CityCat

It's the hair, isn't it? You wanna just pulll that hair and......

He's actually an awesome guy. So nice and good off the field.... a freakin MONSTER on it. And with that mocha skin and the long dark flowing tresses.... the soap runnin down the crack of his......

Well, yeah, it is the hair... and mocha skin... and the way his butt looks in those tight pants

AH!!!! I got yall!! Yall thought I was... these is jokes. I'm joking. Just.... anyway. (There's a radio station here that has a talk show (the Russ Parr morning show... nationally syndicated, check it out) character named "coach." Coach is always "calling in" to the show to talk about how his players did in the game. He starts by telling about their abilities and onfield performance... but he always ends up in the shower with "his big firm buttocks and the soapy water just sudsin all over...." Then he gets hung-up on. )

I'll check it out!

Life is horrible by definition, people are born into misery and die in misery

Wow, CityCat, you must be a Buddhist!

It is a quote from some religious book, Christian, but I am not particularly sure, Catholic or Orthodox or maybe something else, don't remember. It's a good quote - it has helped me a lot in life.

Wow, I think I will have to bookmark that post and read it every morning at the start of the day. Makes me real happy that I find my life happy and fulfilling and enjoy every minute of it. I do sort of remember feeling like that when I was married to my first wife though.

See? Very American: "I am happy and everyone should be" That's exactly what I was talking about... Big big mistake!

Look, people, there is no paradise on Earth!

It sucks here as much as it sucks there, you either can handle it and move on or not and than, go back home to your mommy and daddy!

It is prevailing in the American attitude to life though to expect the absolute happiness from the reality and do anything possible to get it without losing hope that it can be done. That's childish. Life is horrible by definition, people are born into misery and die in misery, the trick is to find a moment or a person that's good and hold on to it.

What do you expect being an immigrant? You are homeless per se, not already belonging "there" and not yet (and never) belonging here. You knew what you were getting into. You make a sacrifice to be with a person you love, so be it!

It won't get better ever, just because of the way feelings work, so simply remember why you did it at the first place, Jewel!

few years that were exciting with Mr Sanders in the backfield.

The great thing about being a hockey fan(besides the fact that you are a hockey fan) is that I only have to endure the start of Lions football and then its hockey season, so usually the Lions are .500 and then the Wings start. Plus several of the players playing for the wings now started in Grand Rapids and I got to know them while I worked at the arena. Hudler, Kopecky,Filpula.

But dont get too cocky there Slim with the Steelers you still have to endure the Penguins(Crosby is great but then who) you are back to the pt where you had only Super Mario and nothing else.

I've heard Mr. Sanders may make a return to the gridiron. He's hinted at it several times, and it's probably too late, but we all know who the real rushing champion would've been if he would've had truck-sized holes like Emmitt had. The only man to ever compare to Sweetness, it brought a tear to my eye when Barry said "I just couldn't break Walter's record. I respected the man and his record too much, his record had to stand."

The greatest thing about Red Wings hockey (besides Gordie, of course) was seeing Anna Kournikova in all the Sergei Federov publicity shots.

I really like hockey, but liking hockey here is almost as bad as liking soccer. Nobody gets it. We have two minor league teams and the games are a blast to go to but it's almost impossible to find someone to go with. Maybe someday they'll get it. Until then... it's WHO DEY all the way!

And lastly, back to football...... When I was about four years old, I got a football for Christmas. I carried that ball all the time and one day a few months later we went to a garage sale where they had a helmet for sale. The team on that helmet? The Pittsburgh Steelers. They instantly became my favorite team, and whenever I played football with the neighborhood kids, I was a Steeler. (I lived in northern Indiana, so most of them were Colts or Bears.) When we moved to Cincinnati, I was heartbroken when I found out the Bengals' biggest rival was the Steelers. I didn't embrace the Bengals until years later while I was overseas and the Bengals were a way to show where I was from. I came back, and now we have coach Marvin Lewis (who was Bill Cowher's side-kick out there for a few years at Three Rivers) so the Bengals are starting to play Pittsburgh style football.

It's going to be an interesting year. (Especially if all of our players can stay out of jail!)

That's a very cute football story, Slim!

I am not a big fan of hockey (even the irresistible charms of Pavel Bure didn't change my mind on that - the charms of Polamalu turned out to be stronger! )

Hey if you come to West Michigan we can have lunch too. I wouldnt come at Christmas time its pretty cold here. Summer is nice we can visit the lake.

I spent a summer there once... Well, almost all summer - I got so bored and it was so cold there that I ran away to Chicago and was very happy about it ever since. No offense, Thomas, maybe I was in the wrong part of the state...

Whaaaaat? Chicago isn't exactly the warmest place on earth.

For some reason that summer was muuuuch hotter in Chicago. I really don't know why.

