My closing comments

[visaveteran1 33]

My time on VJ is over and I am grateful to VJ for months and months of good information and help when needed. Thank you VJ!

To the Russian forum, I can only say the user name "Man with a beard" can be taken literally...there is no secret code or sexual "subtext." Have we reached a new forum low?

I live in full authenticity...so I don't hide behind adolescent codes; I guess the new sexually confused generation and the San Francisco Maoists like to pull people down to their level. Subtle character assassination is a current popular technique, albeit, cowardly.

The name "man with a beard" comes from the fact that I look very much like Sean Connery looked maybe 10 years ago. Women come up to me all the time and say, "Has anyone every told you look that that movie star? You know...the older Scottish man with the beard. Oh, what's his name? Of yes, Sean Connery!" I was once briefly mistaken for Sean in a famous restaurant. So there you have it...straight as an arrow and handsome to boot. No brag...just fact.

So, for the very prolific king and queen of the Russian forum (you know who you are) sorry, but I have to own I'm a flaming heterosexual.

For a certain briefly AWOL poster, I'd simply say maybe you need to own your secret issues. I see a mysterious delay in your interview that tells me maybe you've stumbled again but can't admit it. I see you're unwilling to discuss it. I see you "hiding." I see you in your own "closet."

FYI for the forum...did you all know "Eekee" in Swahili means "silly girl with a bad attitude." Such an interesting poster...not just from her immature American feminist diatribes...but because she claims to be a DCF visa seeker, yet she's never posted once to the DCF forum. No time line. No data trail. Just endless postings here on his forum, plus a host of concocted dramas to entertain herself and stir up trouble. I understand her need to get a life and find better things to do than be the chief trouble-maker on the Russian forum. Leave that job to others...they're probably beyond help.

To Satellite...congrats on the success with the CA law bar! And thanks for being honest even while less honest and intelligent people attack you.

To the rest of the legitimate forum members...good luck with your visas and/or Russian wives and husbands!

Seanconneryii (straight eight "man with a beard") saying farewell.

[slim 1,514]

Happy trails.

And don't forget to tell us how you really feel.

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

:lol:

Happy trails.

And don't forget to tell us how you really feel.

[eekee 182]

what i think of when i hear "sean connery."

Edited May 18, 2008 by eekee

[Ban Hammer 12,835]

bleh, someone who is entertaining has left.

[shikarnov 7]

Good luck to you and your bride, and may your futures be filled with happiness.

Z

[Okiebollweevil 0]

Well it is too bad you are bidding us adieu as your comments were always good for some interesting responses. I am sure there are those who will say good riddance, but I for one will miss all the trash talk between yourself and the other posters, irritating sometimes, but as long as they weren't directed to yours truly, not a problem. Best of luck and God Bless on your future life and soon to be reunification with your wife, may your life be uncomplicated. No beard, no look-alike just an older than dirt Okie.

[eekee 182]

Well it is too bad you are bidding us adieu as your comments were always good for some interesting responses. I am sure there are those who will say good riddance, but I for one will miss all the trash talk between yourself and the other posters, irritating sometimes, but as long as they weren't directed to yours truly, not a problem. Best of luck and God Bless on your future life and soon to be reunification with your wife, may your life be uncomplicated. No beard, no look-alike just an older than dirt Okie.

eh, to be honest i too will miss seanconnery's posts, even though most of them were directed at me. i enjoy debate and hearing points of views that differ from my own. i think he felt a lot more vitriol toward me than i toward him.

[peejay 327]

Well it is too bad you are bidding us adieu as your comments were always good for some interesting responses. I am sure there are those who will say good riddance, but I for one will miss all the trash talk between yourself and the other posters, irritating sometimes, but as long as they weren't directed to yours truly, not a problem. Best of luck and God Bless on your future life and soon to be reunification with your wife, may your life be uncomplicated. No beard, no look-alike just an older than dirt Okie.

eh, to be honest i too will miss seanconnery's posts, even though most of them were directed at me. i enjoy debate and hearing points of views that differ from my own. i think he felt a lot more vitriol toward me than i toward him.

Ditto for me too. All of my battles have occured in Off Topic rather than in the Russian Forum. But I too get the impression that some I have disagreed with hold more of a grudge against me than I with them. Oh well. You can't control other people's feelings, thoughts, and emotions.

[slim 1,514]

I think people often times lose sight of the fact that those we're "debating" here on VJ are people we've never met and don't even know. It's almost as if they're fictional.

Another thing that shouldn't be forgotten is once you're past the "how do I send in the I-130" line of questioning or other "official business" here, you're into the "entertainment" portion of posting and you're on here more for your own enjoyment (or time wasting) than anything.

Since there are real people on the other side of all those "tubes and wires" you do get some nice responses and it is fun and thought-provoking. However, when it gets to the point of causing stress..... it's time to bust out that playstation.

[Okiebollweevil 0]

I think people often times lose sight of the fact that those we're "debating" here on VJ are people we've never met and don't even know. It's almost as if they're fictional.

