L'Embarras des richesses

Two posts in two days (plus a new post over at The Food Blog).

But this post is because I have awesome friends. Friends who reply to emails superbly fast (within half an hour) and are willing to do me massive favors that potentially have legal implications (though unlikely).

So a shout-out to Ms. Dr. Claudia and Hinch, who are willing to serve as referees on my citizenship application. Because I don't have any friends in the immediate area who I've known for more than three years AND I'm not related to AND are professionals (as defined by a ridiculously precise list that's very non-comprehensive), I started scrambling, but those two stepped up. Though Dr. Claudia is not included on that list–despite being a Dr.*–I can use her because she's known me personally for years and is old enough, and Hinch is a member of the British Computer Society, which is on the list.

I've known Dr. Claudia since my time in Leicester cough years ago, and Hinch nearly as long, since he's been The Boy's friend since they were children. So they are most awesome. I could have gotten a professional reference from someone in the US (only one referee need be a British citizen, and that one doesn't have to be a professional), but I'm pretty much limited to one person who I know is on the list, and besides, it looks better if I have friends in this country. And I have very little time to get this done, so posting forms back and forth is a pain.

Believe it or not, I don't have a limited amount of time because I procrastinated (though I have), but because there's about a 12 day window in which I want to apply. I don't meet the residency requirement until March 18, but the application fees–which are already outrageous (£851 at least, plus other fees to be determined)–will most likely go up in April. So I have to get the application to them after I've been resident here long enough, but before the fees go up. Yeah, that's not a precise window or anything.

So yes, an embarrassment of riches for the 3** people who read my blogs, and an embarrassment of riches for me because I have amazing friends.

*Neither medical doctors nor Post-Doctoral Research Fellows are included on the list, despite being very much professionals. Yet Chiropodist, Christian Science practitioner, and Dentist are. WTF?

**I may be overestimating the number slightly.

Here to stay

Finally. After years of struggling to make our relationship work and months of nervousness that I wouldn't have my documents back in time to travel, not to mention the obscene amount of money thrown at the Tories (assholes), they can't deny it anymore: I'm here to stay. I don't want to be, but that's a different issue.

Yesterday I found a missed package delivery slip. There was absolutely nothing on it besides a tracking number, but when I went to the website to schedule redelivery they mentioned--many times--passports, so I assumed that all my crap (about a kilo's worth of paperwork and our passports) was being returned.

It wasn't. When I signed for it today it was just a tiny envelope, which meant it was my biometric residence card permit thingy (Indefinite Leave to Remain, or ILR), which they're no longer sticking in passports but printing out on plastic. Basically it's a driver's license type thing with a chip in it (because those chips are *soooo* secure). It's horribly ugly, but since it allows me to do nearly everything over here (except vote and drive, and I can drive on my US license for a year if I were crazy, which I'm not), I don't really care. I have to travel with it, which should be interesting; even though they've had these doohickeys for a while, I'm sure someone in Border Control will fuck it up and stamp me in wrong.* That'll be a fun fight to have...

Happily, a couple of hours after receiving my ILR card, there was another pounding on the door (delivery people in this country believe in making a LOT of noise). This time it was a mail carrier who wanted my signature (for Weldman, because he couldn't get it through his head that the "i" wasn't an "l") for a very large packet that appeared to have about a kilo's worth of paperwork in it. It did. They seem to have sent back everything of importance (and at least some of not), and in particular, our passports. So happy days, I'm free to leave the country again. And just in time, too, since I have to leave the country in just over a month for a friend's wedding.

So though I don't always want to be here, I say to everyone who has been a douche to me because I sound different

Suck it. Suck it long, and suck it hard.

I know the residence permit isn't very clear. I prefer it that way for a variety of reasons.

But it's there, and it's mine.

*This happened with my student visa when I first entered on it in 2005. I presented my passport, opened to my visa page, which she ignored and flipped to my ID page, then flipped back to my visa page. She examined it, then proceeded to turn the page and stamp me in as a tourist. I found out when I came back after the holidays in January that effectively I'd been attending classes illegally. Fun times.

