Dr. A ♥ O

I'm a registered Democrat, but I like to vote for third party candidates whenever I can.

Why does anyone imagine they have to "be something"? "Being" a Republican or Democrat means someone else tells you what to think and sometimes the justifications of the kool-aid drinkers on both sides is just painful to watch.
Nothing says you can't be pro-gun AND pro-gay marriage AND pro-legalization of marijuana AND against the federal government running our health care, BUT in favor of the state government having a single payor system. Why can't you choose your issues and opinions like a cafeteria?

Im the USC, Hes from Jordan
Still together after 7 years, coming up on our 6 year wedding anniversary this July.
2 kids together, we love eachother alot but like all healthy couples, fight and bicker occasionally.
Would I marry another MENA man if we ever divorced? No. We have both make sacrifices, bite our tongues all the time with our families, and have adapted to one anothers cultures to make our marriage work, because we want to be together and to have a good marriage. I only do this because I love my husband dearly and vice versa. Having children grow up in a multicultural relationship is MUCH harder then I ever anticipated and I wouldnt do it again. But then again, I dont really ever see Sofyan and I being apart.

Isn't there irony though saying that those who spend the majority of their time in an online relationships with their SO thus far don't really know their SO? By that logic it also negates all their own online relationships, with people for example on VJ, and how they judge them based on online posts with almost absolute certainty that is who that person is because they spend a lot of time reading about them and communicating on the boards with them and others. Sure some meetup regularly with those in their area and get to know a person or a couple but even that could be compared to the communication and time spent face to face with a ones SO.
How can one speculate about the authenticity of another couples relationship spent online with a few visits in person vs face to face, "they're here living together," communication when they are only getting information about it from an person they know from online themselves? Also from what the recent relationship poll indicates the vast majority sharing here are only half the story.
Edited to define face to face.

I guess I should say face to face means living together here or there, where ever there may be a home for their foreign SO's.
It always comes back to my same point, "Only the people in the relationship really know the truth about it." People may have the majority of an online relationship but that doesn't mean it's not a real relationship. People who are living with their SO may also get more of a full picture of who that person is in person and in the relationship but that doesn't make them a relationship expert. The nature of the relationship could be a lie online or even while living together but it is still a relationship in some sense of the word. The relationship could be sunshine, rainbows and kitten online and living together in person too and that's not saying that's a bad thing either if you're an eternal optimist like me. May sunshine, rainbows, lollipops, kittens and all the good things in this world live on forever and breath fresh air into our souls.
"Like attracts like."

Isn't there irony though saying that those who spend the majority of their time in an online relationships with their SO thus far don't really know their SO? By that logic it also negates all their own online relationships, with people for example on VJ, and how they judge them based on online posts with almost absolute certainty that is who that person is because they spend a lot of time reading about them and communicating on the boards with them and others. Sure some meetup regularly with those in their area and get to know a person or a couple but even that could be compared to the communication and time spent face to face with a ones SO.
How can one speculate about the authenticity of another couples relationship spent online with a few visits in person vs face to face, "they're here living together," communication when they are only getting information about it from an person they know from online themselves? Also from what the recent relationship poll indicates the vast majority sharing here are only half the story.
Edited to define face to face.

Kill it before it breeds.

I voted to let it die because it's not a very good name for the purpose it was being used for.
If we want a site where suspended VJers and VJers who feel like skirting TOS can go and duke it out, it should be called something like VJDungeon.com.

My vote is to let it die.

I never went there but I heard that it was pretty much a sh*thole. Which is why I never went.

at the beginning of the day it was just backed up sewage from here.

At the end of the day, it really was circling the drain, wasn't it?
I will miss the 'in the clink' posts from those suspended from here though.

