TBoneTX

Hopefully not long. The end is in sight!

Agree 100%. Well, we can add Ecuador, at least sometimes. Ecu is one of the few countries that stamps you both in and out. Some Ecu agents look for their entry stamp (insertion of a page into a computer that prints entry information) and put their computerized exit stamp on the contiguous or flip page. Other agents do it randomly, often pages apart. I remember a trip to northern Peru through a very rural and staggeringly beautiful southern-Ecu crossing called La Balsa. Ecus (including Mrs. T-B.) could enter Peru without passport stamps, but gringos had to be stamped in and out. A young and very bored Peruano border agent was assigned to this post. He was going to give me trouble, but our Ecu driver talked with him privately, and he let me through. The border was a gigantic bamboo-tree trunk stretched across the road. The guard and a buddy lifted the trunk so we could pass. On the other side was a small strip of stores. We went into one, followed closely by a mama hen and her chicks, who soon left through another exit. The next morning, we wanted to exit rather early, but the guard was nowhere to be found. Our driver asked in one of the stores, and they pointed us to a rundown apartment building across a muddy, poop-laden cow pasture. We slip-slopped our way there, and somebody rousted the guard (obviously hung over) from bed. He was not in a good mood. He dismissively exit-stamped my passport with use of a completely dried-up ink pad. At the end of my Ecu trip, the exit agent squinted at my passport and said, "La Balsa?" I nodded and pretended to squint at the passport. I laughed, and she laughed. That was a fun trip.

I've just remembered to add that the local SSA gave me a phone appointment for a precise time, such as 12:14 p.m. They were as punctual as an atomic clock. Very impressive for a governmental agency.

Sorry, dude. You must be reeling, and that's understandable. Did she get a 212(g) to provide more financials, or outright refusal of the visa? Others will be along to offer specific advice, pending your answer to the above. As painful as it is, please update your VJ timeline, to help others. And keep the faith. We care.

It is Wednesday -- time for our Semiofficial Semiweekly VAWA-Thread Joke: =========================================== A QUIET BURGLARY Ed awoke in the night and heard a burglar in the house. He ran to the closet with his cellphone and called the police. The police arrived in time to arrest the intruder as he was exiting the house with their jewelry and cash. The next day, Ed went to the police station and asked to speak to the burglar. "You can't do that," said the duty sergeant. "You'll have to wait until he's in court. Why do you want to speak to him?" "Well," said Ed, "he got into my house and into our bedroom at 3 a.m. without waking up my wife. I've got to know how he did it!"

Amazing concept! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ West Virginia Works With ICE to Arrest 650 Illegal Aliens The government in West Virginia, instead of trying to thwart federal immigration officers, formed a partnership with them that helped put over 600 illegal alien criminals in handcuffs. While Democrat-run California could be on the cusp of releasing 33,000 illegal alien criminals, Republican-run West Virginia is now prioritizing the safety of its citizens. If only more state governments would work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), there would not be so much violence against ICE and it would be much more straightforward to arrest and deport foreign criminals. In just two weeks in January, the state-federal authorities' partnership resulted in 650 arrests, including of burglars, violent offenders, and drug traffickers. Through the 287(g) program, the Department of Homeland Security gives local partners the tools and money to arrest illegal aliens, expanding its ability to put more aliens in custody. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a Feb. 9 press release, "If we work together, we can make America safe again. Sanctuary politicians who refuse to cooperate with DHS law enforcement are putting their own constituents in danger and wasting valuable law enforcement resources." [...] https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2026/02/10/west-virginia-works-with-ice-to-arrest-650-illegal-aliens-n4949356

The recommendation to order your U.S. Passport book with the extra pages (at no extra charge) is highly sensible. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This Minor Passport Error Could End Your Vacation When it comes to international travel, remembering to pack your passport can feel like half the battle. But the reality is that there are plenty of ways your passport can trip you up abroad — and one of the most common is usually learned the hard way. I'm talking about blank pages. Or, more accurately, not having enough of them. Just as many destinations require at least six months of validity beyond your return date, they also mandate a minimum number of blank pages for entry stamps and visas. According to [...] continues: https://www.insidehook.com/travel/minor-overlooked-passport-error

From kneeling to Spanish anthems: How the NFL lost Middle America at halftime After the chaotic early 2020s, when the NFL led the way by leaning into woke nonsense like kneeling for the national anthem or introducing "Lift Every Voice" as a separate anthem for Black Americans, there's been a lack of trust between the average football fan and the Super Bowl halftime production. The sense is, "What are they going to try this time?" The NFL responded with an all-Spanish halftime show and effectively challenged Americans to have a problem with it. What are viewers going to do — not watch? But many didn't. Turning Point's "All-American Halftime Show" was announced a few months ago to contrast with what many expected would be a politicized halftime show by Bad Bunny [...] https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/kneeling-spanish-anthems-how-nfl-lost-middle-america-halftime

