The Land of the Free & the Home of the Brave (expats)... All Those in the US!

[UnderRated]

I just finished the old thread by accident

my folks are with Wachovia. sold, apparently.

subjected the kids to BBC for an hour this afternoon, waiting for Bush's speech.

then it was over in 2 minutes.

WTF!?

lot of opposition to the bailout in Texas, apparently, where things in the SE are still an utter mess after Ike and a lot of folks have lost their jobs already.

my folks only just got power restored yesterday and they are in Central Houston.

my mom said the damage is so bad entire systems have to be replaced and there are trucks from all over the country bringing supplies for Reliant to get people up and running.

How awful, Expat. Haven't heard a thing about Ike and the fallout since a few days after it landed. When we were in Chicago last week, there were still things that were closed from the flooding Ike gave that area.

a lot of small businesses are still shut and cannot afford to pay their staff who can't come into work, so those people are without pay.

so it's exacerbating the problems.

still loads of debris in residential areas - trees and leaves and things of that sort.

and no power for a good 300,000+.

stores like Kroger still running out of supplies.

high prices at the pump.

and then the bailout.

it's going to make for an interesting election.

Yoo-hoo, Anorak. Where are you? How are you doing? Now that I'm not changing my voter registration, meal planning and MNing at the same time, just MNing, I see that there is a hurricane somewhere around BERMUDA and am thinking of you.

I've been wondering where Anorak is. Hope CF has a good time Down Under.

Hope everyone else is ok.

Dooney, have you ever made Turkish Delight?

Candies that are sticky and jelly-like have never really appealed to me, I'm afraid. The whole where do I find rosewater is another conundrum that if the candy appealed to me more, I would figure it out, but as it doesn't, I leave it as a roadblock that I can't overcome.

Are you looking to make some? Recovered from the marshmallow incident?

IIRC anorak was going to Boston for some reconstructive surgery.

going to see someone pretty top notch!

hope it's going GREAT and she's enjoying herself and maybe getting out to see some of the fall colours.

Dooney, you remembered the marshmallow! You were meant to forget I have just about recovered but will not attempt that again.

I do hope Anorak is ok. Thinking of her x

My brain is full of very unimportant things. I don't have a lot of room for that which is important, but I don't forget trivial information. Ever. Especially if it amuses me.

You're still laughing at me

lol at the marshmallow incident

Mmmm, American marshmallow. Kraft marshmallow, in particular.

British marshmallow doesn't taste the same.

I will have to buy some marshmallows now.

I'm bored. And sad. A girl at work died last Monday. It happens from time to time - it's the part of the job that I hate but that day was DS's birthday. And I had talked with the girl on the phone the previous week. I hadn't realised she was quite so ill. Most of the families I see have very sick children but they usually survive. It seems so unfair.

Hello all. Thanks for missing me. SuperBunny, sorry about your loss. What is your work?

I haven't been to Boston yet, I'm going on Nov 17th, so if anyone wants to visit me I'll be there till the 5th Dec. I haven't been posting much - tired in the evenings.

Well here is a list of things I have been unable to buy in Bermuda this week:

carrots
honey nut cheerios
oatibix
stone coasters
a white fitted single bed sheet
two white pillowslips
a wii
wine yeast
a rubber bungee cord
smart shorts for an 8-yr-old
tomatoes

These things may be available in some shops, but I've been into the capital "city" and everything.

I always miss you when you're gone, anorak.

Carrots and tomatoes? Okaaaay. We'd have a huge problem with the honey nut cheerios, though. C+C love cereal, and that is the most "sugary" cereal I let them have. They call it bee cereal, and every time we go to Costco, I have to get a giant box for them. We go through milk about a gallon a day here, and I realized we use a lot of it in our 6 bowls a day of cereal (2 for them and 2 for daddy).

Superbunny, didn't know you dealt with things like that at work

dooney, you're making me want cereal! I never eat it since we had to go dairy-free with ds1. It's just not the same with soy or goat milk

Really? I seriously don't get cereal. Or eggs. Or sausage, most of the time. Or oatmeal, or cream of wheat, etc. I have a hard time with breakfast, I guess.

cream of wheat is one of my comfort foods

I like cereal. Too much, so I won't buy it. Trader Joe's Soy milk is good on it. I'm not a fan of eggs though. I've never had cream of wheat. What is it? I imagine it is like ready brek?

My job is only a volunteer one at a house near the hospital - it's for families who have children who are in the hospital, so the families have somewhere to stay and meals and can do laundry and stuff. I love being there but it can be sad.

What a strange shopping list, Anorak.

Hope everyone is ok.

Did any of you see the Rachel Ray Corn Porn?

It was two shopping lists, really SB. Groceries on one and stuff to go into town for on the other. But it came out jumbled up when I wrote it down here from memory.

Good on you for doing that volunteer work.

I'm seriously missing my laptop, which is in the shop having more memory added. I was supposed to get it back yesterday, but we are operating on Bermudian time here...

Hello everyone!

Hope you're all good. I dont seem to have been on mn for sooooo long - I don't know where my life goes to. I think it was the continuous flow of family visitors followed by the week long power cut and then a bout of homesickness.
Do you all have social security numbers? They keep telling me that I don't need one and therefore they are not going to give me one. Its really starting to cause problems though. Dd's school won't let you volunteer unless you are fingerprinted and have a full background check with the FBI which seemed extreme but understandable. What Im annoyed about is that they wont do mine because I don't have a s.s. number and therefore I cant help out. I even took the school my references and my UK police check from teaching in Scotland but they seem to think that the UK would employ known peadophiles and violent criminals as teachers or something. I went straight from this to get my driving licence which was yet another trauma. I passed my test (with full marks despite my nerves!) but they wouldn't give me the licence because - you guessed it! - I don't have a ss no. I had to get a letter from my husband's employer to say that he still worked there, that I was his dependant and that HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR MY ACTIONS!!!! I feel like I don't really exsist!
OK vent over. Im so glad I have you lot - you feel really alone when you realise there is absolutely noone who knows how you feel. But theres always someone

I have a Social Security Number. Was one of the first things I did when I arrived here, even though I was unable to work. It is impossible to do anything without one. Why can't you get one?

What kind of visa do you have? Can you chat to an immigration attorney - most will talk with your briefly over the phone without charging.

I hate being a dependent. It's not a nice feeling, that you have no rights or anything.

Congrats on the driving test though

Thanks SB. I have an L2 visa so I can apply for a permit to work and if it is successful, I will get a ss no. However, I don't want to leave my dcs with strangers plus my teaching qualification seems to be meaningless so I don't intend to work. So my choices are a) pay to apply for a work permit I may not get and will not use or b) bumble through life as a non-person.
We have started our greencard application as dhs company want him to stay, so I will get a ss no eventually.
anorak, how are you doing? I liked your shopping list; mine is always in random order too (and usually still on the fridge when I get to the store). Let us know if you need anything. I was thinking about the shorts - as everyone else is ending the shorts season, you should get some bargains on ebay!