Feb
25
2010
Definition of CRAP
Filed Under Poetry, Writing | 2 Comments
crap [krap] noun: The stuff you wrote in junior and high school that you thought was really good poetry, only to read it years later and see it for what it is.
Jan
29
2010
who’da thought
Filed Under Adventure, Health, Living Life, Married Life | Leave a Comment
Today marks 1 year that the Sabra and I have been married…how crazy is that? I never thought I’d actually get married, let alone be celebrating an anniversary. Wow, craziness.
We are going to watch a movie and eat Ethiopian for dinner…nice way to celebrate, don’t you think?
One down, and the rest of our lives to go.
Oct
9
2009
Last Day in Legislative Affairs
Filed Under NASA, Work | Leave a Comment
Today is my last day in this office. After 5 long, grueling years, I am moving on. I planned to come in late, leave early, and wear jeans today.
Unfortunately, my current boss had other plans. On Tuesday, he told us that we all needed to support the LCROSS event at the Newseum this morning. This morning. At 6:30 this morning.
I am not much of a fan of The Office, but I did want to see Jim and Pam’s wedding. Oh, well. It was lights out at 9:30 (so I did see Jim slip during his toast). Of course with the snorer in the apartment below us, I was up about 3 am and didn’t really fall back to sleep. So, I was in the shower by 4:30 this morning.
I left the house about 10 after 5 to head out to the Metro. It was absolutely beautiful. It was crisp, yet pleasant (I didn’t wear a jacket). It was so still and peaceful. The only sound was a bus that passed me as I stood motionless just outside my apartment and soaked in the beauty of the predawn.
As I looked up, I saw a perfect 1/2 moon as the clouds parted, and all I could think was, “Boy, you have no idea what you’re in for later this morning, do you?”
Oct
6
2009
Thanks, ICE.
Filed Under General Ranting | Leave a Comment
The Sabra got her travel documents yesterday. That means we have cleared yet another hurdle in this arduous Green Card process. This is good news; she is now free to move about the world, and she is already talking about going back to the Holy Land for about a month (this, too, is good, as I will go for 2 weeks to visit–I could use a vacation and a good fixin’ of Shawarma!).
We’re thinking sometime in November, but we have a launch then, so I’m not sure how that will play out.
Now we are waiting for the temporary work permit (which will be temporary for 2 years…then we will have a second interview and it will be permanent). We are also waiting for the first interview.
So, we wait. But in the meantime, thanks to ICE for not forgetting about us.
Oct
5
2009
does anyone have…
Filed Under General Ranting | Leave a Comment
a good cupcake recipe?
Oct
2
2009
I want to start a non-profit.
Anyone interested in helping?
Sep
17
2009
FINALLY!!!!!
Filed Under Adventure, NASA, Work | 2 Comments
So, after 5 grueling years in my current office at America’s finest space agency, I can now officially say that I am moving on!
Last week, HR called me and offered me a position I had applied for and interviewed for in Public Affairs. True, I am only moving down 4 floors from where I am now, but I feel that I will be moving a world away from where I am now!
I recognize that there will be drama and all kinds of bullshit in the new office, but it will all be new drama and bullshit for me to learn, and that will be fun (until it’s not anymore). I have been trying to get into this office in Public Affairs pretty much the entire 5 years that I have been in my current office. Sadly, it took a very lovely woman’s death to open a slot for me, so that’s sort of bittersweet. I’m not typically into the whole “better place” thing, but this woman was in a lot of pain, and she truly is in a better place now.
I’m not 100% sure what I will be doing in this position, but I know that I will be working with guest operations, exhibits, events, and astronauts (pretty much a lot of what I’m doing now, but in a different office, and in Public Affairs).
I officially begin on October 11.
I’m so excited!
Sep
8
2009
Floundering
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I was, again, stuck in Florida with a Shuttle that wouldn’t launch. So, again, after several days, the Sabra decided to come down and join me. And, again, she proved to be the good-luck charm we needed, and that little Shuttle launched.
Since she was in FL anyway, we decided to take a vacation, and we stayed in Orlando for a week. It was nice; we went to Disney World, which was pretty fun. We only had one day there, so we just went to Magic Kingdom. Then we spent the next morning listing to the benefits of buying a timeshare. We were strong and didn’t buy, but we DID get a free breakfast and 2 one-day passes to both Universal Orlando parks, so I guess we did OK.
I started back at work this morning, and I noticed that even though schools are all officially back in session, the Metro was surprisingly empty. Then I got off the train at Gallery Place/Chinatown to transfer. As I walked down the platform, there was a mass onrush of people walking the opposite direction. Someone had opened the floodgates and people were pouring out and over the walkway. It occurred to me that this is exactly how salmon feel as they fight their way up against the currents of the raging rivers of the Pacific Northwest. Where once I felt like drone in the subway, today, I better appreciated the plight of the salmon. Unfortunately for me, I did not spawn at the end of this river of people; however, fortunately, I did not die as do the fierce salmon who make the difficult trek to perpetuate their species.
I merely went to work.
Aug
13
2009
Ok, so I just installed an app to allow me to post from afar. This post is nothing more than a test to see if I have everything set up properly.
Cross your fingers. If this worked, hopefully I’ll be posting a bit more.
Here’s hoping….
Jul
28
2009
of Green Cards and Consumptives
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This is a bit of a catch-up post…
The Sabra is back, living in the same state, and indeed, the same house as yours truly. She received official word that she was laid off a few weeks ago, and after an unfortunate series of events, she finally accepted the severance package her office offered: 2 more paychecks, relocation money, and 10 days’ worth of COBRA while we waited for my insurance to pick her up. I flew up on July 2, and we drove back on the fifth, car loaded with all her worldly possessions.
Now that she is unemployed and almost without a status, we have submitted the paperwork for her Green Card…and what an experience that has been. It was actually easier than we thought to get all the papers together, and I got my bonus at work at just the right time—for it ain’t cheap to get permanent residence status. She also had to get a physical from a US Citizenship and Immigration Services recognized doctor. This physical included a TB test, which, due to her being immunized as a child, she promptly failed. So, she had to go to another place to get a chest x-ray to verify that she is TB free. But, since we live in the District, we had to take an extra step.
I took yesterday off thinking that I would get some well-deserved rest and get some things done around the apartment. Instead, I spent the better part of the morning at DC General Hospital at the TB clinic where the Sabra had to get clearance from the DC Department of Health. It was a bit creepy hanging out with so many consumptives in one room. I will definitely need to get a TB test at my next physical!
With clearance in hand, we returned to the CIS approved clinic and had all the paperwork finalized. We put the papers, applications, and checks (yes, there were 3 of them) in the mail this morning.
Now we wait for the next step in the process, which I believe is the interview…stay tuned!