Well I don't consider myself an elitist. I'm not a rich woman. I'm a common person, working class. I've been fortunate to have some people in my life with some money but not a lot to be considered independently wealthy. We all still have to work. So I'm not sure how I fit into those percentages. But this is crossing the line for me and putting me in a real difficult spot being in an international marriage. I don't want the government seeing my private parts nor touching my private parts because "I opt out". In the future if I have children I can't stand by and allow someone to see or touch my children's privates. What am I supposed to tell them? It's ok if the government does it but don't let strangers? I have a hard enough time going to the doctor for my annual visit.
That leaves me with either driving, taking a bus, learning to fly or sail/drive a boat. I could take a cruise ship to Egypt I guess if I could get an inexpensive deal where I get off the ship at a port and don't get back on. I could take flying lessons and go in on an airplane with a group of people like my brother did for recreation. Flying lessons are expensive but if it means not having to subject myself or the ones I love to the scanners then so be it. My brother also jointly owns a yatch with some people. Well he inherited a 1/3 of it from his first marriage. It's expensive to store at the marina and the gas for it is really expensive to power. It takes a crew of at least 3 people to man it at minimum and we've only taken it to the San Juan Islands and up and down the coast line with friends and family. We've never crossed an ocean in it. They get some money back for renting it out to corporations for parties like Coors Light in Seattle. It seems owning a bigger boat is more expensive then owning a Cessna.
This third option is to join the boycotts. Our rights only come alive when citizen organize, protest, demonstrate, strike, boycott, rebel & violate the law in order to uphold justice. Other countries are already protesting these machines. The objective is about standing up for what's right. I'm sorry but these new TSA policy's aren't right.

I like the show, Modern Family. I've seen every episode so far and I think sometimes their show is hilarious.

I've come to the conclusion that person has issues.

We had the interview today. It took about ten minutes.
He wanted to see my passport and my husbands ID. We were sworn in and recorded.
He asked a couple questions like our names, when and were we met and when we got married.
Then I had to answer the YES and NO questions and he then asked to see some evidence. I showed him the joined credit cards and our bills but he wasn't interested in them and gave them back. Then I showed him photos and he asked when and where they were taken.
He then asked where I work and then where my husband works and we talked a little about work.
He said he'd approve my application and told us about the ROC.
Then we were sent home

Finalllllllyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!
Your Current Case Status for Form I485, APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS
Card/ Document Production
On October 18, 2010, we ordered production of your new card. Please allow 30 days for your card to be mailed to you. If we need something from you we will contact you. If you move before you receive the card, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283.
I have been waiting for this day since forever!!!!
I hope that my good friends Kimbear and Colleens get their I-485's approved too!
KnR aka slider100

My interview was easy. IO did not ask us much. I think the interview was just 5 minutes. She wanted to know my father, mother name, where did we first meet, how long we have been married and that's it. She did not ask for any supported documents during the interview. We thought it was done successfully but we missed one notarized document that she needed. I did not bring the original of that document either so she could not make a copy instead. The IO ask us to mail her that paper to approve my application. We sent that notarized paper right away after the interview. Hope we will heard from her soon

I found another article about this, including direct quotes from the USCIS document:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/14/government-facebook_n_762581.html
"Narcissistic tendencies in many people fuels a need to have a large group of 'friends' link to their pages and many of these people accept cyber-friends that they don't even know," the USCIS explains. "This provides an excellent vantage point for FDNS to observe the daily life of beneficiaries and petitioners who are suspected of fraudulent activities."
The memo also suggests that agents should treat online profiles as a "cyber 'site-visit'" and look to them to spot fake relationships and other types of fraud.
"Generally, people on these sites speak honestly in their network because all of their friends and family are interacting with them via lM's (Instant Messages), Blogs (Weblog journals), etc.," advises the USCIS memo. "This social networking gives FDNS an opportunity to reveal fraud by browsing these sites to see if petitioners and beneficiaries are in a valid relationship or are attempting to deceive CIS about their relationship. Once a user posts online, they create a public record and timeline of their activities. In essence, using MySpace and other like sites is akin to doing an unannounced cyber "site-visit" on a petitioners and beneficiaries."

We had the AOS interview on Tuesday. It went very fast. The interview lasted 5 to 10 minutes.
The person had all the paperwork we had sent from the beginning in a folder. We showed our passports and my EAD. She asked me my name, address, birth date, my current activity. Then she asked how we met, and how was the wedding. Matt explained that this process makes it non-romantic, we got married in June but we want to do a ceremony in June 2011 in Kentucky / Ohio with his family, and another in June 2012 in France. She was very understanding. She then said I should receive the green card in 3 to 4 weeks. And voilà, I had prepared evidence in addition, copies of all that has been sent since the beginning, but it was not asked.
Good luck to all who are waiting.