When people consider it correct and a good thing to take away our liberties I think the days on those liberties are numbered.

I am older than many of you and if I think back to how many of our liberties have been lost while I have been here I think the rest will go in another lifetime or so.

I was just generalizing... Nobody is going to ask a lowlife of an immigrant like meself on the matters of Patriotic Act anyways, so it's for you, citizens, to decide if it's good or bad.

Hey if you come to West Michigan we can have lunch too. I wouldnt come at Christmas time its pretty cold here. Summer is nice we can visit the lake.

I spent a summer there once... Well, almost all summer - I got so bored and it was so cold there that I ran away to Chicago and was very happy about it ever since. No offense, Thomas, maybe I was in the wrong part of the state...

You guys are forgetting where Bengals head coach, Marvin Lewis, came from.....

Pittsburgh.

Without the 'stache and chin on the other sideline, really, it's going to be like the Cincinnati Steelers playing the Pittsburgh Bengals. Or something like that. Either way, Pittsburgh's best player will be calling the game.

Yeah yeah yeah, whatever... Once you put on black and gold, you are Steelers!!!! No way back. It's more than a team. it's more than a game. It's dignity, legacy, pride!

If you wanna rant about some nice laws passed, how about the Patriot Act? Anything to say about that one?

Well my feelings on the patriot act are pretty simple, the patriot act came about because we didnt listen to our intelligence or have any forthought prior to 9/11 that someone who really doesnt like our foreign policy would attack us so instead of spying on people in other countries the wise people in the white house and congress decided it would be a whole lot easier if we gave free reign to the folks at the NSA to spy on people in this country.

Amendment #4

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

This includes intellectual property and if I remember my civics correctly I do believe we have a right to free speech. I could go on but then its just my opinion.

I've asked people who "support the patriot act" what they think about the 4th Amendment and most of them say "the what?"

Yes, I think it is very respectable - the right for privacy and things like that. But I also think it is respectable for a strong country to try to protect its strength by all means possible from anything that can endanger this strength.

Well for one thing it is hard to see the steeler games down here and I always enjoy watching the steelers beat the Bengals. For another you stand out like a sore thumb down here wearing your Steeler tossle cap and jacket and waving the terrible towel. I keep worrying they are going to lock me up in the looney bin.

I am not sure how good or bad out team will be this year with the new coach but one thing I can say for the Steelers is they always have the best fans in football. I have been to games in Cinci and even Kansas city with more Steeler fans than the local team.

Thank you!!! Yes, the team has the best fans possible, very loyal. And if anything, this season will at least be interesting with all new players and coach (boy, he is better be good! We could use some victory!)

And they always beat Bengals, always! (ha-ha, Slim! You ain't stand no chance!)

Is the permanent residency similar to how the green card works here? Basically, how would I legally stay in Russia if I moved there with my wife? Would I enter on one of those "business" visas (multi-entry, one year, through a service or something) and then transition to permanent residence?

Anyone done it or know how to do it?

Why? Why on Earth would you want to?! Just give me one good reason why you would want to live in Russia? I love my country to death, I want my kids to see it, I want to be buried there but America is so much easier to live in!!!

Anyways, it does work like green card here, sort of. Basically what you do when you come there, you register first as a tourist or whatever visa you came with, then there is usually a list of papers you need to get permanent residence based on different reasons. Than you collect all necessary papers, stay in lines for at least a week (and I mean it, a week non-stop, people come every day at 4 am to keep their place in line, stay till closing and come again at 4 am next day not to lose a spot, usually takes about a week altogether and God forbid if you forgot some document, another week of lining then!) and they take all you have collected and tell you when to come to get the document itself. Another week of waiting in lines and ta-da! You have a residency!

Both of them suck big time!!! Impolite crew, scary passengers, crappy service. But lesser evil is Delta, and yes, they speak the language so no worries there. Alcohol was $5 a drink last time I flew. My personal preference is FinnAir. You have to change planes in Helsinki, but the service is top-notch, the drinks are free and passengers are very polite. Besides, smoking is allowed in designated areas in Helsinki airport which is also nice.

Maybe not a bad option, even being out of A/R. Pittsburgh (especially the Steelers...) SUCKS!!!!!

Watch it, mister!!!!!! I know what happens to mouthy Bengals fans in Pittsburgh - and believe me, they teach you politeness once and for all!!! So watch your mouth!!!!

Just kidding. Had to throw some snow (soon, anyway) at the rivals. WHO DEY!!!! OK. All joking aside, if you have the chance to live in the Caribbean, why on earth would you want to live anywhere in the States?

What happened to the patriotic American "The States is the best country in the world!" attitude that's so typical for the locals here?

Hey guys and gals, I've been looking all over the internet and cant find the answers I am looking for. Maybe you guys can help. Heres our sitation. After we get the K-1 and enter the US we will marry within in a week and file the AOS paperwork. We are considering after 2 or 3 years moving to Vladimir. Heres my questions.