2010 Reading List: December

With about 4.5 hours to spare, I managed to squeak out my 63rd book this year, finishing The Hobbit around 7:30pm on New Year's Eve.  I'm proud of myself, averaging more than a book a week, and reading 35 books this year that I've never read before.  I'd love to be averaging more like 2-2.5 books a week, but I have to balance it with work (yeah, part-time, but still), Girl Museum (we have a new exhibition, go see it!), and a heavy TV schedule, so I doubt I'll be able to increase my average much.  Even so, I'm pleased that I've managed to read a bunch of stuff I've not read before.  Holding myself accountable by posting everything here on the blog has kept me aware of what I've read, and has, in a couple of cases, kept me from reading something I've already read this year.

And though I know my reading list is boring to some people--if not everyone--who reads this, it is helpful to me, so I will be continuing it in 2011 as well.  Speaking of, Happy New Year!

59.  The Dark Secret of Weatherend*, by John Bellairs (An Anthony Monday Mystery)

60.  Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish*, by Dorothy Gilman (Mrs. Pollifax Novel)
61.  The Mansion in the Mist*, by John Bellairs (An Anthony Monday Mystery)
62.  Bone in the Throat, by Anthony Bourdain
63.  The Hobbit*, by J.R.R. Tolkien

Agatha Christie

 1.  The Tuesday Club Murders (Miss Marple; a series of short stories--good intro to character)

 2.  The Labors of Hercules (Hercule Poirot; a series of short mysteries with an overarching theme)

Margaret Truman

 3.  Murder in the White House (Capital Crimes novel: no recurring characters, but sort of a "set")

Isaac Asimov

 4.  The Caves of Steel (A Lije Baley & R. Daneel Olivaw novel)

 5.  The Naked Sun (A Lije Baley & R. Daneel Olivaw novel)

16.  I, Robot

J. K. Rowling

 6.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone* (Harry Potter Series Book 1)

 7.  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets* (Harry Potter Series Book 2)

22.  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban* (Harry Potter Series Book 3)

32.  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire* (Harry Potter Series Book 4)

Mary Francis Shura

 8.  Kate's Book* (one of two books featuring Kate Alexander)

 9.  Kate's House* (one of two books featuring Kate Alexander)

John Bellairs

10.  The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull* (A Johnny Dixon mystery) I'm not sure if I've finished this one before, but I know I have started it in the past.

57.  The Treasure of Alpheus Winterbourn* (An Anthony Monday Mystery)

58.  The Lamp from the Warlock's Tomb* (An Anthony Monday Mystery)

59.  The Dark Secret of Weatherend* (An Anthony Monday Mystery)

61.  The Mansion in the Mist* (An Anthony Monday Mystery)

Erle Stanley Gardner

11.  The Case of the Stuttering Bishop (A Perry Mason mystery)

Carl Hiaasen

12.  Flush

E.L. Konigsburg

13.  Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth William McKinley, and me, Elizabeth

Carol Ryrie Brink

14.  The Pink Motel*

Jeff Burk

15.  Shatner Quake (More of a novella.  Whatever it is, it defies description.)

James B. Garfield

17.  Follow My Leader*

Jean Fritz and Tom Clute

18.  Champion Dog Prince Tom*

Janet Evanovich

19.  Full House (Several characters appear again in other books)

20.  Smitten

Jonathan Stroud

21.  The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy: Book 1)

Dorthy Gilman

23.  Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief* (Mrs. Pollifax Novel)

52.  Mrs. Pollifax and the Hong Kong Buddha* (Mrs. Pollifax Novel)

53.  A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax* (Mrs. Pollifax Novel)
60.  Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish* (Mrs. Pollifax Novel)

