WOW!!! You have great collection there!!! .. if you evedr get tired of those agatha christie collection, you can always donate it to me ...

Gosh!!! how different your bookshelve look compared to mine... your books looks like they are all brand new.. most of my novels are second hand which I bought on booksale and then it gets passed on and shared with my siblings and then my aunt and also some of my friends then, it comes back to me a little more tattered .. that is why i won't have problem including them in the garage sale or maybe donating them... I have had many books which were not returned to me so I have some books (especially those purchased brand new) where I wrote: STOLEN FROM GAY BXXXXXX ... of course I can't resell them. The only books that don't get passed on are my christian books and also my non-fiction books and instructional books.


p.s. you can always pm me if you feel really burdened coz of those books, i'd be so glad to help

LOL no catching up is gonna be done by me since I have a gazillion other locations on this good ole interweb that I go on hahaha....not to mention I get a bit depressed over here just waiting and waiting and waitingggggggggggg! I want January approvals dang it! Although I did have a friend today telling me she hopes my wedding date has to change since her brother is getting married same day and she would rather attend my wedding LOL

I try very very hard not to keep up with you guys lol.. I used to be a serious chatterbox on a different forum

dbears - if I ever need to unburden myself of a few of my books you shall be the first person I call! Although there's little chance of that happening, I'm afraid!

I have a few books that I bought second-hand - most of them out of print; one of my favourite authors only has one novel left in print - but they're usually relegated to the top shelf. I'm far too particular about appearances. I used to lend out books all the time and I always used to wince when they came back with torn pages and tatty covers (and one time my friend managed to burn a hole right through one!).


What do you mean, 'used' to? I have 28,000 posts on another forum (and I post on four) and that postcount is still growing! Uh...my work is very boring. Actually, I do look forward to being online a little less when I'm finally in the US. I use the computer to chat to Alex a lot so I'm always posting while we talk.

omg lol... u outdid me then with that amount

hmm for me it will be the other way around... i might actually have more spare time when I arrive in the US lol.. cant wait

My housemate is evil! She left out a catalogue to this company. Look at those make-up items! All of the pretty boxes are reusable. I'm so attracted to shiny things.

Glad to know you're in the market dbears, I've got around 2500 books spread in 17 book cases - I've go at least one room that is wall to wall bookshelves. Now that's called never getting rid of a book. I've got juat about anything anyone would want to read about - fact, fiction, culture, language, etc. But I've got to make room for all the Russian language books that hopefully will be arriving soon. Yikes, I don't want to buy another bookcase!

Ooooh yes Lush is LUSH indeed! Kinda glad we don't have them around here in MI (at least not too close...think there may be one in Detroit or Chicago but not 100%) I do love their stuffs though it is soooo yummy!

Then you'll be fine here, only chatterboxes so far. Sunnybear, I'm not suprised at your volume of chats. I even read your posting on the Peridress website, you're everywhere

It's a cold and miserable day today - they are even saying that we might see some snow flurries today- in APRIL! The project this weekend was successful, but it wound up meaning that I didn't get to enjoy any time off this weekend. I'll just have to make sure I work extra slow this week to recover my strength. I hope everyone else had a good weekend.

We've already had two snowfalls this month; normally the UK is lucky to get one, and that's usually in February/early March!

sunnybear - oh, I know, I love Lush...but this subdivision of their company I'd not heard of before. Ah! I foresee some make-up being bought at the weekend (and I'm not even a big make-up wearer).

Blake - I fully support you working extra slow this week.

Thanks - I soooooo tired .... ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

You guys are so talkative over here! The February CSC filers are so quiet! Can I come hang out with you guys?

Of course you may! This thread is open to all, and since you can never guarantee the service centres to go in chronological order you may well expect to receive your NoA2 at the same time as us anyway.

Hmmm...for my own selfish reasons I would love to get my NOA2 at the same time! However, my sense of fairness really says that I hope you guys get yours first. Right after all of the '07 filers who haven't gotten theirs yet. Of course...I hope that CSC suddenly jumps to hyperspeed and we all get ours this week!

Don't worry about fairness in this process because I really don't think that applies here. Look for things to pick up this week and then hyperdrive in May (with a short week for memorial day) and then hot and heavy until the fourth of July (I hope it won't be that long for us). That was what played out last year, it'll be interesting to see if the same occurs this year. Fingers and toes crossed as usual

Right now February is in the standard 60 day depression phase - where one really doesn't want to talk about anything because there's nothing good to say about the whole process. That's what's probably keeping the Feb CSC thread quiet at the moment. My depression actually has gone on for 84 days, but that's beside the point The point is that everyone is welcome here regardless. Think of it as a campfire you can stop by to warm yourself for a few minutes before you get on with your journey (its cold and rainy outside, hence, the analogy)

Back to sleep now...........

Mine ebbs and flows...it was ok until he visited at the beginning of April and then it was really, really bad for me until last week. Now I'm doing better, but he's really unhappy. It's supposed to get really warm here today...we're supposed to be in the 80's by Wednesday! (That's about 27/28-ish for my Celsius friends...I've gotten good at doing that conversion in my head )

That whole celcius thing is entirely irrational, I don't know why anyone would want to use it....... oh wait, I think I have that backward I'm hopeless, thank goodness I'm not moving to the Ukraine.