1. Can I (a foreigner) own property in Russia? (Flat or build a house)

2. Can I have a bank account in Russia? Is it difficult to wire money from a USA account to a Russian bank account?

3. Do I have to go to a Russian driving school to get a driver's license?

4. How will this affect the AOS and my girl's green card, citizenship process here in the USA?

In addition, if and when we move to Russia my income will be from trading stock/options/bonds in my online account.

5. Will I have to pay capital gains taxes in Russia along with my taxes in the US? I hope not!!

6. Will we need to marry in Russia also to get my temporary residences visa, then permenant residence?. (If anyone can shed some light on this whole subject and process it would be greatly apreciated.)

These are all the questions I have for the moment. I have searched the internet and found only outdated and conflicting info. All help is greatly appreciated. thanks!!!

From what I know yes, you can buy property in Russia, and if it's a real estate thing, that would help you get residence. But I am not sure.

Why would you want to move there anyways (if you don't mind me asking)?

Hi

I'm going to start working on my Master's degree next year, and I need some help

There should be members here who hold a Russian degree and who went to grad school in the U.S. (Blues Fairy, you may be one of them!). What did you guys do with the transcripts? The Universities I will be applying to want the transcripts - with translations! - to be sent directly from my school, and although I know I can arrange that, it's gonna be a major hassle.

Does anyone know if it's okay to just bring the degree and the original mark sheet with translations to the admissions office, and have them make copies and do whatever they want with them? I contacted schools and asked about it, apparently they had no clue. Maybe I should have gone to international admissions, they seem to be more versed in foreign credentials requirements...

Anyways, if anyone has ever done that and can share experience, thanks heaps!

Yeah, go to international admissions office. There they would at least know what the whole thing was about and how to deal with it. They will tell you where they want it translated and evaluated (I mean a school usually has a bunch of agencies that this school likes to do this kind of thing with) But it's not a big deal if it's not sent directly from your uni in Russia (wasn't in my case)

Add me to the list.

I was once told that the couples communicate through sex, but that must be a joke!

Definitely a joke!

You think it would be appropriate to start a topic with a question about it in the title? Or would it be tactless?

I have a hard time understanding how you can fall in love with a person if you don't speak a common language fluently

You and me both... Maybe we should ask everybody here, how it works for them. I am unbelievably curious how people do it. It's hard for men and women to understand each other without language barrier...

What was a little strange though - the male doctor asked me to take my clothes off. All of it.

And you had to pay him?

You know now thinking about it... He was sort of flirting! Ladies, watch out!

We have enough Chinese stuff in our house to X-out the no prosperity stuff.

How do we figure out which superstitions are stronger than others? For instance, if I whistle a tune (and all my money's gone) then offer my ATM card up to the moon ("myesits myesits.....") which one's going to win? (So far, the whistling's working a lot stronger!)

Stop whistling! It's a pretty strong one!

In general though, it depends on whichever you believe more is gonna work more.

Yes, it's a very reliable place and the results are ready the same day. I used it and was very happy with it. You'll probably have to wait there in the lobby for like an hour or so after the whole procedure is done, but it's no big deal, right?

Noone,

How long does the actual medical exam take? What do they do?

Like Satellite said, chest x-ray, general check up, blood test. Not long at all, maybe an hour tops including waiting in line. What was a little strange though - the male doctor asked me to take my clothes off. All of it. But it may be a normal thing for a check up, it was my first one with somebody I didn't know (my mom is a doctor, so I didn't need to see strangers for an exam)

That's great! Congratulations! I am very happy for both of you!

Yes, it's a very reliable place and the results are ready the same day. I used it and was very happy with it. You'll probably have to wait there in the lobby for like an hour or so after the whole procedure is done, but it's no big deal, right?

I would actually start a business of shipping in foreign husbands. We'll see how they compete with our domestic product, in the local environment. Shoes I definitely prefer to buy from Italy, wine from France, why not consider men from the U.S.?

They don't stand a chance in that environment. From what I have seen and heard by now, they don't seem to have mental skills and physical strength appropriate to survive in less civilized areas than the geographical capital of the country (in case we wouldn't consider Moscow as a primary habitat for the attempt of accommodation due to the similarity of the conditions of the latter)

Now how is that for an attitude in response to "units shipped"?

Aha! So that's the superstition behind it. I know, with Russians, there's always more to it than just tradition for some stupid reason. It's because it means something. We do stuff here because that's the way it's done or because it's "polite" to do it that way. In Russia, you've gotta do it that way because if you don't, you cause bad luck for everyone!

There is always a superstition behind.

Another one for you: no dusting or vacuuming or swiping in the house ofter dawn, or the prosperity will be swiped off too.