I’m almost back to 100% after feeling so lousy this week, especially Monday and Tuesday. I tend to catch just about every bug that comes my way, but I also generally recuperate quicker than average. I must have inherited a fairly hardy constitution that is a big target, but can fight off most infections once they’re caught. And I don’t usually run fevers; in fact, the last fever I remember having was in late 1997 (I think) when I caught that year’s flu. I was fine all morning, but while I was at lunch I started feeling bad, then worse, then dead. My boss took one look at my face when I got back and sent me home immediately. (I’m sure a lot of people look at my face and want to send me away, though, so maybe that wasn’t a big surprise.)
The wife and I got a bit of a shock this week, too. Her green card is due to expire in November, so we have to get it renewed, and that means we have to start it soon. The last time we had to do this was 10 years ago, and a local office of my district’s Congressman was able to help us with the paperwork and getting everything done. And though I don’t remember exactly how much it was, we’re both thinking it was around $150.
Now the local office doesn’t do that anymore because you can apply online. That’s great, and it’s easy enough to do, but when the application is processed and they send us to do the biometrics, we’ll have to go to West Virginia, because nobody around here does fingerprinting, I guess. Doesn’t that sound like something that could easily be contracted out to local police stations, instead of causing people to miss work and have to drive all the hell over to another state?
But the worst of it is that cost: $450! We simply were not prepared for this expense coming up right now, and it’s a right pain in the ass! I jokingly told her that it’s just too expensive and too much trouble, so I was just going to have to send her back to Germany, but for some reason she didn’t laugh. She’s got no sense of humor!
We were going to fall back on our old standby, borrowing money from her 401(k), but we already have two small loans going, and that’s all they allow. It sucks because she has a lot of money available to her, and the loans we have out are really tiny, but because they are two separate loans they won’t let us do anymore. And I haven’t had my 401(k) going long enough to take out a loan on it, so that’s out.
She’s been fretting about it, but I told her not to worry; I’ll work something out like I always do. In fact, I’ve already did a little financial magic, and we should be good to go soon. It just took us by surprise, and the timing was bad. We’ll go a little further in debt, but we’ll get through that quickly enough. If I’d known it would be that much, though, I’d have really pushed for her to get her citizenship this year; it only costs $200 more than the green card, and doesn’t have to be renewed!
In other news:
I exchanged a few emails with Brent last week; he’d gone on two almost back-to-back vacations, so we haven’t talked in a while. He’s doing well, and promised me an update on “new experiences” when he had time to write without prying eyes around. I know he still keeps up with my blog, so hopefully this will serve as a reminder that I’m still waiting! (And with his permission, I’ll share whatever he tells me.)
I’m still trying to catch up with T (the gay man I used to work with, that I almost hooked up with last year). The last I’d heard from him, he backed out of a planned meeting for a beer because his husband P had told him that morning he wants a divorce. However, I just now heard from him, and he said “we are working on us, taking it day by day.” I’m assuming by “we” he meant he and P, and not using the royal “we.” He’s gay, but he’s never acted like a queen. (Ba-dump-tsss) I did tell him that I have a lot to talk about if we ever do coordinate meeting for that beer, so hopefully that’ll pique his curiosity enough to get together.
I haven’t decided if I’m still interested in hooking up with him (assuming he is still interested in me.) I’m on the “low” side of interest in other men, partially because I already scratched that itch with Brent, but mostly because that’s just the way it’s always been with me: at times I crave it, and at other times it’s just not a big deal. Still, if T indicated that he wanted to, and I felt like it wouldn’t worsen the situation between him and P, I think I probably would.
The wife and I got a bit of a shock this week, too. Her green card is due to expire in November, so we have to get it renewed, and that means we have to start it soon. The last time we had to do this was 10 years ago, and a local office of my district’s Congressman was able to help us with the paperwork and getting everything done. And though I don’t remember exactly how much it was, we’re both thinking it was around $150.
Now the local office doesn’t do that anymore because you can apply online. That’s great, and it’s easy enough to do, but when the application is processed and they send us to do the biometrics, we’ll have to go to West Virginia, because nobody around here does fingerprinting, I guess. Doesn’t that sound like something that could easily be contracted out to local police stations, instead of causing people to miss work and have to drive all the hell over to another state?
But the worst of it is that cost: $450! We simply were not prepared for this expense coming up right now, and it’s a right pain in the ass! I jokingly told her that it’s just too expensive and too much trouble, so I was just going to have to send her back to Germany, but for some reason she didn’t laugh. She’s got no sense of humor!
We were going to fall back on our old standby, borrowing money from her 401(k), but we already have two small loans going, and that’s all they allow. It sucks because she has a lot of money available to her, and the loans we have out are really tiny, but because they are two separate loans they won’t let us do anymore. And I haven’t had my 401(k) going long enough to take out a loan on it, so that’s out.
She’s been fretting about it, but I told her not to worry; I’ll work something out like I always do. In fact, I’ve already did a little financial magic, and we should be good to go soon. It just took us by surprise, and the timing was bad. We’ll go a little further in debt, but we’ll get through that quickly enough. If I’d known it would be that much, though, I’d have really pushed for her to get her citizenship this year; it only costs $200 more than the green card, and doesn’t have to be renewed!
In other news:
I exchanged a few emails with Brent last week; he’d gone on two almost back-to-back vacations, so we haven’t talked in a while. He’s doing well, and promised me an update on “new experiences” when he had time to write without prying eyes around. I know he still keeps up with my blog, so hopefully this will serve as a reminder that I’m still waiting! (And with his permission, I’ll share whatever he tells me.)
I’m still trying to catch up with T (the gay man I used to work with, that I almost hooked up with last year). The last I’d heard from him, he backed out of a planned meeting for a beer because his husband P had told him that morning he wants a divorce. However, I just now heard from him, and he said “we are working on us, taking it day by day.” I’m assuming by “we” he meant he and P, and not using the royal “we.” He’s gay, but he’s never acted like a queen. (Ba-dump-tsss) I did tell him that I have a lot to talk about if we ever do coordinate meeting for that beer, so hopefully that’ll pique his curiosity enough to get together.
I haven’t decided if I’m still interested in hooking up with him (assuming he is still interested in me.) I’m on the “low” side of interest in other men, partially because I already scratched that itch with Brent, but mostly because that’s just the way it’s always been with me: at times I crave it, and at other times it’s just not a big deal. Still, if T indicated that he wanted to, and I felt like it wouldn’t worsen the situation between him and P, I think I probably would.
So glad you're feeling better!
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