I'm actually feeling okay. Is that bad to admit to? Of course I miss Alex but by now I've really forgotten what regular physical contact is like so I'm not missing that so much. I still talk to him every day, naturally! I've been so busy with work/family/friends lately that I'm not minding the wait so much any more.

Plus Sim houses have been occupying a lot of my time. Ah, if only real-life architecture was so simple!

I don't think that's bad...I think it makes perfect sense. The month or so after a visit is always really bad...getting back into that routine of being apart just sucks...but once you're there, it doesn't hurt as badly.

WHOA! 2,500 books... when I was a kid, I dreamt of having my own mini library in my house but of course I never knew then that I would be sharing my house with somebody who is not into reading much... I would have to check first if Ricky would have an extra room to turn into a mini library.




I'm sharing the same sentiments.

Well I am def in depression mode again as we hit the 100 day mark this weekend. BLAH. May we will have hit the 1 year mark of not seeing one another in person.....sorry but that is way too DAMN long for no physical contact in my book We want this approval so bad we can taste it! I just soooo want the end in site.....nothing to do but wait and wait though at this point....get so sick of people asking "so have ya heard anything?" umm NO do you not think I would be shouting from the rooftops if we had?! OY VEY!

I get so sick of that question, too! Really...when it comes through, EVERYONE will know. I'll write "NOA2" across my forehead in purple sharpie!

no kidding! i've had people asking over and over since january (when we were getting our paperwork in order). some days i like talking about it but other days...

sunnybear - a year apart? that IS too damn long for no physical contact. i hope you get your approval soon and that the process speeds along for you. DAMN CSC!

i can't imagine being apart from david for a year. heck - we've only hit the 5 week mark and i'm already going out of my mind from no physical contact. even a teeny tiny little hug would be nice. 4 more sleeps for us. we're very lucky.

I just read a thread where someone at the VSC just got their NOA2. Its depressing cause I checked their timeline and we have almost the NOA1 date. Heres to the CSc speeding up!

Hmm... I wish it was like 80's over here already... it dropped back to 60-65ish while it was around 75 last weekend (meaning it was around 85 inside the house I LOVE IT! hehe).

Bout the celsius thing being irrational, I think you have that backwards indeed.. I am pretty much used to both celsius and fahrenheit, I rarely need to calculate to know what the temperature is but I do feel the celsius part is way much logical.. it's based (like the rest of the metric system) on tenths.. 0 is freezing point of water, 100 celsius is the boiling point... it's pretty much straight forward.

But I have that feeling about a lot of things when I compare it with the metric system.. I think the metric system is way much easier... I mean, you got 12 inch in a feet, 3 feet in a yard, a rod is 5 1/2 yard, furlong is 220 yard and a mile is 1760 yard?? What's up with that, isn't it much easier when you can devide everything through 10? Like 10 millimeter = 1 centimeter, 10 centimeter = 1 decimeter, 10 decimeter = 1 meter, and then you got decameter, hectometer and kilometer, all goes up in the same amount as the others.. I mean, how easy can you have it by saying 1000 meter is 1 kilometer instead of 1 mile is 1760 yard.

And yeah, I guess I could do the same with the weight tables, pounds, kilos and such... I kinda feel our system makes more sense than the US system as well but oh well.. it is something I got to live with in a couple of months.. I doubt there will be a global thing anytime soon lol (although they do use our weights in nursing according to my SO).

i saw one, theyre a DECEMBER filer though..CSC too.

NOA1 : 12-07-2008
Touched : 03-19-2008
NOA2 : 03-19-2008
Touched : 04-08-2008
Touched : 04-22-2008

yeah i know ur noticing that NOA1 date..mYBe they mistakenly put 2008 instead of 2007...i didnt edit so its copied frm the original...the couple names are "RANIE AND GLEN"

im waiting with anticipation (still) that me and sweetheart will gt that NOA2 by MAY

I totally agree... everytime I want to tell "if I had heard anything you would already know it, then stop asking!". But that's only when I'm in a bad mood.
Rachel it's totally OK to say that you're feeling fine, in this whole process.
April was the depression month for me. it was the 100 day mark, CSC stopped working and Bryan got a new job, which means new schedule and we can only talk together once a week now, unless I wake up in the middle of the night (which is something I may do this week). VSC January filers started getting the K1 visa, and even though I was very happy for them it still made me sad for myself. And on top of that, a few other problems or decisions to make: a trip to plan with my mother that now that we have planned everything we can't do anymore, a decision to make about where we're going to live in the USA (well this one hasn't been made completely yet but that's still stressful).
I'm also trying to decide if I should go back to the US before the visa, but since I can't leave work until the middle of June, if we get NOA2 soon then that's almost not worth it... oh well... we're going to wait and see.
That's why I'm waiting for May it will be all better when CSC is back on track and I'll get used to seeing Bryan on the webcam only once a week. Then I can start being happy everyday again (but don't worry, even though I'm stressed and kind of depressed sometimes, most of the time I'm still happy so that's not too bad)

Sunnybear, you and I are in the same boat - I've gone 222 days since seeing Olga, I can't imagine the one year mark. I'm feeling quite monastic at this point (such as mumbling things to myself and walking around looking at the ground). My mood overall is stable, however, as I've resigned myself to the process. No one outside this process understands the difference between the two processing centers (as if anyone inside the site understands it either). So I get a lot of "Why don't you just file in Vermont?" .....and the whole discussion begins again.

