recipes, and moaned about my computer being in the shop.  My phone doesn't always notify me of emails or facebook messages so I am doing some catching up today.  Sorry to anyone who is wondering why the heck I'm ignoring them.

I did my nails too using the stamp set that came in the mail.  I love it.

Most importantly, this week I worried about my immigration medical exam, which ended up not being so bad at all, except on my wallet.  After draining $335 (cash only) from my wallet, the physicians assistant DRAINED ME OF MY LIFE BLOOD.  He was really friendly and tried to get me to sing O Canada in French.  Before I could think about passing out, the blood had been drawn.  The TB test needle was uncomfortable.  Even though it was a little itchy, I never reacted and have been deemed free of tuberculosis among other things (syphilis, HIV, mental disorder).

Want to see what a syphilis outbreak looks like?

I don't.  How about this cute kitten instead?  (Photo by mngl).

I also went for the bio metrics exam Friday morning at 8 am which is part of the process for applying for a green card.  The Social Security office didn't open until 8am so I stood outside with all the other American wannabees and waited for the doors to open.  The lady handing out the paperwork to complete must have been working there for a long time.  Some of the people there couldn't speak English very well and she became very frustrated and almost rude when they didn't understand what she was saying.  It was uncomfortable.

The lady who took my fingerprints and photo was quiet but friendly and had a bright red fake flower in her hair.  Also, she said she liked my coat so I gave her an "excellent" rating on the survey I was asked to complete after my visit.  I was out of there in about 15 minutes.

Now, I have to send in the medical exam results to USCIS, which are sealed in a stamped envelope and V has to complete an affidavit of support proving that he can support me and I won't be a drain on the U.S. system.  It seems like it would be a good idea to give out the work permits long before issuing a green card so people can work while they're waiting for their application to be approved.  The money I earn will be going right back into the economy anyway.

V's car was in the shop for a few days this week so I got to see some of the latest visitors when I dropped him off and picked him up from work.

This tame possum snacked on a pomegranate...

Sniffed my feet...

And drank some water.  His fur feels like a husky pup's fur.

Overstay

I received notice that my bio metrics exam has been scheduled for February 3rd (at 8 am!  Whaaa!) where they'll take my fingerprints and photos.  After that I believe the next step will be vaccinations of some sort and a possible a medical exam to make sure I'm not bringing any new diseases to the U.S.... all the way from Canada.

Gulp.  Homeland Security, this is serious!

I decided to file all the immigration paperwork myself to save what I imagine could be a lot of money instead of hiring a lawyer.  The first portion of the application was submitted on January 9th.  I sent it overnight to the USCIS department in Chicago.  You can sign up for text and email alerts for updates on your case, which I did, and was notified on January 11th that my application had been received.  Things seem to be moving along fairly quickly so far.  I included as much information as possible to prove that our marriage is "bona fide" (their words, not mine.) I sent copies of photos with dates and locations of where they were taken, hotel receipts of our trips to the coast, flight receipts from when we visited Miami and copies of our joint bank accounts with the date I was added to them.

The fun part!  Getting married!

Vann is excited about our potential interview.  I am a little nervous.  There are discussions on immigration websites where people share some of the questions they were asked.  Most of them seem easy; questions about birthdays, family members, jobs, activities.  If anyone remembers how V and I met, let us know.  We've narrowed it down to sometime between December 2006 and March 2007.  It's all very romantic.

Would a woman dress like this in front of anyone but her husband?  I think this is enough proof of a bona fide marriage.

Cinderella Masvidal