Thrilling Tuesday report, see man: We desperately wanted to continue zzz-ing but couldn't, o'dark-Many skool hours man. Breakfasted/skoolbused Mini-B., groggy Two Guys man. Breakfast (!) was 2 buttered bagels, ingest we man. Siesta #1 minimally successful, more rest than zzz man. Visited Mama T-B., aysheep senior she man man. Awaiting verdict on hospice co., see above post man. Cashed annual Costco rebate at Costco Business Center, F$WM. Looked unsuccessfully for Subway coupons at Uncle T-B.'s recycling cans, man. Rainwater newspapers at least a day late on our street, man. Sometimes one source or the other has coupons when the other doesn't, unnecessary stress man. Siesta #2 remarkably good, zzz we man. Mini-B. also zzz'd on recliner sofa downstairs, groggy wee man man. He is always irritable after siestas, he'll learn man. Din-din was Southwest-Style Linguine with chicken & sausage*, ingest Two Guys man. *on sale from Costco, F$WM Mini-B. rather liked it, consume most wee man man. No movie night, man. Got Mini-B.'s next-year skool courses input, rotten lousy system man. It would NOT allow us to input future years' courses, man. This adds stress and doesn't enable graduation evaluation in advance, man. Mini-B. has a Debate event sometime this weekend, thanks for telling us only NOW man. Teechur is also not good at parent communication, man. Our weekend/doing Mama T-B.'s taxes/visits to Mama T-B. might therefore be hosed, man. We did precisely zero in regard to Mama T-B.'s taxes, man. No party with the rubias tonight, no cavort we man. No Wednesday plans except to follow up on skoolbus fiasco plus Debate issue, man. And that was/is our thrilling Tuesday, report we man.

Interesting articles, both. I've never witnessed what appear to be fake wheelchairers. In addition, some people can walk short distances unaided (as in small airports) but not longer distances, thus needing wheelchair aid only in big airports -- or, they can't stand in lines very long without health issues. Anyway, it's largely academic now.

I'm guessing some polite, a few more than some uncaring, and some who hate People, Animals, and Things.

Which wouldn't happen absent the seating policy. And not enough people could abuse wheelchair boarding to cause systemwide issues.

If we were good at Algebra*, we could probably cipher your age, si mam ma'am. *the national language of Algeria, si man But we are not, and we're equally poor at Calculus**, sigh man. **what Bro G.'s hygienist scrapes from people's teeth, si man Accordingly, you will have to bean-spill your own age and in P-Math, si and si mam ma'am. Bad dismissive shrug-shouldering mam ma'am! Bad, BAD shrug-shouldering SHRUG-SHOULDERING mam ma'am! Insulting Ontarklar's raise-poultrying habit, si mam ma'am! Reported, si man!!!!! Each of our mius has been very good in regard to this, si mam ma'am. Si and we man, mam ma'am. No answer since Sunday night, and Many-day weekend approaching, so we forwarded the previous appeal to just the Prinsipulette & Assoc. Prinsipul, sigh man. If we have heard zilch by noon Thursday, we shall forward the whole thing to whatever Area Stuporintendent we can find, si man. If Mini-B. gets rejected from the skoolbus next week, we're going to hit the roof, si man. How could you have been doing so well with P-Math and miss the easiest one, huh and mam ma'am?! We are going to try to do his skool skedjool this evening, sigh man.

Too many GS/ES purchases littering all the couches for him to flop here, hee hee man.

Research it and find out, si man. Not feasible, sigh man. Went to see Mama T-B. and she seems to agree that there's no choice but to wait for news, si man.

Sorry to hear it, but good of you to try; we rarely get what we don't ask for. Please keep us posted.

Well, that's going to be two fewer staffers at a place where help, good or otherwise (usually otherwise), is hard to find.

Let us know!

Elliott Management Group, the activist investor group on the airline's Board of Directors, (1) should have anticipated stuff like this, and (2) can take a long walk off a short pier. Read what happened. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Southwest Airlines Faces New Problem After Ending Free Bags Last year, Southwest Airlines made the surprising decision to begin charging customers for checked baggage, ending its longstanding "bags fly free" policy. Now, several months after ending free bags, Southwest is still having problems, and those problems have only seemed to be exacerbated by its new assigned seating policy. [...] https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/southwest-airlines-faces-problem-ending-175508955.html

My thoughts exactly.

And here we go, sigh man... Mama T-B. called, all aysheep, aysheep senior she man man. This time, it's rather justified, see man: Her hospice outfit has been bought out and everyone is allegedly gone now, wow man. The new outfit (if rumor is correct) is HQ'd around DFW, rumored man. They do appear to have a proximal office, positive if true man. The noosering-casa is caucusing today at half-past 2 p.m. to gather info, si man. They have Many (2x2x2x2x2x2 +2x2x2) patients affected, that's a lot man. Meanwhile, Mama T-B. (and we) have lost our very few capable/caring contacts, months to develop them man. Mama T-B. is catastrophizing, can't totally blame her man. We are preaching patience, noosering-casa won't leave anyone in the lurch man. But this is the last thing that either of us needs, and man.

It's hard, but your time will come. We all look forward to celebrating your future progress with you.

The key to your success throughout this legal-immigration process is to read carefully, interpret instructions literally, and answer completely & honestly. Interpret the instructions literally and provide what they want.

I had the same issue. I asked ChatGPT to provide the phone number and physical address of the SSA office nearest to me. It was very easy to get through, and the SSA people were surprisingly responsive.

Funny and frightening at the same time.