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Damian P

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  1. Like
    Damian P got a reaction from Pinkrlion in Anybody Stateside Watching "90 Day Fiance" Stateside?   
    It's hysterical. It really is. And obviously all the more entertaining for those of us that have been down the K-1 route. I know "reality" TV is actualy anything but, but the producers could have least TRIED to make it a little more convincing/authentic!
    Russ & Paola - He's clearly gay. End of story.
    Mike & Aziza - She has the most pronounced American accent I've ever heard for a 21-year-old Russian!
    Alan & Kirylam - Dork/Aspiring model? Nah!
    Louis & Aya - The only one of these "relationships" I could see as being genuine (but I doubt it is).
    Compulsive viewing though (albeit taken with a large pinch of salt!)
  2. Like
    Damian P got a reaction from Nich-Nick in Anybody Stateside Watching "90 Day Fiance" Stateside?   
    I thought there might be. But I try to avoid the mong-fest that is the off-topic forum like the plague, Wheatly.
  3. Like
    Damian P got a reaction from Alex&Amy in I'm terrified--USCIS is giving a blatant scammer a GC and I don't seem to be able to stop them   
    Word. And I could answer that question very clearly and concisely, but I fear it may be against the TOS.
  4. Like
    Damian P got a reaction from codie in Detained by law enforcement   
    To be perfectly fair, if you're from the Black Country he probably didn't understand a ###### word you were saying anyway. Yam-Yam.
  5. Like
    Damian P got a reaction from *Snowdrop* in What parts of English culture will you/do you miss?   
    Funny how you see things differently when you've been gone a while (I've not been back to Blighty once since I arrived stateside nearly 5 years ago) because I'd gladly trade some of the English wind and rain for the ###### arctic bollocks we're currently dealing with here. I am beyond sick of the sight of snow!
  6. Like
    Damian P got a reaction from catie-b in What parts of English culture will you/do you miss?   
    Interesting read, this topic. I'm English and have been here for 5 years. And I can honestly say I miss very little about the UK. Some things, but not much. Because for everything I miss from home, there's a perfectly adequate (and usually better) substitute here.
    Sure, I miss a proper local pub - but I sure as hell don't miss standing 4-deep at the bar trying to get served at last orders. I LOVE the table service at American bars (and the sports bars are just the nuts). I miss fish 'n' chips from a proper chippy - but the proper, hand patted burgers made from freshly ground beef you get here make the skinny, frozen patties on offer at home look pitiful. I miss our football - in the sense of physically being able to go to a game - but we get more games on TV here than you do at home. And I've come to love the American version. And whilst the fans of opposing teams sitting together kinda takes the tribalism out of things, the pre-match tailgating is fantastic - can you imagine tailgating at a West Ham/Chelsea game!!!???? Somebody mentioned butter - Land 'o' Lakes will fill your dairy needs just as well as Lurpak, trust me. And as for Salt 'n' Vinegar crisps, yes, Lays make them. In humongous bags. And they look/taste just like Walkers. I'd also recommend another Lays product - Stax. They're like Pringles except better. And the Salt 'n' Vinegar ones are awesome.
    Something else I don't miss about home - motoring expenses. You can shove paying $9-a-gallon where the sun don't shine! I drive a 5.6 litre, V8 pickup truck here - the fuel costs alone would bankrupt me at home. And I get to drive my truck on big, long, wide, (comparatively) empty highways here in the Midwest (as opposed to shitty, windy, little B-roads at home). And somewhere to live? Here (I'm about an hour North of Kansas City, MO) $100,000 (so what, about 60k English?) gets you a detached (oh, how my American friends laugh at that) 3 bed place with a basement in an acre of land. Name me ANYWHERE in the UK where you get that kind of bang for your housing buck!
    There are some downsides to living here, of course. Yes, the healthcare is an issue. Not the standard of care you receive (and the promptness with which its delivered) but the deductibles/co-pays. I have insurance through work. It runs me about $70-a-month. But it's an 80/20 policy (which is the norm these days) and the plan only picks up the 80% after I've met the annual deductible of $1,000. And then I'm on the hook for more until annual -of-pocket maximum is reached (about $3,500 in my case).
    What I simply can't ###### stand most of all though, is the GLUT of God/Jesus bollocks. Seriously, it's a nightmare. And the rank hypocrisy! I used to think I was conservative, politically speaking, until I moved out here. Now I realize just how ultra-liberal (by American standards) I really am. The conservative (Republican) movement is intrinsically linked to organized religion, specifically Christianity in a bazillion different forms. And you'd better believe you're going to hell in a handcart unless you're A) White B ) Straight C ) Wealthy D) Accepting of Christ and E ) Go to "my" church, mister!!!! Awful!
    But I have to say that, all in all, the pros of living stateside far outweigh the cons. I'm happy here, and have every intention of spending the rest of my life here. My advice to any of you embarking on this journey is rather than pine about the things you miss from home, to embrace the culture of your new home. As a guy, I found the easiest way to do that was through sport. Yes, absolutely I took the pi$$ out of baseball and referred to it as "rounders." Now I can't wait for the new season to start. Yes, I derided American football as "rugby for poofs." Now, if The St Louis Rams lose (and they frequently do) I'm genuinely pi$$ed off for the rest of the week!
    Life really is what you make it, folks. Especially for people in our situation. Enjoy it!
  7. Like
    Damian P got a reaction from isbjorn in What parts of English culture will you/do you miss?   
    Ah thi from Yaaaarkshirrre?
  8. Like
    Damian P got a reaction from Glyn and Kathy in What parts of English culture will you/do you miss?   
    Interesting read, this topic. I'm English and have been here for 5 years. And I can honestly say I miss very little about the UK. Some things, but not much. Because for everything I miss from home, there's a perfectly adequate (and usually better) substitute here.