Hey everyone! I've been MIA lately due to being busy with work but I'm happy to report that today we had our interview and we were APPROVED! It only took about 15 minutes and it turns out we didn't even need a co-sponsor! The IO only asked us 2 questions: how and when we met. I'm so happy to have all the immigration ####### behind us for a while ... I can't wait to get the green card in my hands! Good luck to everyone with upcoming interviews/waiting for CSC

Excellent News !!
To celebrate this momentus occassion, please fill out yer official VJ timeline over at http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=80166
*** moving to 'Adjustment of Status Case Filing and Progress Reports' forum ***

We had our interview yesterday morning. We got there with 20 minutes to spare. Waited in the lobby for about 45 minutes before my name was called. When we got to the IO's office, he swore us in, told us to have a seat. He then asked for IDs, how and where we met, when and where we got married.
He wanted to know if we brought the original marriage certificate, looked it over and compared it with the copy. He then asked for my son's birth certificate and my husband's passport.
He asked my husband where works and he does at work and if we were renting or owned a house. Hubby told him we just bought our first house - the IO asked for the mortgage papers( i wasn't on the mortgage, so i gave him the copy of the deed of trust that has my name on it). Then looked at our wedding photos, kept a few copies. That's it! He didn't even asked for the other co-mingling stuff i prepared. :laugh:
He then verified the info on my AOS application. Asked 2 questions from the "Have you ever"..questionnaire. He then told me everything looks good, asked for my passport and took out my I-94 ( because i don't need it anymore) Told me he's approving my application and it will take a month for the card to arrive. Made a copy of our IDs on the way out. And that's it! Took about 10-15 minutes.
Glad this is over for now. Whew!

Hi Everyone - Congrats on all the green cards!
Had our interview yesterday in Chula Vista, CA. Weird interview. Sounded like he had never reviewed our file until we were in front of him. The man's office was covered in piles of files, said they were doing a file audit and no filers could be moved until it was done... Not a happy thought that ours would be added to the stack.
We adjusted from a B2 so I thought they would question, intent, validity of marriage, etc... He never asked us a single personal question. Did not want to look at our picures. Found an error on the form for my husbands divorce date. The divorce decree wrote out the thirtieth of May 1999 and my husband read it as the 13 and that is the date he told me to put in the form. He corrected that.
Then he just wanted to see co-mingling financial documents. Since my husband just got his social security card, I told him the truth that we couldn't open a joint bank acount until last week, which we did. Had copies of the checks since we didn't have anything fromt he bank mailed yet. Also, I own three homes and receive so many bills, that I have all my bills sent to my office so I can deal with them there and most are automatically deducted out of my bank account so he was not happy that my husband was not on any of the utility bills.
He was really not happy that my driver's license has my office address on it and does not match the home my husband and I live in. I explained, that since I had the three houses, for tax and financial reasons, I would live in one and remodel and then move into another and rent the last one out. Changing my address all the time was a pain, so I just have everything done out of my office address which again, is the truth. I told him to look on my tax return and see that it too, is sent to my office and that it lists my primary home as the one I now share with my husband.
THe proof he asked for and I gave him was: the new bank account, copies of our checks, copies of my husband's AMEX card that I had him added to my business account, his new costco card on my account, The copy of the social security envelope addressed to our house and copy of a wedding gift card addressed to both of us at the house and one wedding picture with my entire family in it.
He then said that he was going to recommend our approval, but that a supervisor would have to review the file as well. So not sure if we are approved or not. The interviewer was also having a very hard time breathing during the interview.
So if you have not had your interview yet, make sure you have all the financial stuff you can. I thought they would ask questions like where did you meet, how, etc.... Nothing, nada.... all he wanted was proof that we shared finances.
FYI, Regarding EAD and AP, others have said they were asked to turn those in. He did not ask for ours. I told the interviewer we were going to Mexico in two weeks and he said to just use the AP document we already have. He did not ask to see it, or the AP.
Good luck everyone! Most of us are almost through! Yeah!