Another thing that shouldn't be forgotten is once you're past the "how do I send in the I-130" line of questioning or other "official business" here, you're into the "entertainment" portion of posting and you're on here more for your own enjoyment (or time wasting) than anything.

Since there are real people on the other side of all those "tubes and wires" you do get some nice responses and it is fun and thought-provoking. However, when it gets to the point of causing stress..... it's time to bust out that playstation.

Yeah I joined a long time ago and when my wife got here and we got her 2 year green card I dropped off the radar until we ran the 10 year green card thing. Now with N-400 filed it seems that everything is on cruise control. As you go through the process you rely on VJ posts less, and I agree it does become a source of dubious entertainment. However, once in a while you will run across pearls of wisdom or can offer some assistance to someone else new to the process or give some advice what to expect when their Russian soon to be spouse arrives. I would dare say that anyone who is now married to our Russian spouses (Notice Eeekee I say spouse although most of us are bringing brides, only in deference to you!) will agree that it was one hell of an adjustment for both, and we see some personality traits that weren't apparent previously. Well I saw that in my first marriage and shouldn't have been surprised but I was. I attribute it to the cultural changes and shock that America is really not a country paved with streets of gold, and the homesickness effect. Although my wife has met a few Russian women that will not, absolutely not return to Russia for any reason, even to visit family members. This she atributes to their total embracement of American attitudes, chasing the almighty buck and striving to get ahead. Who knows.

[slim 1,514]

All of the above, including everything ranging from "cultural adjustment" to "relationships" to "assimilation" is actually, "Official Business" here in the Russia Forum and elswhere on VJ. It's just as important to the VJ process as which forms to file. Most folks only use VJ as a resource to ascertain how to get the visa, but the support system for aftewards is here as well.

You could make a case that arguing the finer points of feminism vs. the finer points of bulls#it is also "official" because of it's relativity to traditional roles in both Russian and American relationships.

Either way, I think it's all fair!

[LvivLovers 39]

All of the above, including everything ranging from "cultural adjustment" to "relationships" to "assimilation" is actually, "Official Business" here in the Russia Forum and elswhere on VJ. It's just as important to the VJ process as which forms to file. Most folks only use VJ as a resource to ascertain how to get the visa, but the support system for aftewards is here as well.

You could make a case that arguing the finer points of feminism vs. the finer points of bulls#it is also "official" because of it's relativity to traditional roles in both Russian and American relationships.

Either way, I think it's all fair!

My wife misses walking everywhere in her city and seeing everyone else walking around. She hates the driving every place. It's little things like that neither of us thought much about prior to her coming to the USA. It's also really hard for her not to worry about her relatives back home because they are experiencing hyper-inflation right now and the prices are ridiculous relative to their salaries.

[eekee 182]

I think people often times lose sight of the fact that those we're "debating" here on VJ are people we've never met and don't even know. It's almost as if they're fictional.

Another thing that shouldn't be forgotten is once you're past the "how do I send in the I-130" line of questioning or other "official business" here, you're into the "entertainment" portion of posting and you're on here more for your own enjoyment (or time wasting) than anything.

Since there are real people on the other side of all those "tubes and wires" you do get some nice responses and it is fun and thought-provoking. However, when it gets to the point of causing stress..... it's time to bust out that playstation.

whenever i debate on the internet, i always have the understanding that people are different on the internet than on real life. the masks are on and the gloves are off. it's pretty much just all in good fun for me. If the internet is stressing you out, not only do you have to play some playstation, but you also have to sit back and look at why you're letting the internet stress you out in the first place.

LvivLovers, I agree with your wife. it was hard for me to come back to the US and not be able to walk everywhere. it also was not good for my weight.

Edited May 20, 2008 by eekee

[slim 1,514]

My wife misses walking everywhere in her city and seeing everyone else walking around. She hates the driving every place. It's little things like that neither of us thought much about prior to her coming to the USA. It's also really hard for her not to worry about her relatives back home because they are experiencing hyper-inflation right now and the prices are ridiculous relative to their salaries.

And this is why it's important to come back to VJ, back to the Russia Forum, and to share your experiences with others. There are a million things that could've been done better (or worse) in everyone's relationships, and with any luck, at least if we share our experiences here then maybe some of us will be able to use the info before it's too late!

whenever i debate on the internet, i always have the understanding that people are different on the internet than on real life. the masks are on and the gloves are off. it's pretty much just all in good fun for me.

That's why it's so fun! Not only can you debate with anyone, but you can be anyone! There's no dealing with the people afterward and the one thing I really like about it is there's no body language to read. Sure, there's tone and inflection (I'M SO MAD I'M USING ALL CAPS!!!) but it's not like when you're up in someone's grill catching spit from them as they drive their exhausted point home with no factual evidence. Here, everything is just a quick Google away and with Wikipedia proof, arguments are usually short and sweet, relegated to "my opinion is better than yours." And who doesn't love that debate?

LvivLovers, I agree with your wife. it was hard for me to come back to the US and not be able to walk everywhere. it also was not good for my weight.

I have to agree as well. Those two weeks I was in Moscow I was fit as a fiddle.