    Sure, I miss a proper local pub - but I sure as hell don't miss standing 4-deep at the bar trying to get served at last orders. I LOVE the table service at American bars (and the sports bars are just the nuts). I miss fish 'n' chips from a proper chippy - but the proper, hand patted burgers made from freshly ground beef you get here make the skinny, frozen patties on offer at home look pitiful. I miss our football - in the sense of physically being able to go to a game - but we get more games on TV here than you do at home. And I've come to love the American version. And whilst the fans of opposing teams sitting together kinda takes the tribalism out of things, the pre-match tailgating is fantastic - can you imagine tailgating at a West Ham/Chelsea game!!!???? Somebody mentioned butter - Land 'o' Lakes will fill your dairy needs just as well as Lurpak, trust me. And as for Salt 'n' Vinegar crisps, yes, Lays make them. In humongous bags. And they look/taste just like Walkers. I'd also recommend another Lays product - Stax. They're like Pringles except better. And the Salt 'n' Vinegar ones are awesome.
    Something else I don't miss about home - motoring expenses. You can shove paying $9-a-gallon where the sun don't shine! I drive a 5.6 litre, V8 pickup truck here - the fuel costs alone would bankrupt me at home. And I get to drive my truck on big, long, wide, (comparatively) empty highways here in the Midwest (as opposed to shitty, windy, little B-roads at home). And somewhere to live? Here (I'm about an hour North of Kansas City, MO) $100,000 (so what, about 60k English?) gets you a detached (oh, how my American friends laugh at that) 3 bed place with a basement in an acre of land. Name me ANYWHERE in the UK where you get that kind of bang for your housing buck!
    There are some downsides to living here, of course. Yes, the healthcare is an issue. Not the standard of care you receive (and the promptness with which its delivered) but the deductibles/co-pays. I have insurance through work. It runs me about $70-a-month. But it's an 80/20 policy (which is the norm these days) and the plan only picks up the 80% after I've met the annual deductible of $1,000. And then I'm on the hook for more until annual -of-pocket maximum is reached (about $3,500 in my case).
    What I simply can't ###### stand most of all though, is the GLUT of God/Jesus bollocks. Seriously, it's a nightmare. And the rank hypocrisy! I used to think I was conservative, politically speaking, until I moved out here. Now I realize just how ultra-liberal (by American standards) I really am. The conservative (Republican) movement is intrinsically linked to organized religion, specifically Christianity in a bazillion different forms. And you'd better believe you're going to hell in a handcart unless you're A) White B ) Straight C ) Wealthy D) Accepting of Christ and E ) Go to "my" church, mister!!!! Awful!
    But I have to say that, all in all, the pros of living stateside far outweigh the cons. I'm happy here, and have every intention of spending the rest of my life here. My advice to any of you embarking on this journey is rather than pine about the things you miss from home, to embrace the culture of your new home. As a guy, I found the easiest way to do that was through sport. Yes, absolutely I took the pi$$ out of baseball and referred to it as "rounders." Now I can't wait for the new season to start. Yes, I derided American football as "rugby for poofs." Now, if The St Louis Rams lose (and they frequently do) I'm genuinely pi$$ed off for the rest of the week!
    Life really is what you make it, folks. Especially for people in our situation. Enjoy it!
  9. Like
    Damian P got a reaction from Azure30 in Another Naturalization Interview Question......   
    "Well, anytime an LPR acquires a GC through marriage to a USC, then later on divorces and marries someone from their own country, is questionable in the eyes of immigration officials."
    Good point - I'd never really looked at it that way.
    "Questions such as "did you know your current wife before you married the USC" could be asked."
    Another valid point. But no, I didn't.
    "After you gain US citizenship, nobody cares what you do. I highly doubt the IO will ask you what your future plans are as this is not really their concern."

    My sentiments exactly - good to see we're on the same wavelength. Thanks for the reply.
    And anyway , LOL @ me even worrying about this stuff now - I don't even file until May 2014! Hey - be prepared, right!??
  10. Like
    Damian P got a reaction from elmcitymaven in Well now........talk about coming full circle....   
    Firstly, thanks for the "Groundhog Day" NN - it was you who first replied to my first post 5 years ago. And once again, massive thanks for the info. And guys, she's not really Mary Poppins - she likes to drink, enjoys loud rock music, and says "c**t" a lot, which makes her "practically perfect in every way!"
  11. Like
    Damian P got a reaction from mazra in Well now........talk about coming full circle....   
    Firstly, thanks for the "Groundhog Day" NN - it was you who first replied to my first post 5 years ago. And once again, massive thanks for the info. And guys, she's not really Mary Poppins - she likes to drink, enjoys loud rock music, and says "c**t" a lot, which makes her "practically perfect in every way!"
  12. Like
    Damian P got a reaction from Empress of Groovy in Age difference   
    If this was the philipines forum, where 70-year-old guys are trying to bring teenagers over, if may be an issue. Not here though.
  13. Like
    Damian P got a reaction from NotworkSte in EPL Prediction Compo - 2010/11   
    Another dogshit week for almost everyone. Big up to NotworkSte for posting an even shittier score than mine:
    RKL - 14
    Visacat - 11
    R&M - 8
    A&B - 7
    Fozzie - 7
    Nicky - 5
    Doris - 5
    Pooky - 4
    Damian - 3
    NotworkSte - 2
    Table:
    Damian - 154 (2)
    RKL - 147 (2)
    Rob&Mel - 143 (2)
    Doris - 140 (2)
    Visacat - 133 (2)
    Andrew&Bethany - 132 (2)
    Fozzie - 126 (1)
    Nicky - 118 (2)
    NotworkSte - 105 (2)
    Pooky - 100 (2)
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