We will all survive this, although I'm not sure we will not have a limp or nervous tick for a while.

I think we could safely say "No one outside this process understands" and end the sentence there. I've had so many people who act like we're living apart by CHOICE. Even my mom will make comments like "well...there's no reason to be so upset and stressed all of the time. You just need to stop putting yourself under so much stress and you'll feel better." I'm always like "ok, mom...how would you suggest I reduce my stress levels?"

CC (which stands for Cecile the Canary ) I'm starting to get excited for you. Right now you're 104 on Igor's list (after another Nov. approval today) so soon you will be crossing the 100 line - which based on what I've seen puts you on the fringe of possible approval. It will not be too long for you now 2-3 weeks - assuming, of course, that the CSC gets back to its old pace of 21-25 per week. I'm sending all positive energy off to California. Start chirping

This thread is in danger of crossing into unchartered territory

Isn't this the week when CSC is supposed to start "busting out" new applications if last year is any indication?

that's what webcams are for!

Looking at the last week in April last year the CSC came on strong (after a 3-4 week slow period) with over 60 approvals, and they stayed pretty strong throughout May. They've gotta be close to getting through the H1-b visa surge at this point and so quotas on other visa categories need to be caught up. That's the theory at least behind "The Surge."

Yes ! it's so good to see another approval! Well, I was 107 two or three weeks ago already, so I guess I'll start chirping I go from 104 to 95 in less than a week, because that will mean CSC starts working hard again! I really hope, for all of us, that they will be approving 25 petitions a week.
Does anyone know a witch? Maybe a spell or two would help them go back to work!


"ok Mom, here's how to reduce my stress: he quits his job and he comes here while we're waiting for the visa and you pay all his bills for the 6 or 7 months he's here. will you help me?"

I actually do - an old girlfriend of mine announced to me that she comes from a long line of witches and would frequently cast spells and perform other such activities. I didn't mind the witch part too much, but when I realized that for her the letters "w" and "b" were freely interchangable, that relationship didn't last long.

Don't I know it!

I think my pet peeve is not being considered to be in a 'real' relationship. Or people expressing concern over my marrying because despite having dated for nearly two years we've only physically been together three times. You know, because moving in with your boyfriend after a couple of weeks or getting to shag your girlfriend on Fridays when your parents are out of the house constitutes a more 'valid' relationship.


Blake you're definitely on top form today

EDIT: Eek, just noticed my predicted NoA2 date is back in July. Noo!

I really don't think anyone could accuse us of confusing love with sex here - at least we have that going for us

I HATE that!! I also hate the "Well...you need to make sure that he isn't just marrying you to get a green card." He's from Canada...do they even measure visa fraud numbers for immigrants from Canada?

Blake - True, very true!


Fortunately I've not had the green card line; but it would be equally idiotic to say that to a Brit, too. What do you usually say?!

Damn Canadians, rushing the borders of the US to gain access... swiming rivers in the dead of winter (ok walking accross) just for the opportunity to live in freedom....taking jobs from Americans and working for below minimum wage!

I mean come on, the only thing you can criticize the average Canadian is for being too polite

We Brits are also accused of being too polite. Nay, I say, Americans are just rude.

But then you don't call a toilet a toilet. What is up with that?!

I've gotten it a couple of times and depending on how close I am to them I've said "I appreciate your concern, but I'm really not worried about that" and for people that I'm closer to I cracked up laughing and said something like "sneaking in from Canada" before dissolving back into giggles.

Aheeemmmmm - I think I've heard the word "loo" on occasion. Any bad habits we Americans have we learned from our colonial masters, of course. So blame the British and in the words of South Park's creators "Blame Canada" as well.

Not ALL Americans are rude! ....just a lot of them. Dennis used to say to me "...you're not like most Americans" with this sort of incredulous tone. I have a friend who moved here from Argentina at like 20, he told me "I'm so glad you're not marrying an American...you're just not that kind of girl."



Personally, I call it the "potty"...but I speak like a 5-year-old sometimes!

(yes...I call the whole room the potty or the potties if it's a public restroom)

If the US has all these wonderful free trade agreements with Canada - why doesn't it also have a fast track for Canadian fiances? I guess Canadians are good enough to work in the US but not good enough to marry Americans?? Either you're basically good or you aren't which one is it??

Ohhh...I could get going on this one for so long! The US is pretty good at that "you're SORT OF ok thing" just look at the whole gay marriage issue "Well...you're good enough to hold a job and pay taxes...but you certainly can't get married. That would just be wrong!" Does that really make sense to people?

We like Cubans better than Canadians, I guess. Perhaps that's because we don't have any free trade agreements with them