Hey, have you all noticed that we came in second to the games forum this week (yay!) Usually, we're neck and neck with the Southeastern forum, but I didn't see them on the list at all. Did the whole southeast vaporize?
Water Cooler - 3
Yeah, they all stopped talking!
How did games get so far ahead? I know the answer. Victor and I and Jan are working on articles - someone else too - instead of posting as we ought to! xx, Carrie
Games was always ahead of us, but we were the highest 'real' forum until the South beat us a few times recently.
Check out today's article by Debbie!
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/339/
Carrie, I always assumed your parents were Stephen King fans. ;^)
Well, immigration is coming along.
Last Wednesday, we went for the physical exam - and I am happy to report that neither DH or I have TB, HIV, or other highly contagious diseases which may post a risk to the American public. Also - we have now had all our shots :-)
On the other hand, DD is TERRIFIED of needles and wisely brought her college records which shows she had all her shots. But no excaping the blood tests and the TB tests. She was absolutely in tears and inconsolable. Finally, the doctor recommended that we have our primary care physician prescribe a sedative to help with the anxiety and to allow the blood and TB test to happen there and the results sent back to the civil surgeion.
Tried to arrange this with the primary care doctor's office - but the office staff seemed to think we wanted DD comatose when they were taking blood. No matter how I explained it, they absolutely refused to cooperate. I finally asked to speak to our doctor directly - but of course, the doctor wasn't available until MOnday.
Sunday I go to the neighbourhood cookies swap and one of the women is a pediatrician. I asked her what words I should use (since I clearly was not making myself understood the Wednesday). She assured me this was a case of "situational anxiety" and physicians often prescribe a mild sedative for exactly these circumstances.
Monday we made an appointment for the doctor and got the prescription for the drug. It was very inexpensive. Tuesday DD takes the pill to ensure there is no serious side effects. Today she got the blood test and the TB test (but still cried and was very stressed inspite of following doctors orders to take 2 pills 1 hour before getting the lab work done. Now we wait until Friday to get the results of the TB test,
Meanwhile all of this has taken more than a month to organize. Still have to get six pictures each and the final typed report from the civil surgeon and then we can mail all of this back to the lawyers and they can put the package together and ship to INS.
Have already paid almost $8000 and just got another bill from the lawyers for another $730. But it will be worth it if DH and DD can finally work here. (Just think of the gardens I could make with that kind of money!
Wow, what a saga. You should have just come from the south border!
It's safe to assume DD will not be in health care?!! How old is she? Was she always so fearful? Good thing she's not on the Forum with the needling that goes on here.
Seandor: What a saga, indeed. Welcome to the crazy world of the American medical insurance fiasco. Hope it all works out. Patience is the operative word here, sadly.
It's more like immigration (the legal kind) fiasco, Mike.
Nowdays, anything that involves paperwork is a fiasco as far as I'm concerned!
Try fighting the DMV in California....ya don't EVEN wanna know...
Do they still allow cars in CA?!!
yes, unfortunately...but God forbid you use a leaf blower.
To get to work?
LOL...yeah...they only work on people under 75 lbs. More kids disappear that way around here...
Continued good luck Michaela! What a project! My grandparents never would have made it!
It sure was easier way back when with just a huge steamer boat and a very small island.
Michaela. My heart goes out to your DD, (and you, too), for the 'white coat syndrome' manifestations. My youngest DD is the same way. It's rather stressful.
We do not know why DD is so fearful of needles She wasn't when she was seven - but since then it has been increasingly difficult for her. She hasn't seen a dentist for quite a while because she is soooo extremely fearful.
Regarding immigration, my big fear is that paperwork will get lost along the way. The Dept. of Labour put our application for labour certification into backlog, and it took three years just to get that paperwork completed.
Needless to say, we are hoping the INS is somewhat more efficient.
But, I understand that most countries are challenging when trying to set up permenant residency.
Oh, Michaela, God bless you and good luck with everything! One of my brothers married a girl from Panama. He met her on line! She could barely speak a word of English but she's doing great now and have a beautiful daughter named Esperanza, which means hope!
Lots of luck Michaela!! Eleanor
Michaela, my DH had all the usual round of vaccinations as a child 40 - 45 years ago. Now to do to UMass Boston he had to submit proof of all this or repeat the shots, of course unless you're terribly anxious it's usually easier to just get stuck again!