Robert Rankin

24.  Nostradamus Ate My Hamster

Elizabeth Peters

25.  The Seventh Sinner* (Jacqueline Kirby novel)

26.  Borrower of the Night* (Vicky Bliss novel)

28.  Lord of the Silent* (Amelia Peabody novel)

39.  A River in the Sky (Ameila Peabody novel)

41.  The Falcon at the Portal* (Amelia Peabody novel)

42.  He Shall Thunder in the Sky* (Amelia Peabody novel)

48.  The Mummy Case* (Amelia Peabody novel)

50.  Lion in the Valley* (Amelia Peabody novel)

John Grogan

27.  Marley and Me

Terry Goodkind

29.  Soul of the Fire (Sword of Truth Series Book 5)

36.  Faith of the Fallen (Sword of Truth Series Book 6)

47.  The Pillars of Creation (Sword of Truth Series Book 7)

51.  Naked Empire (Sword of Truth Series Book 8)

54. Chainfire (Sword of Truth Series Book 9)

55.  Phantom (Sword of Truth Series Book 10)

56.  Confessor (Sword of Truth Series Book 11)

Terry Pratchett

30.  Strata (precursor to the Discworld novels)

46.  Unseen Academicals (A Discworld Novel)

Jan Siegel

31.  Prospero's Children (Fern Capel Trilogy Book 1)

Roald Dahl

33.  Matilda*

Nadifa Mohamed

34.  Black Mamba Boy

Alexander McCall Smith

35.  The Miracle at Speedy Motors (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Book 9)

38.  Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Book 10)

40.  The Double Comfort Safari Club (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Book 11)

"Richard Castle"  (ghostwriter unknown; Rick Castle is Nathan Fillion's character on Castle.)

37.  Heat Wave

Christopher Moore

43.  Bloodsucking Fiends* (Vampire Trilogy, Book 1)

44.  You Suck (Vampire Trilogy Book 2)

45.  Bite Me: A Love Story (Vampire Trilogy Book 3)

Sharyn McCrumb

49.  Zombies of the Gene Pool (sequel? to Bimbos of the Death Sun)

Anthony Bourdain
62.  Bone in the Throat

J.R.R. Tolkien
63.  The Hobbit*

Star-struck

Sir Patrick Stewart was at the spa today.  So far, that has been the only good thing about living above/in the same building as a "high class" spa.  He has a silver Roll-Royce (and a driver), and is only about 5'10".  He's also stunningly attractive, even more so in person (oh, that profile...).  He was also impeccably dressed in a blue pinstriped suit.

He walked within 3 feet of me.  I did not man up and say hello.  How do you succinctly tell someone how brilliant their work is (especially when he's clearly in a hurry)?  Every aspect of that man was designed for the theatre.  Shakespeare, Mamet, Albee, Miller.  He's done them all, and I would love to see him on stage.  That voice, that presence.

Ahh!  Oh well, perhaps I'll see him again.  He's Chancellor of Huddersfield Uni, and President of Huddersfield Town Academy (football).

Doin' the "My Credit Score is Higher than Yours" Dance

That is all.

No, not quite; I guess it requires at least a short explanation.  Due to a fit of pique a couple of weeks ago, I cancelled my line of credit.  Specifically, my overdraft protection.  Why I cancelled it is a long and rather pointless story, but it involved being charged interest I wasn't notified of at a later date than my payment.  I've used the overdraft protection approximately 3 times in all the years I've had it, and I didn't apply for it in the first place; in the age of easy credit, they just gave me shit like that (the limit on my credit card is another fine example of that).

Anyways, I realized that with Adam on my accounts now, and his only having one account, not multiple accounts tied together, we might run into some problems without the protection; namely, problems that cost about $25 per bounced check (when I cancelled it, they were supposed to decline all debit purchases made with insufficient funds in the account).  This is mostly because I keep no money in accounts that don't pay interest.  I like money, and the best way to make money is to keep it, preferably in places that pay you to keep it.  So in the light of keeping my money, I went to reapply for the line of credit.  In the process, they had to run my credit score.  After that, it was all downhill.

Because I am, shall we say, paranoid, I won't post my credit score.  However, they say that if you have a score of 720, you'll get the lowest interest rates on a mortgage.  I started laughing when I read that.

All in all, a good day.