About the hardest thing I've had to do as a mother was take each of my kids to an allergist at about age 5. They both had really bad asthma [not from me, either]. They had to get sort of a grid, like the old tb test but with like 24 different allergens on each grid and one grid for each fore arm, the tender inside part. They had to sit there not touching for a really long time, like 10 minutes or 20 minutes, and of course they were allergic to a lot of things so they were itchy and driving them crazy and I had to hold their arms so they wouldn't scratch them. DD#1 was mostly allergic to ash pollen and oak pollen and elm pollen and various other esoteric airborne allergens but DD#2 was WILDLY allergic to cats, dogs, horses, sheep, and everything else that has fur in addition to the normal panoply of airborne junk.
Good luck, Michaela! Good luck, Michaela's DD and DH! xxx, C
Good luck with INS, Michaela and enjoy your break from school!
Here's a cool site for all those with kiddies - the NORAD Santa tracking website. It's fun.
http://www.noradsanta.org/en/home.htm
Hey Victor that is awesome!!! I will have to show that one to the kids!! They are just busting at the seams!!! I have no idea how we will make it to Christmas. It is so much fun watching the anticipation though isn't it?
Yes it's great! We just watched Polar Express.
Thanks for that link Victor!
My kids are about to POP with anticapation!
I love Polar Express - I'd love to see it on Imax.
I miss kids for Christmas, will have to wait a few or 10 years for grandkids.
There are days when I feel like giving them to you. Not at Christmas though!
My DH misses kids for Christmas - maybe in a few years I will look forward to grandchildren. But I have done Christmas dinner for most of 30 years - and frankly I am pleased as hell (can you say "hell" on DG) to be going to a neighbours for Christmas dinner!
I guess you can say hell but maybe not with a large H. My kids are driving me so bonkers - I can't wait for grandchildren that GO HOME. xxx, C
Do what I did - move to another country - and on the opposite side of the continent. Now when I see my daughter, it's a real treat. :-)
The wave of seed and plant catalogs has begun!
We watched the Santa Tracking while listening to the Trans Siberian Orchestra. Everyone was dancing around the kitchen. It was a madhouse, but oh, what a great holiday memory!!
Sounds like fun Candyce!
Have any of you guys who wintersow contributed to the new database??
My records are non-existant - I forgot to push "save" one of the critical times, and I didn't have a paint pen - but this year it's all gonna be different. Ha ha famous last words.
xx, Carrie
Anitabryktoo may be the most accomplished at wintersowing of our forum regulars. She is a meticulous record keeper. I would assume she contributes to the database.
Michaela - As I was reading your posts about the terrible process with the bureaucracy and the enormous cost for you and your family, I was just so frustrated for you!! I am so sympathetic concerning your DD's fear of needles. My son has always had the very same phobia and it is a real problem. Hopefully, all of this will soon be behind you and you will all be standing there enjoying the citizenship ceremony before you know it. Please tell us when and where that will be! I have attended a few of those ceremonies and found them to be extremely moving. We are so fortunate that you and your family are willing to go through all of this to enhance our country with your contributions here. Thank you!!
Are you kidding????? This is just to get permanent residency. Citizenship is a whole other situation - and a minimum of FIVE additional years and lots more money AFTER you get permanent residency.
And I just got hosed by my dentist too. . . got a bill in the mail for $185 - of which $99 was for "professional consulting" - which I was assured would be covered by my dental plan BEFORE I let her "consult" with me for less than 10 minutes. sigh . . . . I swear, there are two great classes in America - those with family incomes over $150,000 per year - and the rest of us who average $55,000 per year or less.
I wish I could gross $99 for 10 minutes work (yes, I know there is the over head and staff etc. - but this clinic has several dentists,so she is not covering all the costs herself.) Even if she only gets 30% and she can only charge 30% of the time (because the rest of her time is not revenue generating), it still works out to . . . what? $60 an hour? sigh . . . between lawyers, and doctors, and dentists, I wonder how Americans afford to eat.
Oh, that is really a tough pill to swallow, Michaela! I had no idea you would have such a long road. Bummer! Hang in there.......!